As if you needed another reason not to go hiking, the 2017 sleeper horror movie, The Ritual is ready to drive the final nail in the coffin! If you’re a fan of horror thrillers then you would definitely have the time of your life watching The Ritual. Today we will tell you all about it, and also tell you where was The Ritual filmed! So make sure you stick with us till the very end.
The Ritual is based on the book of the same name written by Adam Nevill (not Adam Levine). It has been adapted for the screens by Joe Barton and directed by David Bruckner. Surely if you’re looking for something scary to watch with your friends and family this Halloween, then The Ritual is your pick! Just keep the children safe and away!
So, where was The Ritual filmed? The movie takes place in the wilderness and forests of Sweden. But the filming for The Ritual took place in Romania. The movie was filmed in the Carpathian Mountains in early 2017.
The filming location for The Ritual could have easily been Sweden, but Romania was chosen instead. That can be due to various reasons like cheaper filming costs, logistical issues, tax breaks, and more. This isn’t a surprise as we have often seen one location being swapped for the other. As we have seen in big hits like The Last Jedi, The Little Mermaid, and more!
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The Plot Of The Ritual | What Is The Movie About?
Now, before we move on to see where was The Ritual filmed, let’s see what the movie is about! The Ritual stars Rafe Spall, Arsher Ali, Robert James-Collier, and Sam Troughton in lead roles as friends. So while it starts as a sweet movie about friends, things soon start to go out of hand and turn bad for all of them!
Just like the book, the movie The Ritual follows the lives of five childhood friends Phil, Dom, Hutch, Luke, and Rob. They meet after a long time and plan several things to do together in order to catch up with each other. Rob suggests that they all go hiking in the northern mountains of Sweden, but everyone scoffs at the idea.
Unfortunately later that night Rob is murdered in a robbery gone wrong. To honor their friend’s memory the rest of the group decides to go on the hiking trip. They plan to trek the Kungsleden, a trail in northern Sweden that is known for being long and arduous. At the beginning of the trip, they all drink in their friend’s memory and start their journey.
As they enter into the forest, strange things begin to happen. There are strong winds and sudden rains. The group also feels the presence of a mysterious figure that happens to be following them throughout their trek. As one by one, they start to lose their minds and start to die, it’s really a matter of time before the mysterious figure reveals itself to them!
Where Was The Ritual Filmed? All The Locations You Need To Know About!
The Ritual was released on 8th September 2017 and received overall positive reviews. The horror aspect of the movie is absolutely riveting and keeps you on the edge of your seat. The Ritual is well written and has been executed fairly well too. So if you like a combination of smart writing, some blood and gore, and some kickass suspense, then don’t miss out on the movie!
Which brings us to the main question, where was The Ritual filmed? We know the movie wasn’t filmed in Sweden itself so, let’s see where in Romania was the movie filmed!
Carpathian Mountains, Romania
All of the filming for The Ritual took place in the Carpathian Mountains in Romania. The crew took to the mountains for shooting instead of Sweden for a number of reasons. First, one is that Sweden is expensive. The production costs for the movie would have inflated many times. The cast and crew have to be accommodated somewhere and this would have been an issue.
Further, Romania is absolutely gorgeous! The Carpathian Mountain ranges from Transylvania all the way up to the Polish-Slavic border. This gave the movie makers a lot of room to play with. Since most of the movie has been filmed outdoors the sets were to be set outdoors. Most of the sets were created by hand and after filming are said to have been left there as souvenirs.
Planning Your Trip Into The Carpathian Mountains
If you’re planning to hike all the way into the Carpathian mountain trail then make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into. The trails are long and you can be easily lost. Make sure you take the help of a local guide if you plan to stay overnight. The forests are dense and scary for sure. That is why The Ritual was filmed there! There is very little post-production that needed to be done to create the eeriness of the forest!
One thing is for sure – there are no deep dark mysterious figures that are out to hunt you! But you should always follow the protocol necessary in foreign countries. Even if you’re a local, you can still end up losing your way and being lost in the dense Romanian forest!
Final Words
So, there you have it, horror fans! We hope now you know where was The Ritual filmed! Make sure when you plan your next itinerary to go hiking, you strictly avoid the Romanian mountains! No, we’re only kidding! There is no such thing as a mysterious force in forests looking to hunt you down and kill you. It’s just a movie!
Also, if you liked finding out about these horror movies, then we suggest checking out our other work too! In the spirit of Halloween, we have a lot of spooky movies and their filming locations for you! From feel-good movies like Hubie Halloween to proper slasher thrillers like Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends. Let us know what you think about them!
Is The Ritual a true story?
No, The Ritual is not based on a true story!
What does the creature in The Ritual look like?
The creature The Ritual looks like a black, shaggy demon horse, though instead of a horse’s head, it has an opening that leads to a pair of bright eyes.
Where to watch The Ritual in 2022?
You can watch The Ritual on Netflix in 2022.
