Long before the name of Ti West was associated with the X trilogy (X, Pearl and Maxxxine), he dipped his toes into cult horror with The Sacrament.
At this point, West’s filmography was varied, to say the least, including the V/H/S series, ghosts in The Innkeepers plus the haunting The House of The Devil.
Eleven years removed from its initial release The Sacrament could be considered a forgotten film amongst his filmography, but Second Sight Films are here to change all of that.
This stellar package comes with a a slew of interviews, including stars A.J Bowen and Joe Swanberg plus a making of documentary, a 70-page booklet featuring 4 essays about The Sacrament and 6 postcards, for the collectors amongst us.
But how does The Sacrament hold up?
As a commentary on fanaticism, The Sacrament feels as timely as ever. We have seen with the cult of Trump, some familiar parallels to ‘Father’ here as he promises the Earth but you fear when the chips are down he would have them drinking the cool-aid.
When things shift gear West is not afraid to go in hard, with infanticide and a sister who poisons her tied up brother as he begs for his life. There is realism to the proceedings, and the film flits between visceral realism to odd and atmospheric.
The Sacrament remains a chilling warning to the curious and those easily led with promises of paradise and grandeur.
The Sacrament is available on Limited Edition Blu-Ray from Second Sight Films.
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