10 Paranormal Horror Movies You Need To See Before You Die
7. The Ritual
Paranormal horror films really do need to make the most of their surroundings and atmospheres to be a success, and films like 2017's The Ritual should stand as one of the best examples on how to do this perfectly. The story of a group of four men who set out on a hiking trip across northern Sweden in memory of their recently deceased friend, The Ritual really goes all out in capturing the deceptive beauty of its wilderness and then using it against both the group and audience to ramp up the terror.
The level of care that goes into establishing the creepy Swedish surroundings almost makes it feel like its own baddie at certain points, toying with the men as things go from bad to worse and being the tipping point to playing with their fears.
The sense of being helplessly trapped and not knowing what lies in wait in the shadows on the horizon are two things every audience can relate to, and The Ritual does a great job in really bringing them to life during its runtime. For an efficient and atmospheric horror film, this one takes some beating.