Tales from the Crypt Presents: Ritual

Rating R Formats DVD Genre horror Starring Staring Jennifer Grey, Craig Sheffer, Tim Curry, Daniel Lapaine, Kristen Wilson, Gabriel Casseus Directed by Avi Nesher Publisher Dimension Home Video External Links Official Dimension Home Video Website

Before The Skeleton Key there was Ritual. Or at least there might have been had the film not sat in limbo for five years after its completion in 2001 before being sent directly to DVD (do not pass go, do not collect a dime at the box office). As the full title eventually became Tales from the Crypt Presents: Ritual, some speculate that earlier descendants from that family, like Bordello of Blood, doomed it from the start. That said, I wanted to give this one a fair shake. The verdict? Better than expected.

Dr. Alice Dodgson (Jennifer Grey) loses her medical license after using an experimental drug on a dying patient. She then travels to Jamaica to work for a wealthy American whose brother, Wesley Claybourne (Daniel Lapaine), suffers from a mysterious illness that he credits to voodoo. Plagued by disturbing dreams, herself, Alice investigates the Jamaican voodoo presence (which the movie grafts on via Haitian transplants). As locals around the Claybourne estate start turning up dead, it soon becomes clear to Alice that she's in over her head.

"Welcome to Wonderland" Paul Claybourne (Craig Sheffer) tells Alice upon her arrival. The strange and colorful scenery along with a collection of oddball characters does give us a sense of having slipped down the rabbit hole. You never know. Lewis Carroll's mellow caterpillar may have imported his "tobacco" from Jamaica. I'd call Tim Curry's character, local veterinarian Matthew Hope, the movie's Cheshire catïfor his affinity for felines and his indelible grin. His is not a major role (to the film's discredit), but Curry's delightfully lecherous demeanor is enjoyable and conjures something of his Rocky Horror roots. Over the top (and often topless) is Kristen Wilson as Caro Lamb, sculptress, sexpot, and self-appointed tour guide to Alice. Though gimmicky, Wilson's character is three-dimensional and conceivably at home on an island filled with overly amorous males. She wields her appeal with both abandon and calculation.

Not to be outdone, it would be hard to ignore the fact that the camera is trained on Jennifer Grey's breasts most of the time (you can't peddle gore without the flesh, right?). But Alice is a straight-laced professional next to Caroïeven if she struggles to stay fully dressed. For those who remember Grey from Ferris Bueller and Dirty Dancing, she's almost unrecognizable in this post-nose job role. Alice is a young, newly minted doctor played by a 41-year-old actress who could easily pass for 25.

Age-defying aside, we are willing to follow Grey's Alice deeper into the mystery because both her determination and apprehension are convincing. But it does get a little campy when portions of the mystery are summarized between characters in classic, Scooby-Doo fashion. I kept waiting for Shaggy to show up puffing a reefer and getting an attack of the munchies.

I did say that Ritual was better than expected. Secrets are unraveled at a steady pace, the location is captivating and woven well into the story, we get sufficient character development, and there are some well-placed jokes and some truly unexpected plot twists. And the soundtrack is pretty righteous. But, returning to the Lewis Carroll reference, much of the film is like trying to jam a square peg down a round rabbit hole. Without giving anything away, there are some irritating loose threads, unintended silliness, and a clunky plot. There are scenes that are not pieced together well and a lot of throwaway sequences that detract from the story's momentum and make the film feel overextended.

And let's not forget the crypt keeper's introduction and closingïtacked on and terrible. I would advise taking advantage of the chapter selection for skipping over that part. Flaws aside, Ritual is a rentable affair.