6/10

The Sacrament is a movie that will leave you reeling long after the movie is finished. It is the latest in the documentary style horror films that takes us to the fictional community known as Eden Parish. It’s a place started by a couple drug rehabbers to get away from the politics, the taxes and racism of America. Three filmmakers head to the community in hopes of rescuing one of the men’s sister. What they find is a cult led by a man named Father (Gen…e Jones). First of all, this is one of the rare instances where I feel the shot on video style was very well done. It’s not used for scares, but instead for the true horrors of a cult in the woods with nothing to lose. This film took elements from historical massacres like Jonestown and Jim Jones massive cult suicide. The first hour is used as a slow build up to the terror that is unleashed in the final half hour. What is different about this movie is that it’s not a usual horror chase movie, but instead, it’s the terrifying rules of this cult that make for the hard to watch moments. If you watch this film to be scared, you will sorely be let down. This movie is made to give you a deep impact of how dangerous living with beliefs can be. There isn’t much to say about this film stylistically, but I feel it is definitely one of the darkest representations of human life ever portrayed on film. It’s decently acted with the visitors acting as logically as anyone of us would who encounter such terror. Gene Jones is very hypnotic as the leader with the mind control over these easily influenced people. He isn’t an unstoppable monster, but a man who flourishes the most while convincing his people how dark American life is. If I had one wish, it would be that director Ti West would’ve given us more build up before the final blow. Many of the minutes in between feel very slow and almost dragged out at a time. However, when compared to other shot on video style horror movies, this one gladly gets the passing grade. It does leave you wondering what outcome is coming by the film’s end because it’s not your typical “Found footage” movie. We don’t necessarily know that the characters are dead at the end of this thing unlike the Paranormal Activity movies, so that is always a positive. I am interested to see what kind of theatrical run this film receives when it comes out in June, but I would recommend seeing it on DVD. I think the ending will leave a bad taste in the viewers mouths, but the idea of the film is that these events happen in real time, so it’s the shock of the events, not the feel of the ending itself. Recommended for a DVD viewing of anyone with an appreciation of America’s troubling massacre events.