The Rite Stuff

The makers of The Ritual’s five steps to creating a British Blair Witch Project

- Will Lawrence

PRODUCED BY ANDY Serkis’ The Imaginarium, The Ritual sends four old uni pals deep into the Swedish wilderness to face unexpected terrors. Empire asked the cast and crew behind the adaptation of Adam Nevill’s outdoorsy 2011 novel to share their tips for creating an effective chiller.

1. MAKE YOUR VICTIMS RELATABLE

The casting for the film’s Deliverance-like premise, in which a group of old college mates find themselves out of their comfort zone (and depth), required a little star power and a lot of relatability. Director David Bruckner called on Rafe Spall to provide a recognisable lead, with Arsher Ali (Four Lions), Rob James-Collier and Sam Troughton completing the ill-fated quartet. “They’re very rounded characters,” says Spall. “To me, any horror film should hold up as a story even without the supernatural element.”