While it's commonplace for practically every horror film released today to be branded with the apocryphal "based on a true story" tagline, few of these films are actually truly rooted in any sort of reality. "The Sacrament", however, is. In fact, it's so much rooted in reality that it actually deserves that tagline, but, for reasons unknown, chooses not to use it.
The film follows a group of New York City journalists who fly out to an undisclosed location with one of their photographer friends to meet his sister, who has joined a commune. A wholly self-sustaining community, at first the commune seems like a nice place; that is, until a darker side begins to emerge, and the role the sinister "Father" plays becomes more and more apparent.
This is Ti West's first feature since "The Innkeepers" (he has most recently directed segments featured in the anthologies "V/H/S/" and "The ABCs of Death"), and it's perhaps his most dynamic production yet. Where his earlier horror films were characterized by plodding paces, slowburn atmosphere, and small casts, "The Sacrament" is certainly a more lively film; unlike the effective gloom West used to his advantage in "The House of the Devil" and "The Innkeepers", "The Sacrament" takes place nearly exclusively in broad daylight in an apparently tropical location, yet still captures the essential foreboding necessary to any horror film. It's presented as a found footage film, though I use that term loosely— it's no "Blair Witch Project". In fact, at times you forget it's a found footage film, it's so well-shot. The acting is also extremely reputable, especially for a small-budget picture, with Amy Seimetz and Gene Jones upstaging the three documentary leading men.
My only quip? I already knew the entire story five minutes into the film— not because it's got an obvious twist or a predictable plot, but because it is based just about one-hundred percent on Jonestown. If you are even slightly familiar with Jim Jones or the Jonestown Massacre (I studied the event in a university psychology class once and remember it well), the surprises here are nonexistent, as it is basically a retelling of that event with a couple minor tweaks. Is this necessarily a negative thing? No, I suppose not, although I do wish there had been some sort of declaration on behalf of the film where it acknowledges its basis on the Jonestown story; at least then I would have known beforehand. Rather, I was left watching the last half of the film play out rather predictably. It's an effective and disturbing last act, but I knew what was coming about an hour before that, and was halfway expecting a deviation in the tragic ending we already all know.
Because of this, "The Sacrament" is a troubling film; it very closely bases itself on a historical event without ever acknowledging it, and, as a viewer, I almost felt cheated by this. On the flip side, it is an extremely well-made film on just about all fronts, and there are some remarkably powerful scenes, so I have trouble absolutely dismissing it, but at the end of the day, it's really just a stylish dramatization of Jonestown that offers little intrigue for anyone who already knows what was in the Kool-Aid. 6/10.
The film follows a group of New York City journalists who fly out to an undisclosed location with one of their photographer friends to meet his sister, who has joined a commune. A wholly self-sustaining community, at first the commune seems like a nice place; that is, until a darker side begins to emerge, and the role the sinister "Father" plays becomes more and more apparent.
This is Ti West's first feature since "The Innkeepers" (he has most recently directed segments featured in the anthologies "V/H/S/" and "The ABCs of Death"), and it's perhaps his most dynamic production yet. Where his earlier horror films were characterized by plodding paces, slowburn atmosphere, and small casts, "The Sacrament" is certainly a more lively film; unlike the effective gloom West used to his advantage in "The House of the Devil" and "The Innkeepers", "The Sacrament" takes place nearly exclusively in broad daylight in an apparently tropical location, yet still captures the essential foreboding necessary to any horror film. It's presented as a found footage film, though I use that term loosely— it's no "Blair Witch Project". In fact, at times you forget it's a found footage film, it's so well-shot. The acting is also extremely reputable, especially for a small-budget picture, with Amy Seimetz and Gene Jones upstaging the three documentary leading men.
My only quip? I already knew the entire story five minutes into the film— not because it's got an obvious twist or a predictable plot, but because it is based just about one-hundred percent on Jonestown. If you are even slightly familiar with Jim Jones or the Jonestown Massacre (I studied the event in a university psychology class once and remember it well), the surprises here are nonexistent, as it is basically a retelling of that event with a couple minor tweaks. Is this necessarily a negative thing? No, I suppose not, although I do wish there had been some sort of declaration on behalf of the film where it acknowledges its basis on the Jonestown story; at least then I would have known beforehand. Rather, I was left watching the last half of the film play out rather predictably. It's an effective and disturbing last act, but I knew what was coming about an hour before that, and was halfway expecting a deviation in the tragic ending we already all know.
Because of this, "The Sacrament" is a troubling film; it very closely bases itself on a historical event without ever acknowledging it, and, as a viewer, I almost felt cheated by this. On the flip side, it is an extremely well-made film on just about all fronts, and there are some remarkably powerful scenes, so I have trouble absolutely dismissing it, but at the end of the day, it's really just a stylish dramatization of Jonestown that offers little intrigue for anyone who already knows what was in the Kool-Aid. 6/10.