Ill-Fated “Cursed” Spiritualism Game

In 1972, having witnessed the success of the Ouija Board, a fledgling game company called Revenant Games from Ohio made the decision to follow suit. The series of events to occur shortly thereafter would result in one of the unsettling and most sought-after rarities among occult games.

Revenant Games’ Ritual

Anderson Van Schmidt, the company’s founder and Chief of Production, had the idea to create another spirit-contact device; a competitor to Ouija, and a concept he believed would turn the world of spiritualism on its head. He contracted Rose Heywood, a world-renowned spirit medium from London, to consult.

After the better part of a year, they presented a group of investors with a prototype. Rose Heywood conducted the presentation and, just fifteen minutes into their meeting, several of the investors walked out and never returned. Stories shared that Anderson Van Schmidt was seen trembling, but neither Rose nor any of the investors detailed precisely what they saw.

Against Mrs. Heywood’s better judgement, Van Schmidt continued with the project. Production of Ritual, as he called it, began – but it didn’t last long. Without investors, the company struggled to stay afloat. Coupled with a factory fire in their Cincinnati headquarters that resulted in the destruction of nearly all the initial run of the game, Van Schmidt confided in many family members that he felt Ritual didn’t belong in this realm. He cancelled production and moved on to other projects, a decision which saved his company and, as many would go on to say, his life.

Only a few prototypes and a small handful of the “Ritual” game that survived the fire are known to exist. Hunted by occult collectors aware of their existence, the scant times these games appear in public auctions, they generally command four-figure amounts.

Stories from purchasers and collectors range wildly; with many refusing to play the game, and others who have stated that, after playing it, they wished to immediately be rid of it. Whatever the experience of those who have played, the notorious 1970’s game “Ritual” holds a particularly infamous spot in the genre.