The ritual

This article describes the film from 1987. For other films of the same name, see Ritual (disambiguation) .

Movie
German title	The ritual
Original title	The Believers
Country of production	United States
original language	English
Publishing year	1987
length	114 minutes
Age rating	FSK 16
Rod
Director	John Schlesinger
script	Mark Frost
production	Beverly J. Camhe , Michael Childers , John Schlesinger
music	J. Peter Robinson
camera	Robby Muller
cut	Peter Honess
occupation
Martin Sheen : Cal Jamison Helen Shaver : Jessica Halliday Harley Cross : Chris Jamison Robert Loggia : Lieutenant Sean McTaggert Elizabeth Wilson : Kate Maslow Harris Yulin : Robert Calder Lee Richardson : Dennis Maslow Richard Masur : Marty Wertheimer Carla Pinza : Carmen Ruiz Jimmy Smits : Tom Lopez Raúl Dávila : Oscar Sezine Malick Bowens : Palo Janet-Laine Green : Lisa Jamison

The ritual (original title: The Believers ) is an American horror film from 1987 . Directed by John Schlesinger , the screenplay was written by Mark Frost based on a novel by Nicholas Conde . In the role of the police psychiatrist Cal Jamison, Martin Sheen tracks down a voodoo sect that doesn't shy away from murder.

action

Cal Jamison works for the police as a psychiatrist. After a fatal household accident of his wife, he moves to New York City with his son Chris , where he is supposed to help solve the ritual murders of two teenagers and the suicide of a police officer. Jamison believes there is a connection with the Santería cult. He's investigating the scene.

Cal's partner Jessica has meanwhile been made possessed by a sect priest with a poisoned powder sponge, but can be saved in the hospital.

Jamison sends Chris to the country with friends who betray him and are themselves cultists. Eventually, Cal drives over to them with his friend Marty. The cult followers try to get Jamison to sacrifice Chris in order to complete a certain ritual. All sect members used to sacrifice their eldest son for their own “liberation”.

To follow the ritual, Cal is supposed to kill his son himself. During the sacrifice ceremony in an old factory, he swings a knife, but instead stabs a cult follower to death. Here Marty reappears with a pistol and together they fight against the cultists. During the showdown, he stabs one of the leaders to death in order to flee with his son.

The end of the film shows Cal with his now heavily pregnant wife Jessica and their son Chris. They live on an old ranch in the country. One day, to his horror, he discovered a Santería altar with a sacrificed goat and other animals in the barn. Jessica comes over and tells him it was her.

Reviews

Film-Dienst wrote that the thriller was "initially well structured" . However, he slip "by shock effects and the serious representation of voodoo magic in a ridiculous occult horror film" .

Cinema magazine wrote that the "believable characters" ensured "high tension until the very end" .

Awards

Harley Cross was nominated for the Young Artist Award in 1988 .

The German Film and Media Evaluation FBW in Wiesbaden awarded the film the title valuable.

backgrounds

The film was shot in New York City and Toronto . It grossed approximately $ 18.75 million in US cinemas .

In 1988 the film was indexed, but then removed from the index again in 2004. In 2013 it was then re-examined and was released uncut from the age of 16.

Web links

• The ritual in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• The ritual at Rotten Tomatoes (English)
• Comparison of the cut versions Kabel 1 from 16 - FSK 18 from Das Ritual at Schnittberichte.com
• The ritual in the German dubbing file

Individual evidence

1. ^ The ritual in the Lexicon of International Films , accessed on August 18, 2008
2. ↑ Cinema , accessed August 18, 2008
3. ^ Filming locations for The Believers , accessed August 18, 2008
4. ^ Box office / business for The Believers , accessed August 18, 2008