“The Ritual” (2017) follows a group of four men who decide to trek through Sweden to honor their friend who was killed.

I’ll try to avoid giving too much away, because unlike “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (1974 or 2022, take your pick, both are ass), I actually think this film is worth watching.

In “The Blair Witch Project” (1999) style, the film focuses on the relationships between characters, especially as the forest takes a toll on them and they begin to deteriorate. The film takes its time with these characters and gives them realistic reactions.

The characters, especially Luke (Rafe Spall), also have character arcs, which makes the time you spend with the movie more worthwhile. These are characters that are treated as people, not as sacks of blood and guts to provide fuel for gore.

But this time spent on friendship and character development doesn’t make the film any less frightening; this is by no means “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.”

Out of all the films that I have watched thus far for “31 Days of Horror,” this is the only one that has actually scared me. While watching this, I remember thinking to myself, “I don’t like this, this is scary,” before remembering that was the point and that I had to watch it anyway.

This movie gives more answers than “The Blair Witch Project” does, and maybe I just like to beat a (metaphorical) dead horse, but the mystery at the end of Blair Witch is one of my least favorite things about it. Unfortunately, “The Ritual” doesn’t fully provide the answers that I’m looking for, like how on Earth Luke is going to explain any of this without getting arrested for murder and/or winding up in a mental institution. I’m invested in him now. Is he going to jail or not?

So if you enjoyed “The Blair Witch Project,” but are incredibly nosy, this might be the film for you.