Netflix ventures further into the horror genre with first trailer for 'The Ritual'

Netflix has released the first trailer for The Ritual — a new horror movie from filmmaker David Bruckner.

The film sees Rafe Spall (Prometheus, the “White Christmas” episode in Black Mirror), Robert James-Collier (Downton Abbey), Sam Troughton (AVP: Alien vs. Predator) and Arsher Ali wander around in the wilderness and get spooked out by some kind of evil spirit.

The official synopsis of the film, via Bloody Disgusting, reads: “Reuniting after the tragic death of their best mate, four old friends from university set out to hike through the Scandinavian wilderness. But a wrong turn leads them into the dark and mysterious forests of Norse legend, where an ancient evil still exists and stalks them at every turn.”

The trailer looks to combine elements of The Blair Witch Project, An American Werewolf in London and The Evil Dead. Granted, it doesn’t look like a film that’s going to change the entire horror genre in the same way Get Out did, but I’m a sucker for any horror movie that’s based around some kind of legend or myth, so I’ll be checking it out.

This also is one of Netflix’s further ventures out into the horror genre. While some of their original shows like Stranger Things or Dark have certainly had horror elements, this is the first time I recall seeing them release a film that is strictly horror.

Director David Bruckner was a co-director on 2007’s The Signal. He’s also done segments in anthropology horror films like V/H/S and Southbound. The film is based on a novel of the same name by Adam Nevill and is being written by Joe Barton. It’s currently sitting at a 72% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with 36 reviews.

The Ritual will hit Netflix on Feb. 9, just in time for Valentines Day. Watch the trailer here.