When a single ticket at your local cinema can get close to $20 American, I decided to forego the theater, and instead rent a movie on OnDemand. My choice was a low-budget horror film called 'The Sacrament' which is available a month before it's theatrical release on digital services.
'The Sacrament' is a found footage film that centers around three New York journalists that decide to travel to a small African commune when one of the journalists receives an invite from their sister.
As you can imagine, despite a few minor red flags, the film crew is pleasantly surprised by how impressive and peaceful the commune is. Later, when they interview the leader, simply called "Father", of Eden Parish things gradually unravel.
The film is a slow burn thriller that keeps you interested until the horrific and tense climax. What helps this film succeed is Ti West's tight, focused storytelling that never feels dull or overly familiar. Afterall the found footage genre has lost a lot of its appeal thanks to redundant horror sequels, poor editing, and generic plots. Ti West, who also edited the film along with directing and writing it, does an effective job of making scenes flow. Tyler Bates provides a very complimentary score. The cast which is made up of largely unknowns (unless you are familiar with West's prior work or the work of Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett), does a believable job of providing realistic reactions to the events that play out.
Overall, I recommend this film. If you've seen West's prior entries with 'House of the Devil' or 'Innkeepers' you know he is not one for gore. He has definitely taken a page from 60's and 70's horror, where taut storytelling and what happens off camera are more important than the few scenes of bloody horror. I like gore as much as the next guy but its refreshing to find a film that does not rely on it to get it's scares. 'The Conjuring' is another recent example of this.
I give this fictional modern re-telling of Jonestown 3 and a half severed heads out of 5.
3.5☆s/5
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