The Ritual (2009)

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Memorable, crazy movie

As Good As It Gets

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

...and in this case, it was a deadly one.This film takes you a step further into the life of Wayne Montgomery. With his wife behind bars, he needed someone else to help him with his dirty work. It seemed as though he had scoped Jared out. He pulls him into his world of killings and teaches him the ways of murder. One of the most controversial parts of the film is when Wayne takes his mother's life. Wayne killed his mother because he was jealous of the relationship that she and Jared were forming. He saw it was creating a weakness in his relationship with Jared. Wayne was very clear with Jared in telling him not to kill someone you know, and to not make it personal. Ultimately, Wayne's death was a result of his negligence and going against his own set of rules. It is interesting that someone who flew so far under the radar and who had committed so many unsolved crimes would be murdered by his own "student." Although he is no longer a menace to society, Jared lives on and so does those who follow in his footsteps. I thoroughly enjoyed the film and I like how it sets you up for the 3rd Head Case film "Post-Mortem." Bravo, Anthony! Bravo!

This follow-up to Head Case is quite impressive. Spadaccini took a completely different direction in The Ritual and I like it. The Ritual takes the disturbing horror elements from its predecessor and adds some depth to the story. This film introduces some new characters. Jared, played by Joey Garrison, is one of my favorite characters. His performance was stellar. We also got to see more from Brinke Stevens, whose performance was also outstanding. She had such an intense presence in the film, even with little screen time. The characters all meshed together so well. The cinematography and editing improved dramatically in comparison to Head Case. Head Case was gritty and raw, while Ritual has a more elegant feel, yet maintains its realism.

Serial killer Wayne Montgomery was inadvertently "outed" in December 2006, after DNA evidence linked him and his wife Andrea to a series of brutal unsolved murders in the small town of Claymont, Delaware - as well as the disappearance of their own daughter Monica. However, Andrea was the only one arrested. Authorities were unable to locate Wayne, who had simply vanished. Countless hours of Wayne & Andrea's home footage, allegedly depicting several of these vicious acts being committed, had also vanished. Recently discovered footage recorded by Wayne in 2007 details his activities in the months following his wife's arrest - adjusting to his life as a fugitive...and beginning a sadistic, twisted relationship with a teenage male hustler named Jared, whom Wayne has selected to groom as a successor. However, things will soon become unraveled when outside influences threaten to destroy the foundation that Wayne has created for his young student. This movie is not a horror movie. It's a talking head movie and boring beyond belief. Slow, tedious, talkie. And oddly directed. Don't bother. Unless you want a new version of Lunestra.

The acting of the supporting cast left much to be desired. Don't get me wrong, the leads were great, story line was great but the supporting cast just could not keep up. Wayyyyy out-classed.Good movie overall but the the actors that played Holly, Robert....etc. need to get more acting lessons before embarking on something as intricate as this. Hopefully they will get better with time.I really look forward to more shorts and features from this director. Anthony appears to be a natural at this craft but it is almost like he cast some of his friends with little or no real training to play bit parts thus bringing down what was a film with potential.I look forward to watching Post-Mortem but the supporting cast has some of the same names that did not impress me in this one. Hopefully, they give a better performance in Post-Mortem.Alex