In just a few short years, horror film writer, director, and producer extraordinaire, Ti West, has garnered a great deal of respect among genre fans. While the mediocre Cabin Fever 2 (2009) was his first mainstream film, sleeper hits like House of the Devil (2009) and The Innkeepers (2011) have since proven to discerning horror viewers that West is a skilled storyteller with original ideas. When fans learned he would be teaming up with master of gore Eli Roth (Cabin Fever 2002; Hostel 2005) for The Sacrament (2013; U.S. release, 2014), their expectations were high. Just a cursory glance at the user reviews on any major film site makes it clear that The Sacrament was met with mixed reactions from fans, and critics were only slightly more forgiving. For a number of reasons, most of which seem to include some miscommunication regarding the true content of the film, some viewers were disappointed. Although,when one watches it blind, ignoring trailers and interviews and reviews — except for this one, of course — The Sacrament is a chilling account of a horrific event, and it is a film that might best be described as (very) realistic fiction.
- Still from The Sacrament
The Sacrament (Worldview Entertainment; Arcade Pictures) is often miscategorized as a found footage film, but it is more of a mockumentary, although it does follow some of the conventions of the found footage genre. The main characters are employed by Vice Media, a real life media outlet known for its subversive content and lauded for its “immersionism” style of documentary journalism. This is just one instance where The Sacrament blurs reality and fiction.
After a Vice-style introduction and some written exposition, the viewer meets Patrick (Kentucker Audley), a fashion photographer who has received a letter from his sister Caroline (Amy Seimetz). After a battle with addiction, Caroline is now living in a back-to-basics commune. She informs Patrick in the letter that the community has left the United States and that its members are working hard to set down roots in their new location abroad. She urges her brother to visit, and his coworkers Sam (A.J. Bowen) and Jake (Joe Swanberg) convince him to bring them along so that they can document their experiences living off the grid with the commune members. The first red flag is that the exact location of the compound is not disclosed, but the adventurous Vice reporters are undeterred and make the trip anyway.
Upon arriving to Eden Parish, after a journey involving a flight to Africa, a helicopter trip, and a drive down the one road providing means of ingress or egress, the guys are met with armed guards, and it becomes clear that this hippy-dippy commune is more than meets the eye. Here’s red flag number two.
- Still from The Sacrament
From here the narrative is quite familiar. Brainwashed members of what is now clearly a cult extol the benefits of living free of the vices of the outside world, completely convinced that selling all of their worldly possessions in order to support the compound was the best decision they could ever make. Caroline, like many of her peers, is happy to the point of mania. Their leader is a patriarchal figure who simply goes by “Father,” played to menacing perfection by an actor whose name, coincidentally, is Gene Jones. No one is quite comfortable with the presence of the film crew, and that tension comes to a head in an expertly filmed scene in which Sam attempts to interview Father, but ends up being the one answering most of the questions. Patrick, Sam, and Jake eventually learn some of Father’s secrets, and once he becomes aware of the threat of exposure, he takes measures to “protect” his flock by whatever means necessary and, well, we all know how that turns out. However, the climactic scene is so gruesome, the human suffering so palpable and realistic, that it somehow comes as a shock regardless of the fact that the viewer knows exactly what is about to happen.
- Still from The Sacrament
There is nothing original about The Sacrament, but it is a story that is remarkably discomfiting, and, because it appeals to our morbid curiosity, it will have a profound effect no matter how many iterations it takes on. In Ti West’s capable hands, it is especially unsettling. As it turns out, Eli Roth’s involvement is nominal, but his heavy-handed gore would not be appropriate for this film anyway. West has demonstrated an ability to show restraint, favoring a less-is-more approach, and the horror of The Sacrament is understated. The film does have some extreme moments, but they are more about the narrative itself and less about confronting or jarring imagery. When a film borrows so liberally from such a profoundly disturbing real-life event, geysers of blood and close-up shots of ropey entrails are not necessary. The breed of evil that Father represents is frightening enough, and, even more dismaying is the knowledge that there are others like him. This story has been told before, and, yes, it has been told better, but that does not mean that The Sacrament is not a worthwhile addition to the canon of contemporary Horror. Crypticrock gives The Sacrament 4 out of 5 stars.
- Magnolia Pictures
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