A news team trails a man (Kentucker Audley) as he travels to an undisclosed location to find his missing sister (Amy Seimetz). Upon entering "Eden Parish" and meeting the community's leader (Gene Jones), it becomes apparent to the newcomers that this paradise may not be as it seems.
Amy Seimetz ("You're Next") is perhaps the strongest actor in the film. She comes across as exactly what she is supposed to be. Coincidentally, she had recently appeared in a film called "The Jonestown Defense" (2011). Unfortunately, the three main actors (the news crew) are among the least best. They just seem like they are acting, like it is all fake, and that lowers the quality of the overall picture just a tad.
The film has obvious Jonestown parallels, with the jungle commune, religious leader and even the Kool-Aid. Why it evens attempts to be anything else is sort of strange when they could have just kept it a fictionalized account. Surprisingly, this event has not been a strong influence on horror films in the past. At least, none come to mind at the moment.
Some critics have said West was more focused on characters' deaths than their lives, and that is a fair concern. Indeed, in many ways the build up is far more interesting than the fates of any of the characters. Its devolving is perhaps necessary, but also unfortunate. Some deaths are so blatant, it cannot even be called exploitation, and the turn seems to come so sudden without reason.
The trend of "found footage" (which is more than a trend at this point) needs to stop. This is not one of the worst examples, but there were really no moments where the decision helped the story. Given that we (the audience) know from the first moment that this is not a real documentary, what purpose does it serve other than to make the camera-work slightly more difficult to follow? (And then, it never remains strictly found footage; anyone who pays attention will see multiple times where scenes are filmed from some other angle.)
Ti West continues to be among the best writers and directors working in horror today. His "House of the Devil" was a breath of fresh air, and "The Innkeepers" was rather enjoyable, as well. With "The Sacrament", he never quite reaches the level of the previous two, but still shows promise and clearly is willing to branch out to different themes. His next film is apparently a western. Perhaps his best work is yet to come?
Amy Seimetz ("You're Next") is perhaps the strongest actor in the film. She comes across as exactly what she is supposed to be. Coincidentally, she had recently appeared in a film called "The Jonestown Defense" (2011). Unfortunately, the three main actors (the news crew) are among the least best. They just seem like they are acting, like it is all fake, and that lowers the quality of the overall picture just a tad.
The film has obvious Jonestown parallels, with the jungle commune, religious leader and even the Kool-Aid. Why it evens attempts to be anything else is sort of strange when they could have just kept it a fictionalized account. Surprisingly, this event has not been a strong influence on horror films in the past. At least, none come to mind at the moment.
Some critics have said West was more focused on characters' deaths than their lives, and that is a fair concern. Indeed, in many ways the build up is far more interesting than the fates of any of the characters. Its devolving is perhaps necessary, but also unfortunate. Some deaths are so blatant, it cannot even be called exploitation, and the turn seems to come so sudden without reason.
The trend of "found footage" (which is more than a trend at this point) needs to stop. This is not one of the worst examples, but there were really no moments where the decision helped the story. Given that we (the audience) know from the first moment that this is not a real documentary, what purpose does it serve other than to make the camera-work slightly more difficult to follow? (And then, it never remains strictly found footage; anyone who pays attention will see multiple times where scenes are filmed from some other angle.)
Ti West continues to be among the best writers and directors working in horror today. His "House of the Devil" was a breath of fresh air, and "The Innkeepers" was rather enjoyable, as well. With "The Sacrament", he never quite reaches the level of the previous two, but still shows promise and clearly is willing to branch out to different themes. His next film is apparently a western. Perhaps his best work is yet to come?