The Ritual Killer (2023)

The Ritual Killer has the kind of grim, pulpy hook that grabs you by the collar: a grief-stricken detective chasing a murderer whose crimes follow an ancient, brutal ritual, turning a standard manhunt into something stranger and more unsettling. George Gallo keeps the vibe tense and nasty, with Mississippi noir atmosphere, a steady drumbeat of dread, and Morgan Freeman lending gravitas as an academic guide who may know more than he’s saying. The real jolt of electricity comes from Vernon Davis, whose screen presence gives the antagonist a cold, watchful menace that makes the threat feel personal, not just procedural. Fair warning, this one doesn’t flinch—there’s severe gore and some cultural stereotyping baked into the premise—so it’s best for viewers who can handle harsh violence and want a dark, driven thriller that commits to its bleak mood.

The Ritual Killer wants to be a gritty, grief-soaked serial-killer thriller with a “forbidden ritual” hook and a mentor-student dynamic between a broken detective and an academic who knows too much. The problem is it plays like a patchwork of familiar crime-movie bits stitched together with jumpy pacing and subplots that don’t naturally connect, so the tension keeps leaking out instead of building. Morgan Freeman brings a bit of gravitas and the film doesn’t shy away from brutality, but the execution is messy and the late-game twists feel more like a scramble for shock than a payoff. If you’re sensitive to stereotyped portrayals of African traditional medicine or you need coherent mystery plotting to stay invested, this one is very likely to irritate you more than it thrills.