The Ritual: parents' guide
Best for ages 16 and up. Rated TV-MA.
A bleak, frightening folk-horror film for older teens and adults, about four grieving friends whose shortcut through a Swedish forest leads them to an ancient creature and a cult. It opens with a friend beaten to death during a store robbery while another hides, and that guilt drives the story. Expect bloody deaths, bodies impaled in trees, a gutted animal and nightmarish imagery, plus near-constant f-words and at least one c-word. Nudity is limited to a man's bare backside. It streams on Netflix, rated TV-MA. The sustained dread, gore and language are why we suggest 16.
What's in it
Violence
StrongA man is struck twice in the head with an iron bar during a robbery, leaving a gaping facial wound. Later, bodies are found gutted and impaled on branches, a man is shot with a rifle, and an unseen creature drags victims away.
Language
StrongFrequent f-words as the friends bicker and panic, at least one c-word, plus 's--t,' 'dick,' 'bastard' and 'Christ.' The BBFC also notes moderate verbal sex references.
Sex and nudity
MildNo sex scenes. A man is seen naked from behind as he kneels in a trance, and the friends make a few crude sexual remarks.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
ModerateThe friends drink in a pub at the start, and one character is seen smoking. No drunkenness or drug use is described.
Scary or intense scenes
StrongHeavy, sustained dread: nightmares, something unseen stalking the group, a gutted animal strung up in a tree, a creepy effigy in an abandoned cabin, and mummified cult worshippers. Flashbacks to the robbery recur throughout.
Sensitive topics
- Animal death
Worth talking about
Luke freezes while his friend is attacked and spends the film wrestling with that guilt. How do the friends' different ways of handling grief and blame pull the group apart?
On our lists
Similar picks around 16+
Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, bbfc.co.uk, Wikipedia, netflix.com. The age is our judgment, not an official rating, and every family draws its lines differently: read the notes, not just the number. Spotted something we missed? Tell us. How we rate.