NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Scorpion Releasing Blu-ray (April 2020): Scorpion Releasing has released their Blu-ray of Peter Carter's underrated "Rituals''. The Northern Ontario take on "Deliverance" is presented completely uncut and uncensored from a vault element from the producer. The back cover says that this is a "2018 HD scan of the best film elements available". These elements must have been kept in a garbage can full of acid, as this is certainly a rough looking transfer. I recall seeing this on TV years ago, and looking quite similar to this 1080p presentation. Blacks are quite uniform and crushed in the many dark scenes, which certainly adds to the spookiness and anxiety of what is out there in the woods. There are multiple scratches, debris, tears, etc. all evident in this transfer. Colors are somewhat muted which is possibly the look the creators wanted, but judging by the state of the source, likely not. The texture of the film is quite soft, flat and muddy, and the thick grain doesn't help. All of these quibbles aside, this is a uniquely gritty and effective piece of Canuxploitation that is worth checking out, and all the film degradation adds to the 'drive-in' feeling. The film is presented in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio, with a moderate bitrate on a single-layered Blu-ray (despite the back cover saying in small print "dual-layered for maximum viewing enjoyment".

Scorpion Releasing showcases the film with a 2.0 24-bit DTS-HD Master audio track. Luckily the audio source seems not to have been as damaged as the picture. Though sounding somewhat flat, with dialogue perhaps a little too foregrounded, there is an effectiveness to the various nature sounds, and when the score kicks in for the tense moments, it succeeds without distracting from the action on-screen. There are optional English SDH subtitles on this Region 'Free' Blu-ray from Scorpion Releasing.

The first and most interesting extra on this Blu-ray is an audio commentary with star/producer Lawrence Dane, moderated by Lee Christian. Dane has great recollections of his time filming this up in Northern Ontario, and the low-budget guerrilla filmmaking stories are too good to share here. I couldn't believe that the scene with the bees attacking was filmed with real bees. Yikes. Scorpion Releasing also include two interviews. First up is a 21-minute interview with actor/producer Lawrence Dane. Dane is forthright about his work on the film, even joking at one point that he knew he was the right actor for the part since he was the producer. He divulges more info about the making of the picture, some of which is also mentioned in the commentary. Shooting on a low budget in the Canadian wilderness, Dane mentions that the film was shot chronologically, a rarity in film, and usually quite helpful for the actors and their performances. My only gripe about this piece is spending the 21-minutes being distracted by the film's score seemingly on a loop in the background, but a minor gripe it is. Next up is an interview with Robin Gummell, another actor from the film that also doesn't hold back in their interview. Lawrence Dane is mentioned as his great old friend from Toronto. Gummell talks about shooting in the North Country, near the metal smelting region. Fans will be sure to check out these 2 interviews, that were seemingly made for an older DVD (Code Red?) and thankfully carried over here. The film's iconic trailer appears here, with the catchy take on the 'Teddy Bear's Picnic', as is the 'The Creeper' re-titled version, which sells the film with just random shots, making it appear to be a straight-forward slasher pic. Following these are trailers for; "Terror Train" (which appears to be lifted right off an internet screen due to a pop-up at the start in the top right of the picture recommending another video), "Death Ship", "Blind Date", "Human Experiments", and "Silent Scream".

Peter Carter's "Rituals" is a real lost treasure. If Scorpion Releasing is correct, and these are the best film elements available, well then I still recommend checking out this Blu-ray. The commentary is fascinating, and fans will surely get a kick out of it. Of note, this seems to be the same Blu-ray that Scorpion Releasing released in 2018.

Colin Zavitz