Two journalists follow a man who's searching for his missing sister to a remote religious woodland retreat called Eden Parish which turns out to be anything but the paradise that it initially appears to be. Writer/director Ti West ably crafts a subtle, yet still potently unsettling sense of pure dread and unease that gradually culminates in a positively bloodcurdling mass suicide at the startling climax. Moreover, West grounds the compelling premise in a thoroughly believable everyday reality; it's the fact that the events depicted in this film are within the realm of possibility that in turn gives this picture an extra chilling power, with the obvious similarities to the infamous Jonestown massacre in particular providing an additional frightening plausibility. The excellent acting by the capable cast further keep this movie humming: Joe Swanberg as cynical cameraman Jake Williams, AJ Bowen as eager reporter Sam Turner, Kentucker Audley as the concerned Patrick, and Amy Seimetz as perky ex-junkie Caroline. Character actor Gene Jones contributes a stand-out portrayal of affable and charismatic cult leader Father. A supremely strong and unnerving winner.

...and even that doesn't typically besmirch the reputation of the painter, in this case writer/director Ti "V/H/S" West. It's almost hard to believe that "The Sacrament" came from the same guy who gave us "The House of the Devil," a far superior slow-burn creeper. Only viewers who've no clue about the Jonestown Massacre in the late 70s will take "The Sacrament" as anything more than a cheap fictionalization of that event, and West's choice of the "found footage" format does little to illuminate what brought hundreds of people to commit mass suicide on the orders of a tyrannical charismatic madman. The result is unsurprising revelation that can be seen coming a mile away. Disappointing, to say the least. Go for it if you must, but don't say you weren't warned that you'll wish you hadn't. I give you my sacred promise that you have been.

This thrilling drama will remind you of the Jim Jones Massacre at Jonestown in the mid 1970s. Using "found footage" genre. Patrick(Kentucker Audley) works for a company proud of covering bizarre newsworthy subjects. He receives an invitation from his sister Caroline(Amy Siemetz)to visit her at a compound called Eden Parish for exiled Christians. This cult-like community is ran by a man simply called Father(Gene Jones), who is very paranoid when it comes to the so-called outside world. Patrick and two of his friends Jake(Joe Swanberg) and Sam(AJ Bowen), photographer and journalist, travel to Eden Parish. Patrick realizes quickly that his sister is acting differently and even more so, Father is obviously wanting to cover something up. A few "citizens" are secretly wanting to leave when the journalists do. Father is very content in not letting a living sole leave his man-made Utopian community.Be advised of disturbing violence, graphic and bloody images and situations earning an R rating. Cast members include: Shirley Jones Byrd, Derek Roberts, Kate Forbes, Dale Neal and Donna Biscoe.

Decent drama about a suicide cult, but it ain't a horror.The set-up is quick, and we spend the first act discovering the cult and having all our logical questions answered. The Father is very well played - paternal, evasive, menacing.Not totally convinced by the switch to "uh oh, something's up". This is the problem - there was no external force, so we had to rely on a bible quoting psychopath. Honestly I have a lot of sympathy with his views. In 2015 the threat posed by the neoliberal state and the vicious inequality it promotes should be high on the film-maker's agenda. Finally the helicopter sequence isn't convincing either.In the end there's no exploration of the suicidal urge or the mentality of the religious - this guy was just bad and his collaborators were bad too. Woteva. So overall it's well played and paced, but not satisfying or eye opening.