Ritual

The Ritual was an arcane rite, performed annually, which featured in the 2012 fantasy-horror movie The Cabin in the Woods.

History
A development of the sacrifices made by mankind in prehistoric times to appease the Ancient Ones who would destroy the world if unappeased, the Ritual had gone through many changes over the years by the time of the System Purge. Initially as simple as throwing a girl into a volcano, over time the Ancient Ones’ requirements had become more bloodthirsty and convoluted, at the time the movie took place requiring very specific criteria to be met. Should the Ritual be performed incorrectly, or not at all, then the angry Ancient Ones would rise once again and destroy our race.

In the modern era, the completion of the Ritual was entrusted to a multinational agency referred to simply as The Organization, which had at the very least ties with national governments if it was not wholly overseen by them.

Whilst referred to as simply “The Ritual,” it should be noted that there were many different variations of the act itself, and if any one of these individual rites were performed correctly, then the Ancient Ones would allow mankind to exist for another year.

The North American Ritual
This was the most well known of the rites, and the one which was the primary focus of the film. It required the deaths of five youths, a Whore, an Athlete, a Scholar, a Fool and a Virgin, in that order. These youths must have been warned of the peril they were in by a harbinger, and must have chosen to disregard the warning. They must also have chosen a creature to bring about their own deaths, even if doing so unwittingly. Once dead, their blood was to have been poured onto stone tablets which represented their stereotype, and doing so with all five would have completed the rite.

It should be noted that although the rite required the deaths of the five stereotypes listed above for completion, their natural personalities did not actually have to match them. Indeed, the North American Facility was seen to use mind-altering drugs in the movie in order to change the personalities of the sacrifices in order to fit the necessary stereotypes.

The Japanese Ritual
Only briefly glimpsed, the Japanese Ritual appeared to focus on a more youthful group of children for completion, and may even have relied solely on the sacrifice of females.

The Swedish Ritual
Even less is known of the criteria for the Swedish Ritual, although it involved a natural disaster. In the year of the System Purge, this was volcanic in nature.

The Argentinian Ritual
Another version about which little is known, the Argentinian rite in the year of the System Purge apparently involved an enormous horned ape.

Nothing is known about the Spanish, German or Burmese rites.

Ultimately, in the year in which the events of the movie took place, all of the rituals failed for one reason or another, and the Ancient Ones rose from their slumber to reclaim the Earth.