The Ritual

As with countless other exorcism films out there, The Ritual apparently is based on a true story — of the most documented episode of possession and treatment in American history, as it’s quick to point out.

However, regardless of those true-life origins, this pedestrian thriller is overall more familiar than fresh, even with Al Pacino adopting a quirky Italian accent and somehow bringing conviction to a film that otherwise strains to be taken seriously.

It’s set in 1928, when troubled teenager Emma (Abigail Cowen) is brought by the Vatican to an Iowa convent by a cardinal (Patrick Fabian) who issues a warning to local priest Joseph Steiger (Dan Stevens).

“They’ve exhausted all the medical and biological theories,” he explains. “The woman’s parish would like to attempt a solemn sacrament.”

Cue the arrival of Father Theophilus Riesinger (Pacino), one of the church’s foremost exorcism practitioners, who maps out a weeklong series of rituals to rescue Emma from satanic forces.

However, complications ensue when trying to eradicate the sinister presence. She becomes seriously ill and lashes out at her caretakers, including a nun (Ashley Greene) who emerges as a target for personal attacks.

Steiger clashes with Riesinger, and just about everyone is questioning the outsider’s motives and methods, with the Mother Superior (Patricia Heaton) demanding accountability. As the process spirals into chaos, a crisis of faith threatens to tear apart the entire parish.

As directed by David Midell (The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain), the film leans into genre expectations by setting the tone with haunting imagery, eerie music crescendos, and creepy religious iconography.

The filmmaker uses hand-held camerawork with abundant zooms and reactive closeups to create a documentary feel, which never really adds the desired sense of urgency.

The screenplay — supposedly drawn from transcriptions by the real Steiger — doesn’t bother injecting much emotional depth or meaningful character development to get to the titular incident with minimal interference.

As for the cliched exorcism sequences, they’re appropriately intense and disturbing, with the usual screams, scriptural babble, speaking in tongues, involuntary body contortions, and unprovoked outbursts.

Yet when the action shifts away from the bedside, The Ritual exposes some unresolved demons of its own.

Not rated, 98 minutes.