Finfrosk86 This is yet another found footage-movie that is actually pretty decent. It's not exhausting to look at, because the one filming is supposed to be a camera-man, thus eliminating the most shaky of shaky cams.But what puts this above the rest is the fact that it is based on the true and terrifying Jonestown massacre. If you haven't heard of it, either google it, or just watch this movie. (I think I would recommend just watching it, since you'll keep guessing what is going on).The Sacrament is a pretty tense, and quite chilling movie. I like the feeling of something being a little off. The acting is good and mostly seems natural and realistic. The movie is not super action packed, and grounded in reality. It plays out kind of like a documentary of sorts.

Lazar George I've seen people mentioning the Jonestown Mass murder and how close the events in this movie are to that. I personally wasn't aware of it but after watching the movie I've documented myself about it and yes... if you've heard about Jonestown, then watching this movie is just a fictional visual representation of what happened there. Sorry.Regadless, the case was interesting and the movie will most likely get a grip on most people as it makes you more and more curious towards what's really going on. As I've mentioned in the title, the story was credible, the tension building up was also there and done right and from the moment they get to Eden Parish (the community where the events in the movie take place) until things went haywire, you just feel there's something extremely eerie and sketchy about it all. The acting was pretty much great, the guy who was supposed to be the interviewer (AJ Bowen) really had this VICE interviewer personality, the Father (antagonist) was also astonishing both in acting and speaking and mostly every other smaller actor in the movie felt like professionals. Everyone BUT Joe Swanberg (the camera guy). I have nothing against him personally, I do not know him, but you will also probably notice what I'm talking about by the end of the movie. It might be the script too, but I personally found he's acting bad enough. By the end of the movie you'll feel pretty angry with the events and if you're 'lucky' to know about Jonestown too, seeing this on screen will make you become even more upset knowing that such things actually happened. Great small flick, definitely worth giving a shot. I only hoped the ending was a bit more elaborate and intelligent.

Steve Pulaski The Sacrament feels like the gathering of the independent filmmakers, which, on that basis alone, makes it sound like nothing more than a gaggle of pals, who had the urge to shoot something, getting together, making a film, and cherishing a few laughs. However, The Sacrament is a crafty slowburn horror film by the same man who made The Innkeepers, one of my favorite horror films from a few years back. He's Ti West and, for the last couple years, has directed several different films along with acting in various horror films as well. In a time when so many forget the craft to go straight for the scare, West knows it's all about articulation, suspense, and artistry when it comes to making horror films, which is why he takes the first forty minutes of The Sacrament to allow for dread to loom and almost engulf us on screen before allowing the insanity to flow.The film is loosely based on the real life murders in Jonestown in 1978, concerning two VICE reporters, Sam (AJ Bowen) and Jake (independent filmmaker Joe Swanberg), and their fashion photographer friend Patrick (Kentucker Audley, another independent filmmaker). One day, Patrick receives a letter from his drug addict sister Caroline (Amy Seimetz) who states she has been recovering for several months and is living in Eden Parish, a utopian commune boasting sober living and Christian values. She offers Patrick to spend a day in the commune, which he must access by helicopter, and, in a bout of uncertainty, agrees to let his pals Sam and Jake tag along to film the experience. Upon arrival, the gang is initially unsettled by the presence of guards with large assault rifles guarding the commune until Caroline appears and looks refreshed as ever. She apologizes for the alleged misunderstanding and invites them in, revealing a beautiful, open community of small homes, gardens, a medical center, and practically everything one would think a small, seceded society would need to thrive.Caroline speaks of a man by whom they call "Father" (Gene Jones), whose voice can be heard over the loud speaker quite frequently, initiating meetings or informing his community of events occurring in Eden Parish. "Father" is the godlike figure of the commune, with everyone praising him for his ability to create, sustain, and cherish the community he has built. While Patrick spends most of his time with his sister, Sam and Jake do what they do best, which is circle around the community and speak to various individuals living in the community, all of whom seem happier and more refreshed as they praise the nonjudgmental, connected community of Eden Parish while denouncing and criticizing America and their sensationalized, media-reliant culture.Ti West clearly has a great deal of fun shooting in the limitless, outdoor environment of Eden Parish, as most of his films up until this point (The House of the Devil and The Innkeepers) took place indoors). West moves his camera(s) liberally through the wide open meadows of the commune, with the commune itself evoking an eerily suburban feel, where everything seems carefully calculated and the positioning of homes and gardens seems meticulously micromanaged. The environment of Eden Parish plays a big part in why the film is so fun to watch, since you know never know where you're going to end up or what will be revealed.In addition, West has already established himself as a fan of slowburn horror filmmaking, and with The Sacrament, nothing changes with his approach; the first forty minutes of the film carefully set up Eden Parish, digging deep and asking questions about the commune's location, code of ethics, structure, and so on, much of which is covered during Sam's interview with "Father." During this time, a frightening sense of dread builds, which hovers over viewers throughout the entire film as we see what this location reveals and what its characters are doing for one another.West is a storyteller, above all, functioning in a genre that either negates the story lines it provides or projects them in a twisted web of confusion and ridiculousness. The Sacrament is where West can finally show that by creating a film in which no paranormal entities, a topic he has handled in the past, can be found and the evil at hand comes straight from the people. Thanks to a cast of champions, many of whom independent filmmakers - and a wickedly haunting Gene Davis - and a methodical approach to a rich story, West overwhelmingly succeeds, officially solidifying him in my book as one of the strongest men in horror working today.Starring: AJ Bowen, Joe Swanberg, Kentucker Audley, Amy Seimetz, and Gene Davis. Directed by: Ti West.

Claudio Carvalho The journalist Patrick (Kentucker Audley) works at the VICE, a company dedicated to cover bizarre news. When his sister Caroline (Amy Seimetz) joins a community, she travels abroad with her new family. Out of the blue, Caroline invites her brother to visit her in an undefined country and Patrick travels by helicopter with his friends Jake (Joe Swanberg) and Sam (AJ Bowen) that work with him at VICE.They find weird that the men that have come to guide them to the Eden Parish have guns. On the arrival to the camp, Patrick, Sam and Jake find a community of happy people that worship Father (Gene Jones). They interview Father but soon they realize that people are not as happy as they seem to be. Further, they find that they are trapped in the Parish Eden and they want to leave the place with the newcomers. But the Father does not have intention to let them go."The Sacrament" is a suspenseful horror movie with a music score in the beginning that recalls "The Twilight Zone". However this awful "found- footage" genre spoils the creepy story. The Dogma 95 has only 77 recognized movies, but this rip-off of the genre seems to be the easiest means to produce cheap low-budget movies in the present days. My vote is five.Title (Brazil): "O Sacramento" ("The Sacrament")