Frequently compared to 'Deliverance', this Canadian horror film likewise involves a group of adult friends who decide to spend the weekend camping in the wilderness with grisly results. The approach of 'Rituals' is noticeably different though in that the group find themselves teased by a sadistic stalker whose identity remains a mystery until the end. The men here are also doctors and less-than-honorable ones at that; their early conversations all revolve around malpractice and charging exorbitant fees, and when they realise that someone is out to get them, their first thought is that is must be a patient out for revenge. This guilty conscious theme is very interesting with the film almost existing as a manifestation of their deepest fears and paranoia. A further intriguing aspect is all the in-fighting that goes on between them, including how to carry one of their wounded friends on a makeshift stretcher; they almost seem done in by their inability to cooperate. Solid as the film might sound though, it builds up to a rather underwhelming final twenty minutes with the killer never really menacing or fascinating when revealed. By all accounts, the original script did not reveal the killer and it is easy to imagine that approach being more effective. The project could have also benefited from a more downbeat ending given all the guilt and paranoia motifs, but for the most part this is solid stuff.

"Rituals," also released as "The Creeper," follows five doctor buddies who go on a fishing trip in the wilderness, and in true backwoods horror fashion, find themselves hunted like prey by someone, or something.Kind of like a more nihilistic "Deliverance" turning in on itself, "Rituals" is an under-appreciated horror-cum-survival film that cranks into a borderline war drama in its final act. Predating the slasher boom of the eighties, "Rituals" is one among a small crop of films made during the 1970s that, if not directly birthed, at least anticipated the heyday of '80s splatter. The film's influence can be seen in movies like "Just Before Dawn" or "The Final Terror," both of which crib both the survivalist elements as well as the slasher trappings we see in "Rituals," substituting middle-aged doctors for teenagers and college students. The fact that we have doctors in the main roles here certainly puts a spin on the slasher dynamic that is quite unusual.There are fantastic scenes throughout the film, namely the bear-traps-on-the-riverbed scene which is probably the most famous. The cinematography is hard-edged and captures the looming danger of the natural landscape. A younger, handsome Hal Holbrook leads the film as Harry, with support from Canadian actors Lawrence Dane, and Robin Gammell, playing a non-flamboyant, non-stereotypical gay man, which is something of an anomaly for a film made in the period, let alone a slasher flick.Overall, "Rituals" is an above-average terror-in-the-woods thriller that exceeds its budget limitations through solid performances, effective cinematography, and a narrative that thrills as much as it ensnares. The rather downtrodden ending is unsurprising by today's standards, and one sort of sees it coming, but the journey towards it is where the real depth of the film lies. All in all a gritty, cerebral survival film. 8/10.

Very good, intelligent Deliverance-type backwoods catastrophe flick. The simple fact that they got their boots stolen changed everything. From here, they had to back track to find help. Along the way, they are being stalked and toyed with by a sadistic fiend. The dialogue is interesting and authentic - these are doctors speaking and the script makes this clear. All too real. These men begin to unravel as the toll continues. The suffering is laid bare and is not for the squeamish. The ordeal continues day after day and the suspense is unrelenting. It was filmed on a shoestring budget and it showed. Had it benefited from better direction, editing, and cinematography, it would have been a classic. As is, it's still a very good film.

After reading no less than positive thoughts (mainly by horror fans), in the back of my mind I was thinking that maybe I was setting myself up for a huge letdown after finally managing to get my hands on a copy (uncut too). Gladly to say it lived up to its reputation and I was thoroughly enthralled by the slow grinding, suspense-drilling minimal 70s survival horror set-up amongst the remote, vast Canadian deep mountainous backwoods.Five doctors meet up every year, and this reunion they decide to go on a trek in a remote mountain terrain known by the local Indians as the Cauldron of the Moon. However they soon realise they're not alone, and find they'll being stalked and slowly picked off by someone who seems to hold a grudge of some sort.What I found that separated this from most backwoods survival horror (and it shares common ground with its blatant influencer 'Deliverance') is that the characters are given more emotional weight (as background mistakes and methodical differences arose from the unbearable stress) and in doing so makes their conflicts and petty bickering intensely raw and effective in the way they stretch their friendships. This is based more so on the inflicting psychological drama, than say just the nasty action (gore and violence is kept low-key, but there is still a dangerous air of sinisterness within). It's a fight for survival, reverting back to primal instincts isn't option at first, but eventually it succumbs to. Also lingering in the well-written script is the focus of being frightened by the unknown and paralysed by abandonment. Our deranged tormentor stays pretty much a shadow (we're give a brief story or explanation to why he's humiliating and torturing these doctors. Is it personal? Does someone know more than they let on? Or it is just in the wrong place at the wrong time) to only appear as an eerily ominous figure in the picturesque backdrop (that sets off some nerves), until the final closing frames we come face-to-face with the freak of nature. The material formed by Ian Sutherland is cerebral and emotionally guided, if a little grey.Director Peter Carter efficiently constructs a productively tight pace and bleak atmospherics from the alienating locations. Distinctively skin crawling imagery can leave a haunting mark. Sure the low-budget showed up some niggles (jumpy editing and dark passages), but was neatly worked around it. The tension is gained more so from the authentic character interactions and attitudes that they battle to stay one step ahead. As it's just no the killer to worry about either, but the tearing harshness of Mother Nature. Being eaten alive by bugs. Rapid moving rivers. Unstable terrain and the beaming sun. And not to forget one another. The performances are tremendously towering and strongly delivered by a dependably competent cast. An anchor-like Hal Holbrook is demandingly sharp and Lawrence Dane is suitably good. Hagood Hardy's majestically shuddery music score had that organic sense surrounding it and fitted in perfectly. Rene Verzier's camera-work is top-rate as he sharply lenses the colourful backdrop, but also the impending intensity in the character's actions.An excellently uneasy and captivating low-budget survival trek that keeps it all quite basic, but manages to also bring out the bitter blows when it counts.