Rituals (1978)

***SPOILERS*** Strange but very effective "Deliverence" clone that has to do with a number big city doctors, mostly brain surgeons, taking their yearly vacation in the Canadian wilds to get in touch with nature. Headed by reform alcoholic Harry, Hal Holbrook, trouble finds them before they make their way into the what turned out to be unfriendly wilderness with someone stealing their expensive, costing as much as $50.00 a pair, hiking boots! With only D.J, Gary Reineke, holding on , by hiding them in the brush, to his own. Using rags and plastic garbage bags as boots the rest of the adventures including Harry went out on their own to see and experience the wonders, in the hills woods and streams, of nature not quite realizing what was waiting for them.If you thought that "Deliverence" was a terrifying film "Ritules" or "The Creeper" made it look like a picnic in the park. With the doctors not only dealing with the terrors not wonders of nature going haywire but this deformed and scary looking mountain man, Michael Zenon, out to do them in for past deeds. It turns out that some 30 ago after WWII he, the mountain man, was operated on by the doctors for war injuries he received in the South Pacific. Their operations changes his striking and handsome good looks from looking like Cary Grant to the Phantom of the Opera! Hiding from humanity all that time in the Canadian woods like Big Foot "Big BoBo"-as he's known by those in the area-now sees his chance to get even with those that ruined his both professional life, in no one wanting to hire him, as well as social life, in that no woman wanting to go out on a date with him!****SPOILERS**** With the exception of D.J the only one of the crew with a pair of boots who checked out to civilization trying to get help as well as new pairs of boots for his fellow hikers the rest of the doctors are put through the ringer by the trials of nature as well as "Big BoBo" the mountain man until Harry is the only one left alive. It's then that Harry in a last desperate attempt to save both his sanity as well as life confronts in a life and death struggle the crazed mountain man in, with the movies not being able to pay its electricity bills, total darkness! Pretty good final if you have cat wolf or owl-like night vision to be able to see it but for most of us watching, who don't, you have to use you imagination to get an idea in how the movie actually ended!

Hal Holbrook stars as one of five friends(all doctors) who are taking their usual outdoor vacation, only this year they fly into a secluded wilderness, where their rest is disrupted by a sinister and unseen figure who first steal their boots, then escalates things with terror then murder...Well directed by Peter Carter in real Canadian locations, this film creates an effective atmosphere of suspense and fear, aided by a capable cast that really involve you in their plight, leading to a harrowing climax.Best to see this on the restored DVD, which has the best picture quality possible, since the original negative was damaged, which makes the ending quite(literally) too dark. Otherwise, this is much more than just a "Deliverance" rip-off, which isn't a fair description.Haunting final scene is memorable.

Very good, intelligent Deliverance-type backwoods catastrophe flick. The simple fact that they got their boots stolen changed everything. From here, they had to back track to find help. Along the way, they are being stalked and toyed with by a sadistic fiend. The dialogue is interesting and authentic - these are doctors speaking and the script makes this clear. All too real. These men begin to unravel as the toll continues. The suffering is laid bare and is not for the squeamish. The ordeal continues day after day and the suspense is unrelenting. It was filmed on a shoestring budget and it showed. Had it benefited from better direction, editing, and cinematography, it would have been a classic. As is, it's still a very good film.

Five city doctors reunite to go backpacking in the Canadian wilderness when someone interrupts the incessant work-related bickering by stealing their boots while they stopped at a river to rest. While the search for the boots comes up empty, DJ sets out to a local dam to see if he can find help as he is the only one to bring an extra pair of shoes, something he implored to his fellow hikers to do as well falling on deaf ears. While they wait, Harry (Hal Holbrook) and the others try to amuse themselves when a bee hive is tossed at them causing the four to tumble down a hill and into the river. This kills one of the doctors shocking the remaining three into the realization that perhaps these are no mere coincidences and that someone is out to get them. With tempers high and the travel slow and painful due to the lack of boots the doctors attempt to follow DJ's path to the dam. More traps await as the victims continue to pile up without any clue or reason to why it's happening.I really would like to give this and even higher rating but sadly the degraded copy that I watched from Mill Creek's drive-in collection was poorly lit and edited severely. "The Creeper" as my copy was called, though I saw the trailer for this years ago as "Rituals", was the 89-minute edited version which sadly resembles the type of cut you would see on television. The scenes filmed at night were virtually impossible to make out especially during the climax. However, this is not the fault of the film itself which is a creepy thriller that will have you hooked to the end. Hal Holbrook does an excellent job as the jaded doctor and Korean war vet that is constantly banging heads with Mitzi while keeping the three of them alive. My one complaint is that you really don't sympathize with any of the doctors as none of the characters are really that likable. I saw myself as more of an observer rather than someone invested in hoping these doctors survive. I consider this Canadian "Deliverance" above average as far as the city folk versus the backwoods locals genre started by the aforementioned film. If you are interested in these types of survival flicks than let me also recommend the superior "Southern Comfort" set in the swamps of Louisiana.