“Ritual” has one of the most confusing production histories ever as it was originally envisioned as the third “Tales From The Crypt” film but a different studio bought the rights to the script and removed all references to the franchise. However, some later releases of the film include an introduction from the Crypt Keeper (voiced by John Kassir). The film is also a remake of 1943’s “I Walked With A Zombie”.

In “Ritual”, Dr. Alice Dodgson (Jennifer Grey “Dirty Dancing”) has her medical licence revoked after using unauthorised medication. She manages to find a job as the personal doctor for a man in Jamaica. Shortly after arriving, she discovers that her patient believes he is a ‘zombie’ and the evil forces of voodoo are lurking around every corner.

Jennifer Grey is actually quite good but the material is pretty lousy. Tim Curry (“Legend”, “Congo”) has a small role as a veterinary but sadly he feels woefully underused. The other characters are not very memorable. If you are watching the version with the Crypt Keeper then he looks really bad this time. Gone is the great animatronic puppet from the earlier “Tales From The Crypt” stuff, here he is a cheap plastic version. Also, his Jamaican puns are not very funny.

“Ritual” is a very generic horror film. There’s some bloodthirsty moments and a fair amount of nudity like pretty much every other horror movie from its era. The plot is fairly weak and the voodoo Jamaican setting adds very little. The special effects could have also been a lot better. If you are a big fan of Jennifer Grey or want to watch everything even vaguely connected to “Tales From The Crypt” then check out “Ritual”. If you do not fall into either of those camps, you should probably just watch something else instead.