The Sacrament (2013)

Directed by: Ti West
Country: USA

Movie Review: “The Sacrament” is a found-footage horror film, directed, written and edited by Ti West, an American filmmaker dedicated to the horror genre (“The House of the Devil”, “The Inkeepers”). Joe Swanberg’s participation as actor wasn’t so surprising, since he and West had worked together before in “Cabin Fever 2” and “Drinking Buddies”, while producer Eli Roth joins the team for the first time. The rest of the cast includes AJ Bowen, Amy Seimetz and Gene Jones who undoubtedly had the strongest performance as a persuasive and confrontational spiritual guide. The plot is based on an obscure, closed and well-guarded commune known as ‘Eden Parish’, established in the middle of the woods by a mysterious man who everybody calls ‘Father’. Patrick is a professional photographer whose sister joined the commune right after finishing her drug rehabilitation. He will be welcomed in the place, together with two journalist friends whose objective is to conduct an interview with the leader and document the life style and opinions of the parish members. As expected, the non-violent principles of the group that sacrificed comfort for humanity, was nothing what it seemed, and the end takes crazy proportions – confusion, fear, manhunt, immolation, murder, and mass suicide, are some of the elements used to forcibly shock and create chaos. The adopted strategies were taken a bit too far and you’ll need a strong stomach for some of the unsettling situations. Insidious, outrageous, and unpleasant, “The Sacrament” has Jones’ memorable performance as its stronger element.