Movies

Al Pacino’s New Horror Flops with 0% on Rotten Tomatoes

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Al Pacino is highly respected within the acting world, having been part of numerous cinematic masterpieces. This talented actor has earned no fewer than nine Academy Award nominations for Best Actor, whether in leading or supporting roles. In 1992, he took home an Oscar for his performance in “The Scent of a Woman.

Al Pacino’s impressive acting portfolio boasts more than 60 roles, many of which have been highly acclaimed. Unfortunately, his recent film, titled “Hannibal: The Exorcism,” seems to be an exception and has marked a regrettable first for him in his career. This horror movie, similar to the exorcism narrative as “The Ritual,” is scheduled for release on June 6th. Unfortunately, “The Ritual” had a dismal start with a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes upon its debut.

The movie ‘The Ritual’ is influenced by the 1935 novel ‘Begone Satan!’. David Midell serves as the director, working from a script he co-wrote with Enrico Natale. The story is based on real events and focuses on two priests, Theophilus Riesinger (played by Pacino) and Joseph Steiger (portrayed by Dan Stevens). They strive to set aside their disagreements in order to rescue a young woman, Emma Schmidt (Abigail Cowen), who is believed to be possessed. They perform a series of risky exorcisms in an attempt to save her.

In addition to Ashley Greene from “Twilight,” Patrick Fabian known for “Better Call Saul,” and Patricia Heaton famed for “Everybody Loves Raymond,” are also part of the cast in “The Ritual.” The premiere date was initially set for April 18, but it has been rescheduled to June 6. Previously, it had already premiered in theaters in the UK and Ireland on May 30.

The Ritual Didn’t Impress the Critics

The movie “The Ritual” currently holds an unprecedented low point in Al Pacino’s career, with a 0% rating from 26 reviews before its release. This is even lower than his previous lowest-rated film. Remarkably, it has already outshone other low-scoring films in this aspect. Keep in mind that scores can change as more reviews come in. At the moment, “The Ritual” doesn’t have an audience score because it hasn’t been released yet, but it currently has a 4.6 rating on IMDb.

In consensus among critics, it’s been noted that The Ritual doesn’t introduce anything fresh to the realm of possession horror films and is quite reminiscent of The Exorcist. Glenn Kenny suggested, “Just rewatch The Exorcist,” while Frank Scheck commented, “If this story sounds familiar, it’s because… it is.” The critique further asserts, “Clearly, no one has stopped The Ritual, another failed endeavor to erase the impact of the iconic, William Friedkin’s 1973 The Exorcist from our memories.

Meagan Navarro continued her analysis, stating, “This horror film ‘based on a true story’ lacks impact by monotonously reenacting the climax of an exorcism movie, thus breaking the fundamental rule in filmmaking: it’s dull.” Additionally, she points out that although Al Pacino’s dramatic shout, “Attention Beelzebub!”, may possess a certain charm in summoning Emma’s inner demon, this is not sufficient to warrant a recommendation for The Ritual.

Robert Kojder contends that ‘The Ritual’ is poor quality and lacks the necessary elements to transform it into enjoyable, campy entertainment, even though it could have capitalized on Al Pacino’s over-the-top performance as a demon exorcist in full “HOO-AHH Dunkachino” style. On the other hand, Mike McGranaghan notes that ‘The Ritual’ is filmed like an episode of The Office, with unsteady hand-held camera movements and frequent close-ups, leading him to anticipate that Al Pacino might address the camera directly for a John Krasinski-style reaction shot.

The Ritual premieres in theaters on June 6.

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2025-06-06 02:27

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