Adam L.G. Nevill's Blog, page 33

THE SUN REVIEWS THE RITUAL

And the Sun newspaper also rose for The Ritual at the weekend:

“David Brückner’s The Ritual is a funny and sarcastic offering to the horror genre — reminiscent of classics like Children of the Corn … The very Britishness of the script gives a really funny and sarcastic twinge to proceedings, which at times feels very Children of the Corn doing Blair Witch directed by Guillermo Del Torro. A really enjoyable, surreal scare.”

Full review here

RAFE SPALL WINS BEST MALE ACTOR AT SITGES FOR THE RITUAL

Over the weekend, Rafe Spall also won Best Male Actor at Sitges Film Festival for The Ritual.

In my pages and Joe Barton’s (screen writer), Luke is a complex and unpredictable character and Rafe was perfectly cast to play him and played him so well too.

But one of the first big signs for me, that a good horror film was in progress among those trees, was when I saw Rafe and the cast act a scene. And this was within an hour of my arrival at one of the sets. Quality actors took this drama to a higher level and the casting was inspired.

“A la Millor Interpretació Masculina / Mejor Interpretación Masculina / Best Actor: Rafe Spall, for THE RITUAL.”

THE RITUAL – FRIDAY 13TH, OPENING NIGHT IN THE UK IN OVER 300 CINEMAS.

Well, it’s October, Friday 13th, and opening night in the UK for The Ritual. Tonight’s viewing in Cheltenham will be a special occasion for me. I’m going to see the film with two of my old mates from university, who I met in 1990 – Ben Calvert and Hugh Simmons – who both took part in a disastrous camping trip in Wales in 1993: a cursed expedition that first gave birth to the idea of the book. I’d never have written the novel had we not taken that trip.

Our trip occurred in March and as we trudged across fields to find a deciduous wood in a remote rural landscape to pitch our tent, it was getting dark, the temperature plummeted, it began to snow … my landrover was almost out of petrol too (it did 12 miles to the gallon and the heater was broken), and when we eventually found the wood it was ghastly. Impenetrable bracken and neck-high nettles and two dead sheep hanging from branches in the treeline. To this day, we refer to that wood as “The Blasted Heath”. If a natural feature of a landscape can exude pure menace that wood did.

In darkness, we reached a farm, knocked on the door and the kind farmer let us camp in his garden … I then spent the coldest night of my life, squashed into Ben’s back to extract as much of his body warmth as I could. I was shaking so hard that even my teeth were chattering. One member of the four man, all male party, kicked over the water on his way inside the tent. It was frozen solid by morning.

We never learned our lesson because years later here I am with Hugh camping in the Lake District, and walking the South Devon coastal path with Ben. But I stored away the experience of the original camping disaster in my memory, and conjured it back to life in 2008, when I began work on a novel, between 10pm and midnight: a story about men in crisis on a lad’s reunion holiday, in the wilderness beneath the arctic circle in Sweden. I wanted the story to be imagined by the reader as a film and I wanted every page to be a matter of life and death for the characters. It was an experiment. I had no publisher. Originally the novel was titled ‘Children of the Beast’.

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In 2009, John Jarrold found a home for the book at Pan Macmillan, who published the novel in 2011. Julie Crisp was the commissioning editor.

In 2017, after three options and 5 years in development, the film adaptation of that novel opens nationwide in the UK as a theatrical release.

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I’m genuinely in awe of the Romanian film crew (cast and crew of 160), all of the producers, with extra special thanks to Will Tenant and Richard Holmes, and THE post-prod staff of Imaginarium, the director and screenwriter, the first class cast, and the marvellous promotional campaign and funding from eOne. In fact anyone who contributed to getting this film made and properly promoted will always have my unwavering respect and gratitude. So many moving parts, so many variables, a tough endurance shoot at an altitude of 7000 feet in Transylvania (that was investigated by a rogue bear), with long shoots in freezing temperatures, but hey, they did it.

The rest is down to the viewers of the film. But as a disclaimer, if you don’t like it, and some folks won’t like it, don’t be too hasty in telling me: the book was wrenched from my soul and the film was a monumental effort to make for 160 people plus. It also the first adaptation of my work, Imaginarium’s first feature and David Bruckner’s first full-length feature, so I’d say that it’s a special, talismanic film for many of us. The interpretation has stayed very faithful to the characters, situations, story, atmosphere and the spirit of the book. But it is not the book; it’s a creative work in its own right, from script to screen.

British leading cast and screenwriter, British producers and post prod’, Romanian crew, an American director – an international collaborative affair.

Many thanks to all who go and see it! I salute thee and hope you enjoy the film.

Meanwhile, I’m outta here for opening night and Bristol Horrorcon.

THE RITUAL REVIEWED IN THE GUARDIAN AND BY CINE-VUE

I fear the broadsheet more than I fear woods infested with demoniac presences, and even more than Goodreads too. But we washed our horns here.

Full review here

But back closer to the comfort zone, this reviewer’s hooves clopped.

Full review here

FILM TIE-IN EDITION IS OUT NOW

And these showed up. A hoof in the hand is better than four running behind you in a forest … This way is safer and doesn’t require a tent, and what a nice edition too with embossed text and the poster wrapped round the entire jacket.

I have a crate to haul up to Bristol Horrorcon this Saturday and then Birmingham Horrorcon two weeks after, should anyone want one.

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IS THE RITUAL SHOWING NEAR YOU? FIND OUT WITH ONE CLICK

As folks are finding, this listings software really does work. Just click on ‘Get Tickets’ and it’ll automatically tell you where the film is showing near you in the UK.

Fortunately, this tech’ was never available in 2008, or Luke and his mates would never have taken a “short cut” through virgin forest, guided by a paper map.

Find your ticket here – just click ‘Get Tickets’

NEW REVIEWS – THE RITUAL THE FILM. OPENS OCTOBER 13 (UK) IN CINEMAS NATIONWIDE

They’re coming thick and fast … A beaut from Daily Dead:

“By insisting on strong performances and artful craftsmanship, Bruckner uses horror film language to its utmost effectiveness. The film doesn’t reinvent its tropes, but it reminds us why they can be so entertaining. Bruckner is an essential voice in modern horror, and his new feature displays all of his strengths. Its primitive horror and authentic mythology draw the audience into the forest and allows them to get lost in a place where monsters wait.”

Full review here

A refreshingly sensitive take on the film, insightful too, from Screenwords:

“This is a visually stylish film, exciting, enjoyable, and deceptively simple. It is both a straightforward survival horror thriller, and somehow, if one chooses to see that, also something elegantly profound and quite beautiful: an acknowledgement of how traumatic, frightening and lonely guilt and grief can be.”

Full review here

And from someone who doesn’t like horror films …

“If like me, you’re a bit of a wuss and don’t think your stomach will be able to sit through ‘The Ritual’, then I’d say, give it a go. It may very well surprise you!”

Full review here

Some buzz from Buzzmag in Wales:

“This is far from a horror comedy however, it’s four ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances well-captured in the script and the performances of Spall, Robert James Collier, Arsher Ali and Sam Troughton. Heavy on Blair Witch style atmosphere The Ritual is a strong entry in the UK horror canon.”

Full review here

RAFE SPALL INTERVIEWED IN THE METRO IN SUPPORT OF THE RITUAL

Another really good interview with Rafe Spall (Luke), in support of the film and its themes of mascilinity, this time in the Metro.

“With The Ritual and the forthcoming Jurassic World, you have shot two monster movies back to back. Why do you think monsters have hit the zeitgeist?

I think it’s because every time I check the news I am worried there’s going to be some horrendous incident where normal people are confronted with horror. We can’t help but put ourselves in the shoes of people who are involved and we all feel that we would do the right thing but, of course, you never know until you are put in such an extreme situation. The Ritual is a genuine exploration of that.”

Full interview here

HASTY FOR THE DARK REVIEWED AT DARK MUSINGS

And amidst the fearful scampering of hiking boots through a wintry forest (that I endeavour to follow online regarding the film), another of my imminent horrors is also beginning to raise its horns on review pages.

I’m delighted to see that HASTY FOR THE DARK: SELECTED HORRORS has scored such a considered and favourable review at Anthony Watson’s Dark Musings. A really good start and I hope this augurs well for the reception of my second collection of horror short stories.

“This is a stunning book in every regard, a wonderful retrospective of one of the most gifted purveyors of horror fiction currently plying their trade. It’s t be hoped that this yearly ritual of short story releases continues into the future, I for one can’t wait to see what happens next.”

The book is available in four formats from October 31st, and the limited edition hardback is available now on pre-sales (I’m already close to the last 100 copies in that format before pub’ date, so am relieved as much as pleased that this book is proving as popular as Some Will Not Sleep so far).

Full review here

TOTAL FILM REVIEWS THE RITUAL

And a very strong review from TOTAL FILM.

“THE VERDICT: Entertaining, engrossing and at times genuinely unnerving, Bruckner’s bad trip is one for horror fans to relish.”

I have a hunch that horror film fans have been waiting for a film like this, and want far more films made in this folk vein. The “folk creep” has a much underestimated, even universal resonance. I’d like to see it raised on a par with the zombie, vampire, slasher genres (of which little rings my bell). So this might be one more small hoof step for folk horror.

Full review here