Ritual killings have always been a popular concept for crime and horror thrillers but it’s definitely become more widespread now than ever, with movies like The Ritual Killer (2023) joining and elevating the trend. The crime action-thriller explores the dark and sinister world of a mysterious man who uses ancient rituals to kill people. The plot follows a grieving father who lost his daughter and an anthropology professor with secrets embarking on a hunt together for the said killer who has claimed the lives of two innocent girls.
The Ritual Killer is written by Bob Bowersox, Francesco Cinquemani, Luca Giliberto, Jennifer Lemmon, Joe Lemmon, and Giorgia Iannone, and directed by George Gallo, who is best known for previously scripting Bad Boys and The Whole Ten Yards, and directing-writing Columbus Circle and My Mom’s New Boyfriend. The film was earlier titled Muti, after the tribal ritual explored in the story, but was renamed to The Ritual Killer when the official trailer was released in February 2023.
Morgan Freeman and Yellowstone star Cole Hauser headline the cast as Professor Mackles, an expert in African Studies, and Detective Boyd, a cop investigating the killings, respectively. The cast also includes former NFL player Vernon Davis, Brian Kurlander, Paul Sampson, Mayumi Roller, Peter Stormare, Julie Lott, Murielle Hilaire, and Giuseppe Zeno. Here’s a quick guide on when, where, and how you can watch The Ritual Killer.
When Is The Ritual Killer Coming to Movie Theaters?
The Ritual Killer is being released in theaters on March 10, 2023. There are a few other highly-anticipated movies releasing the same day as well, including Scream VI and Woody Harrelson's Champions. In case you're not too keen on watching The Ritual Killer on the big screen, however, there are other options.
Is The Ritual Killer Available on Streaming?
There is no official news on the streaming release of The Ritual Killer. But like most movies, this action-thriller might also arrive on some streaming platform in the next few months. So, stay tuned for any updates on when and where to stream the crime thriller movie.
Watch the Trailer for The Ritual Killer
The official trailer of The Ritual Killer was released in February 2023 by Screen Media and as you would expect from a film in this genre, it looks quite dark and ominous with a bit of a True Detective vibe (something that's become really common in this particular genre).
The video leads straightaway to the plot, where we learn that there’s a gruesome killer on the loose and Detective Boyd is desperately hunting him down. But he doesn’t have any leads or much to go on, so he approaches Professor Mackles who is known to be an expert in ancient cultures and their rituals. We also learn that this killer in question is not only attacking people in the United States but also claiming victims across Europe, turning him into an international criminal. However, the antagonist is still unknown to the audience, as it is to those in the movie hunting him. But we can say from the promo clip that he’s extremely agile, swift, and calculated in his methods.
Overall, as the trailer clearly shows, The Ritual Killer seems like an overlap of crime and horror with several action pieces, with a dark, intense tone.
Is The Ritual Killer Available on VOD or DVD?
The Ritual Killer is getting a simultaneous VOD and theatrical release. The movie will be available on demand on the same day as the theatrical premiere, i.e., on March 10, 2023. You can now pre-order the movie on Amazon with the following link:
Get on AmazonAs for the DVD release, you might have to wait for a couple of months before the movie arrives in physical media.
What Is The Ritual Killer About?
While still struggling with the death of his daughter, Detective Boyd lands on a strange murder case. Two young girls are killed in a similar, gruesome manner. While investigating, he realizes that they are ritual killings and that the only person who can help him is a professor of anthropology. Professor Mackles identifies it as an ancient black magic practice called Muti, where the killer seeks power by killing. The two team up to hunt down this killer, but the deeper Boyd gets into the investigation and into the killer’s world, the more he loses sight of what’s real and what’s not, blurring the lines between sanity and insanity.
More Morgan Freeman Crime Thrillers That You Can Watch Right Now
In his career of nearly 60 years, there isn’t a role or a genre of film that Morgan Freeman hasn’t explored. While he is most recognized for films like Million Dollar Baby, The Shawshank Redemption, and Invictus, Freeman also has many critically acclaimed crime thrillers to his credit, some of which are on similar lines to The Ritual Killer. Check them out below:
Seven (1995): This 1995 film by David Fincher (Gone Girl) sees Freeman as the disenchanted detective William Somerset who has to team up with his new partner, David Mills, and stop a serial killer who murders people based on the seven deadly sins. Seven (stylized as Se7en) also features an all-star cast with Brad Pitt, Freeman, Richard Roundtree, and Kevin Spacey, among others. The film was critically acclaimed and was called “intelligent and well-made” with rave reviews about Freeman and Pitt’s performances.
Kiss the Girls (1997): Directed by Gary Fleder (Runaway Jury), this 1997 neo-noir psychological thriller is based on James Patterson’s eponymous bestseller and features Freeman as Patterson’s popular forensic psychologist, Alex Cross. In this movie, Cross is investigating the kidnapping of his niece among many missing girls, when he finds out about a serial killer called Casanova and sets out to hunt him down with the help of another victim who managed to escape. Kiss the Girls also stars Ashley Judd, Cary Elwes, and Brian Cox, among others. Freeman returns as Alex Cross in the 2001 sequel movie, Along Came a Spider.
Gone Baby Gone (2007): This crime thriller film, based on the eponymous novel by Dennis Lehane, serves as Ben Affleck’s directorial debut. Set in Boston, the plot features Casey Affleck and Michelle Monaghan as two private investigators searching for a young girl who was abducted from her single mother's apartment. Freeman features as police captain Jack Doyle who also lost his own daughter. On its release, the film was highly acclaimed by critics and fans alike and was praised for the cast's performance and gripping narrative.