The Ritual 2 (2025) is a haunting, atmospheric sequel that dares to venture deeper into the Scandinavian nightmare introduced in the original 2017 film. Directed by David Bruckner, returning to expand his original vision, this follow-up avoids the common sequel trap by choosing psychological terror and mythological depth over simple monster rehashing.
Set five years after the events in the Swedish wilderness, The Ritual 2 follows a new group of hikers—this time a team of folklore scholars and filmmakers—who travel to Northern Norway to investigate similar tales of ancient forest deities. When they stumble across an isolated village that seems untouched by time, they find themselves entangled in a ritual far older and far more terrifying than anything they anticipated.
As they dig deeper, it becomes clear that the monstrous Jötunn from the first film was only a fragment of a larger pantheon—beings worshipped through generations in secret by remote Nordic cults. And now, with the group unknowingly breaking sacred boundaries, the forest begins to shift around them, bending reality, warping time, and turning their deepest fears against them.
The film smartly keeps the creature in the shadows for most of its runtime, relying instead on mood, eerie sound design, and disorienting visuals. When the horror hits, it’s visceral and surreal—dreamlike nightmares, impossible geometry in the woods, and symbols that appear to burn into the trees. The tone is one of creeping dread, much like The Witch or Hereditary, rather than fast-paced jump scares.
Performances are strong across the board, with standout work from Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Dr. Alina Moss, the group’s quietly tormented leader whose personal demons mirror the group’s descent into madness. Her arc—one of guilt, grief, and spiritual reckoning—anchors the chaos in something profoundly human.
Where the first Ritual explored grief and male vulnerability, The Ritual 2 leans into questions of belief, ancestral trauma, and the price of curiosity. It broadens the mythology while staying true to the slow-burn terror that made the original a cult favorite.
With eerie cinematography capturing the vast, indifferent beauty of the Nordic landscape, and a third-act climax that’s both terrifying and mythically rich, The Ritual 2 is a rare sequel that deepens rather than dilutes. It leaves just enough unanswered to keep you awake at night—and hints at a dark, ancient world that may not be finished with us yet.
