Adam L.G. Nevill's Blog, page 32
October 21, 2017
TERROR TIME AND THE QUIETUS REVIEW THE RITUAL
“Through its compelling and natural performances, through the haunting sound design, through the impeccable use of the seemingly endless woods as a setting, it manages to wring dread from every frame. The film is a masterclass on how to effectively use genre tropes. It makes getting lost in the woods scary all over again.” Terror Time.
“It remains immensely satisfying to see such a largely successful translation of Nevill’s work to the big screen.”
FILM REC: THE GHOUL
Taut, tense and intriguing, for me, until the last frame. Echoes of ‘Kill List’ and even Cronenberg’s ‘Spider’. Impressive script, and the realism in the London settings was most welcome. The incongruity of most of the cast and film-makers being comedians made it even more intriguing. Laughter is never far away from chaos.
The “making of” doco on the DVD is fascinating and kept me up past my bedtime.
GINGERNUTS OF HORROR REVIEW THE RITUAL
Stalwarts of online horror reviewing, Gingernuts of Horror, have provided two reactions to the film. This one from Lex Jones:
“go and see this film. I’ve been recommending it to people all week since watching it, both as a good film in general but also as a good example of horror done well. It’s not trying to reinvent the wheel, it’s not overly complicated and there’s no pretention to it, it just tells an engaging story very well.”
There is a second too from the terrific Tony Jones, and I always value his observations.
HORROR WRITER DAVID MOODY ON THE RITUAL
Fellow Brummy horror writer, David Moody, and pioneer for indie publishing in horror, has written a few words on The Ritual. Fortunately he’s not a “Hater” either!
“The film looks beautiful. As well as some stunning location shots, there are other dramatic visuals which make this something special. Again, at the risk of spoiling the film, I’ll not go into those here, but you’ll know them when you see them. The cast are excellent, particularly Rafe Spall and Sam Troughton, and the pacing is spot-on. How refreshing to watch a strong movie with a 90+ minute run-time. Maybe I’m just a grumpy old man, but many films these days seem to be two hours or longer and filled with bloat.
All in all, it’s great to be able to report that THE RITUAL
is the adaptation Adam’s book deserved, and I very much recommend you watch it.”
Dave also gave The Ritual novel a superb shoutline back in 2011 that I still treasure. His full reaction to the film can be read here. Be sure to check out Infected Books while you’re visiting his site.
We’ll both be guest authors at Birmingham Mega Horror Con next weekend too.
SOME WILL NOT SLEEP EBOOK PROMO FOR ONE WEEK – 99P OR 99C
To herald the imminent arrival of my second collection, I’ve put the SOME WILL NOT SLEEP eBook in an Amazon promo in the UK and US. Around 99p or 99c for one week from now …
11 horrors & 15 years of my best short fiction here, for less than the price of an hour’s car parking in UK here:
11 stories from my pick of my own terrors for the same price as breakfast at Denny’s in 1994, here:
October 20, 2017
THE RITUAL – NEW REVIEWS FROM FILM & GENRE SITES.
From Eastern Daily Press:
“The Hangover downs shots with Deliverance and The Blair Witch Project, in this British horror thriller resists the temptation for cheap, jump-out-of-your-seat scares to focus on a sustained build-up of tension. This British horror movie didn’t make me jump once – rather it busied itself keeping me in a state of unnerving tension.
The film glides audiences across the full horror spectrum, from casual random inner city brutality to remote supernatural threat. It works so well because it gets invest completely in its four protagonist, and fully rewards your faith.”
From Filmspace with Scott Wilson:
“Like The Blair Witch Project and Trollhunter, it removes the outside world, and leaves just the film’s heroes and some menacing foe. What better recipe is there?”
From Geekchocolate:
“a more satisfying experience than the majority of the endless teen slasher films with which it will compete for an audience during the Hallowe’en season.”
From Set The Tape:
“a fun, spooky film that blends horror tropes and likable characters to create a fun, satisfying experience”
From SciFi Bulletin:
“for tension and thrills it’s a tidy little treat that more than warrants 94 minutes of your life. 8/10”
KIM NEWMAN REVIEWS THE RITUAL
Detailed review from the incomparable Kim Newman. With Mark Kermode, if we were lucky enough to get their reactions, these were the two responses that my anticipation and apprehension in equal parts were the most wired into [wrings flannel over bucket].
“The laddish set-up, an archetypal bit of business that evokes The World’s End or Last Orders, shades soon into dark stuff that touches on Deliverance, Southern Comfort, The Blair Witch Project and many other walk-in-the-woods horror movies (including the similarly-named Rituals) … The in-group bantz are well-played by a good British cast, with each of the gang getting a few distinctive bits before the horror starts and then dragged along their own individual road to a gruesome fate when the scary stuff goes into overdrive.”
October 18, 2017
THE EXPRESS, THE TELEGRAPH, AND THE ROTTING ZOMBIE REVIEW THE RITUAL
“witty dialogue, likeable performances, creepy atmosphere and an unusual set-up” The Express.
I’ve read far worse at The Telegraph so we’ve come out of the trees with both horns intact here – “it has a brain in its head”.
A good notice from ‘The Rotting Zombie’ (without exception the best name for a film reviewer in the entire history of film criticism):
“It is both the characters and their dialogue that really made this for me, the four friends are full of banter and come across like ‘lads’ grown up. As such they have life experience that dull vapid young adults rarely possess, and they have enough history with each other to know each other’s weaknesses.”
October 16, 2017
JOHN LLEWELLYN PROBERT REVIEWS THE RITUAL
I’m delighted to read this reaction, as John has recommended so many horror films to me, via his reviews, that I’ve lapped up and I always value his insights.
The good doctor has spoken.
“Film No. 455. Adam Nevill’s novel THE RITUAL is a modern masterpiece of grim, wet, miserable, claustrophobic horror, so much so that he’s one of only two authors whose work has given me the shivers here in the cosy confines of Probert Towers. It’s scarcely surprising, then, that David Bruckner’s movie version doesn’t quite manage to achieve the almost unbearable tension of the book’s opening two thirds. It still manages to do a pretty decent job, mind, and the final act is really rather good, especially the ending. Fascinatingly (for me if no-one else), the novel feels very Algernon Blackwood-inspired (the forest IS the monster, and an absolutely terrifying one) whereas the movie feels much more Arthur Machen – the forest is more a home to an ancient people who leave mystic symbols carved into the bark as part of the obeisance to their own Great (Scandinavian) God Pan. Look at that – a Machen, Blackwood and Nevill-inspired horror film playing at your local cinema! What are you waiting for??!!!”
For a really good horror film reviewing site checkout John’s House of Mortal Cinema here
MY INTERVIEW WITH THE SHORELY
As the film is showing in all the local cinemas in South Devon, I wanted to do my bit for the opening and whizzed across the bay to Torquay early Friday morning to do this interview with The Shorely – a very cool media and arts organisation with the nicest offices overlooking the harbour.
I gibbered for 40 minutes, but they salvaged 4 minutes from my digressions …
The Bay provides.
