The Ritual is a story about power. It’s about those who do nothing to earn it, yet walk through life assuming that it is theirs to hoard and wield as they please. But what if they are not the only powerful ones? What if everything were to turn on its head in one fateful night?

Meet our little Minx, who finds herself in a dangerous situation against her will, and our Snake who has never been one to take no for an answer. Will we watch in horror as our Minx falls victim to the Snake’s haunting plan? Just when we think there’s no hope for our heroine, we discover that she may have a diabolical plan herself. Perhaps the Snake, audacious enough to believe that he could rob our Minx of her agency and forcibly control the events of the night, is about to get a taste of his own venom.

We are not silent, or timid, or complacent. We are human, we are brave, we have agency.

We have power.

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TRIGGER WARNING: This is a horror-based dance film which includes themes and scenarios that may be uncomfortable or triggering for certain individuals. Including: psychosis, paranormal happenings, sexual themes, violence/physical abuse, allusion to sexual assault. 

Viscera is thrilled to be teaming up with SPK Productions to bring The Ritual to life. Cody Nelson and the SPK team have years of experience creating captivating and impactful film content and bring a vast set of skills, immense technical know-how and unique creative perspective to the project. Both parties share a love for horror and are so excited at the prospect of bringing that to the big screen through dance.

NIKKI SHERWOOD (VISCERA PRESENTS) - CHOREOGRAPHER

Viscera Presents is a Vancouver-based production company that brings the genre of horror to the stage through dance and movement focused productions. Harnessing the capacity that physical, embodied performance styles have to tell abstract stories and convey unexplainable feelings, Viscera strives to empower local creators and entertain daring audiences through HEART-STOPPING, GASP- INDUCING, STOMACH-TURNING, GUT-WRENCHING productions that will captivate and unnerve.

Nikki is a passionate and dynamic storyteller who finds beauty in the weird and has been creating and performing since she can remember. She brings her love of the bizarre and the derelict. She is hungry to create opportunities to escape and explore the unexpected, the unexplained and themes that feel bigger than us.

CODY NELSON (SPK PRODUCTIONS) - FILMMAKER

Cody is a seasoned filmmaker based in Vancouver and brings over 10 years of post-production experience to his work. As a Freelance Director/Editor, he has demonstrated his versatility by working on various projects, including short horror films, e-sports, music videos, and advertisements.

Beyond film and advertising, Cody is a co-founder of the comedy sketch group, Smashed Potato Kids, showcasing his talent as a writer, director, and actor. He was nominated for best director and won best editor at the 2023 Run N Gun 48 Hour Film Competition. He also edited and directed a short horror film for Crazy8's in 2021. With a passion for storytelling and meticulous attention to detail, Cody continuously pushes creative boundaries and eagerly embraces new challenges in both traditional filmmaking and editing.

This film will be a creepy, cryptic and chaotic feast for the eyes that will keep audiences guessing at every turn. Nikki's unique choreographic vision and directing prowess, paired with Cody's extensive film experience and expert editing skills, will be supported by an incredible creative team, crew and cast of talent to bring this poignant and petrifying vision to life.

THE LOCATION
The Morrissey Pub is where we had our very first Viscera performance, so it’s a full circle moment to be shooting our first film project there.

THE CREW
We are so excited to be bringing an incredible on-set team of about 20 experienced and talented crew members together from both the Viscera and SPK communities.

THE TALENT
We are grateful to have a 20+ person cast of tremendous talent helping us tell this story. The Ritual will feature many dancers that you have seen on Viscera stages before, and is also a great opportunity for us to work with some performers for the first time.

THE TIMELINE
June + July: Shoot prep
July 15-Aug 15: Crowd-funding Campaign
July 25 + 26: Shoot Days!
July 26-Aug 28: Post-Production
Aug 28: Submit Final Film to Innovate Showcase!
Early September: The Ritual Premiere's at Innovate Dance Film Showcase (stay tuned for screening details and tickets)

Bringing horror dance to the screen has always been part of the Viscera vision. While we have focused the past year and a half on live performances, we are ready to dive into the world of film and harness the unique capabilities of the medium. The genre of horror allows space to explore complex themes, bold characters and unexplainable feelings and we look forward to inviting new audiences into our dark and devious world.

We have always been inspired by the productions presented by the Innovate Dance Film Showcase, and we could think of no better way for Viscera to make it's film debut. We are so excited to continue to immerse ourselves in the dance community in Vancouver and hope to share our love for horror with like-minded movers, creators and audiences.

Through The Ritual we will have the opportunity to explore themes of power, privilege, rage, retribution, agency, atonement, courage, community and more through the horror lens. 

The Ritual feels like a reclamation. I am excited by the concept of taking a very real and scary situation, and creating an otherworldly revenge story. I love the idea that our main character switches from being the victim to being the villain, and yet the audience is still rooting for her. Even when the whole scenario is turning into chaos, we’re tuned in and eager to see what happens next. What happens when the prey stalks the predator? That’s something I’m always interested in seeing.

We want to explore a real horror that happens all too often and flip it on its head. Reverse the power dynamics of what can happen when a bar interaction turns un-consensual and show there is support and power in numbers. By highlighting this shift, we aim to challenge the audience's preconceptions and inspire conversations about consent and safety. By using dance as our medium, we can convey the intense emotions and subtle power shifts in a visceral and impactful way.