The Sacrament – Second Sight

Directed by: Ti West
Written by: Ti West
Starring: AJ Bowen, Joe Swanberg, Amy Seimetz, Kentucker Audley, Gene Jones
Year: 2013
Country: USA
Running time: 99mins
BBFC Classification: 15

Coming after the double whammy of indie horror hits The House of the Devil and The Innkeepers (check them out, if you haven’t already), writer/director Ti West delivered a third successful shocker in the (sort of) found footage but more faux documentary, The Sacrament.

Journalist Sam (Bowen) and his cameraman Jake (Swanberg), ask to tag along with their colleague Patrick (Audley), to a foreign country where his sister Caroline (Seimetz) has been living with a religious group in an isolated compound. Caroline has asked Patrick to come out and visit her with Sam and Jake sensing a story, they film their journey and their time in the compound. As is expected not is all it seems, the magnetic leader of the group, who simply goes by the name of Father (Jones), having a vice like grip over the group and in particular Caroline. When a couple of the compound residents secretly ask for help from the visiting journalists, it triggers a catastrophic series of events that sees Father unleashing his violent intent over the group.

Heavily influenced by the real-life Jonestown massacre, The Sacrament dramatizes the story of what happens when outsiders with cameras are let inside a similar cult like compound and its leader implodes and leads his followers into his fantastical and tragic endgame. The first half is very much played as a faux documentary as the journalist’s film and document everything they see and experience, a sense of dread mounting, until one small event tips everything over the edge and sends the compound into chaos. The flick then has a more found footage feel, as the protagonists run around trying to save themselves and the others all the while filming: West, thankfully, keeps everything slick and visually accessible, so proceedings never descend into shaky cam confusion.

While the outcome of the journalists visiting the compound is inevitable, it’s no less riveting as the tension is ratcheted and the cult gradually shows its true colours. Mercifully the videographers are for once not completely annoying, they actually have personality and even try to make rational decisions in out-of-control situations: an aspect not always synonymous with the found footage genre. Bowen and Swanberg infuse their characters with a likability that is welcoming and makes one root for their survival rather than a painful demise.

But it’s Seimetz and Jones who steal the show, perfectly encapsulating the deranged but influential cult leader and his most dedicated follower. The centrepiece of the film is Father’s arrival to talk to his congregation and be interviewed by Sam. This sees Jones monologue for a good fifteen minutes taking full control of the situation, playing up to his devout followers, and making Sam and Jake realize they’ve maybe bitten off more than they can chew. It’s a powerful scene that is probably scarier than any of the violent chaos that subsequently ensues (though that is certainly effectively staged and, in several instances, shockingly disturbing). Likewise, Seimetz has a scene where she takes her full dedication to Fatherto it’s most violent and unhinged end, in a very disturbing but effectively horrific scene.

West treats the subject matter with seriousness and doesn’t hold back from showing the violent fallout of a cult but never gets too exploitative. It may all be a bit too close to the real incident it is inspired by that one may wonder why the film isn’t just a retelling of said event, and it may not be as eerily effective as his previous hits The House of the Devil and The Innkeepers, but West has still created an effective and shocking cult-goes-crazy horror thriller.

Second Sight Films’ will release The Sacrament on Limited Edition Blu-ray, 17^th June 2024

Special Features 

• Indie Guys at Heart: A new interview with actor AJ Bowen
• The Best Pathway: A new interview with actor Joe Swanberg
• An Ecstatic State: A new interview with actor Amy Seimetz
• The Itch to Act: new interview with actor Gene Jones
• An engaging and fact filled selection of new talking head interviews with the main cast, all looking back at their time making the film. Ranging from 10-30 minutes long, they cover quite a lot both about how they all came to be in The Sacrament and what it meant to their careers. Jones in particular talks of how the film was a massive impact for him and that’s he’s still mostly recognized for this (even though he went on to feature in the likes of The Hateful Eight and Killers of the Flower Moon). Bowen, Swanberg and Siemetz all talk fondly of the film and how they had all often worked together (along with Ti West) prior to the making of this film (all of them being a major part in the Mumblecore/gore movement!). They also talk very fondly of working with Jones and what an incredible actor he is 9could have spent a lot longer listening to him talk about acting and his career).
• A Wild Ride: A new interview with producer Peter Phok – a longer but just as fact filled interview with Phok about his career, his work in the horror genre, and working with Ti West. A prominent producing figure in the recent indie horror movement, Phok is full of enthusiasm for the genre and is still working with Ti West, on his latest trilogy of horrors X, Pearl, and MaXXXine.
• Truthiness: Alexandra Heller-Nicholas on The Sacrament – interesting visual essay about the cinematic form of found footage films, their impact on the horror genre, and how The Sacrament plays into this genre.
• We’re Not Sinners Here: The Making of The Sacrament – hour long look behind the scenes from the time of the film’s making which is a mixture of BTS footage and talking head interviews with cast and crew (all looking much younger). It’s a fascinating look at the making of an ambitious horror movie on a budget and impressive to see how they actually built the compound for real, giving the makers a lot of freedom to make a bigger and better film. There’s also some great footage of Ti West at work directing the film, which is certainly interesting to see, as it’s a shame he hasn’t been interviewed or contributed to this great new Blu Ray like the other main cast members.  

Limited Edition Contents

• Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Chris Malbon – not available at time of review