The Sacrament

When i was a child, i thought churches were supposed to help people in need, not use them for money and brainwash them. Unfortunately my image have changed, since more churches have come out to show their real side. Sexual scandals, using money from the church members in their private life, corruption, the list goes on and on. I am not saying all churches are doing this, but there are so many that i wonder if the bible really does matter ? Hopefully this can be changed by serious churches, they need to clean up the mess, and make sure none of this happens. Speaking of religious groups, do anyone of you remember Jonestown ? What seemed to be a perfect society, where everyone gather to show their love for each other and for Jesus. But Jim Jones, the cult leader, had other plans. He forced everyone to drink poison, and this became the biggest massacre ever in history. Some people survived to tell the story, and when you listen to how sick Jim Jones was, you realise he should never had worked in a church at all, he should have been locked up in jail for a lifetime. I suggest you see the documentary Jonestown - The Life & Death of Peoples Temple, and you will learn so many things about the life of Jim Jones, and why he did this to the people of his temple. About a year ago, i read that there was a movie on the way, that would bring up the subject of a religious cult, located in the jungle, almost like Jonestown. This got me really excited, and i started doing some more research. Director Ti West is the director ? Just the name got me excited, this is a really talented director. With him on board, is The Sacrament as good as i was hoping, or is this a big let down ?

Patrick (Kentucker Audley), a fashion photographer living in New York, decide to visit his sister Caroline ( Amy Seimetz ) at Eden Parish, a communty builded by a religious group, led by The Father ( Gene Jones ). Patrick bring his friends and co-workers Sam ( AJ Bowen ) and Jake ( Joe Swanberg ) down to Eden Parish, to make a documentary about their society. At first everyone seem so happy and love life, as if this is the perfect society. But one night, they are about to find out what is really going on behind closed doors.

Ever since the trailer of The Sacrament came out, i have not been able to forget about this movie. And now when i have finally had the chance to seen it, i can say this is really good. The Sacrament show you how easy it is to force people with no self esteem, to do something that they think is good, when the fact is that this is all wrong. The idea of a society with all ages and skin colors is a great idea, but when the leader decide everything for them, and they can´t say no, then you realise that this is all made to look better than reality. Religious cult groups is for me a false image, of something that should not exist. Why should you force people to do something they belive is right, when you are doing it for your own pleasure ? Remember Warren Jeffs and FLDS ? Another example of how wrong religious cults are, this has nothing to do with any God, it is all about having control and using people. The Sacrament could be in the genre found footage horror, since this is made in the same way. Director Ti West did a really good horror movie in 2009 called The House Of The Devil, on a very low budget, but managed to deliver something powerful and unique. People say another horror film he did, The Innkeepers, is really good, so i need to check this one out at some point. Do not forget he directed a sequence in V/H/S, that showed his talent in film making. Ti West latest movie The Sacrament is not only important, the acting is really good, and the cult scenes are very creepy filmed. Gene Jones as The Father is absolutely fantastic, he really knows how to make a cult leader performance, and i hope he is nominated for this role. This is a movie that should be shown in schools, all over the world. We need to let young people understand that religious cults can be dangerous, because the churches will not let you know the truth, until you are stuck in there. As i mentioned earlier, i do not say every chuch is doing this, but the message needs to get out into society. The Sacrament is a horrifying horror movie, that will leave you thinking about what you have just seen. Tell your local cinemas to show The Sacrament, this is exactly what we want on a big screen. Ti West, you might have made one of the best horror movies this year, i applaud you for your achievement.

Rating: DDDD