Whatsmore, this new edition looks and feels great. It kept me engaged until the very last page and I would not hesitate in recommending it to lovers of weird fiction. Finally, both works head off in different directions and, by their respective conclusions, arrive in very different places. The feel and atmosphere of the two works are entirely contrasting. In Shaffer's work, Paganism is central, and much more painstakingly researched. The occult aspect of Pinner's novel is, in lots of ways, incidental to the actual story it would work just as well without it. Shaffer's work, thematically, is very different to Ritual and has bags more complexity and depth. Having said that, the differences between the two are such that both works can and should stand in their own right. And perhaps most tellingly, there is one scene in Ritual - Anna Spark's night-time attempt at seducing David Hanlin - which is, to be frank, played out just about word-for-word in The Wicker Man. There are many snatches of dialogue in Ritual which, for me, brought forth vague memories of dialogue in The Wicker Man. There are characters in Ritual which seem to be clear inspirations for some of Shaffer's characters, the most obvious being Anna Spark, whose unabashed sexuality surely paved the way for Willow MacGregor. We have the initial basic premise, which is almost identical. We know that Shaffer attempted and abandoned a screenplay based upon the novel. So, is it fair to say that Anthony Shaffer borrowed from this novel? To a certain extent, yes.
#RITUAL PINNER FULL#
If you think Lord Summerisle is fond of a florid turn of phrase, wait till you hear Lawrence Cready, Pastor White and Squire Fenn in full flow. The characters are grotesque, vaudevillian creations and wonderfully over-the-top it's as if they have one eye on the audience in the stalls and are intentionally camping it up, playing for cheap laughs. If you can get past the excessively rich and over-worked dialogue, 'Ritual' is an enjoyable, engrossing read with a narrative that, after the initial Wicker Man similarities, treads a very different path towards an entirely different conclusion. Policeman arrives at a remote village to investigate the death of a child and is confronted with an increasingly bewlidering array of psychological trickery, erotic encounters and pagan practices.
For me, the thrill of finally getting hold of 'Ritual', apart from the prospect of becoming absorbed with an obscure 1960s occult novel, was in discovering exactly what similarities exist between the two works and whether the accusations of plagiarism are in any way justified.īasic premise? Well, it's not dissimilar to the aforementioned film. It is deemed by some to be the inspiration behind Anthony Shaffer and Robin Hardy's much-loved occult horror film, and this in itself is the cause of much controversy and sometimes heated debate.
I've been meaning to pick this book up for many years, mainly because of 'The Wicker Man' connection.
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