Director David Bruckner made headlines in the film world when he released his first film, The Signal (2007), which was made on a paltry $50,000 budget. A few years later he would be invited to film a segment for the first entry in the V/H/S (2012) series. Now four films into that series, his segment, titled Amateur Night, is still universally considered one of the best segments of the bunch.

With The Ritual, we once again see him making magic with an incredibly meager budget, this time topping about $1,000,000. That’s a remarkable feat, especially considering the quality of the final product. This film features above-par acting from every cast member, great direction, is visually stunning with some pretty convincing set design, and lots of effectively eerie shots of the forest that gives it a foreboding life of its own. Strong recommend.