The Sacrifice Game

I enjoyed this recent Shudder release, a film that while hokey and basic, still manages to capture the nostalgic essence of 70s and 80s slasher films.

Directed by Jenn Wexler, and set convincingly in 1971, the the events of The Sacrifice Game take place in an old boarding school where two lonely girls and their 20-something teacher find themselves spending Christmas.

Just when they're about to have their turkey supper, a gang of violent fugitives turn up at their door a la Krug Stillo and his cohorts from Last House On The Left (1974). They intend to perform a ritual to raise a demon but that inevitably goes wrong, and the tables are turned.

The strength of the film lies not only in its homage to the slasher genre but also in the compelling performances of its cast. The "good guys", Clara, Stephanie and Miss Rose evoke sympathy, while the antagonists, a group of Satanic Manson Family types, elicits genuine disdain.

All-in-all, a successful addition to the realm of Christmas horror films.

The idea was good, the intention was there, but the execution missed the mark.

This horror/supernatural film is set in the 1971 and has a genuine 70s feel to it, particularly the pre-credits scene. It's odd they opted not to stay with that vibe for the rest of the movie.

Overall, a well made film and the acting is strong. Georgia Acken is outstanding in her feature film debut and the rest of the cast are believable.

My issues with the movie are threefold. Firstly, it's violent and gory, but not scary or even creepy. Secondly, the twist is a little silly and barely makes sense. Lastly, I didn't really feel emotionally connected with any of the characters.

1) There are two kind of horror movies. The scary ones and the ones which can be called : "A fun ride". I like both of them. THE SACRIFICE GAME is not scary but it is a fun ride. Enjoy it for what it is. I appreciated the fact that there were no cheap jump scares. Characters were not making stupid decisions either. Everything felt natural, at least for a horror movie. Ok, a specific character made an absurd decision towards the ending but it is not something unusual for this genre.

2) Another positive here : There were likeable characters. And the villains were really evil and you were rooting for their downfall. I can't stand watching a horror movie in which every character is disgusting or unlikeable and you kinda root for the villain to kill them all. Things are pretty clear here. Of course, there is a big twist but still, it made this movie more interesting.

3) Acting is above average for a horror movie. Georgia Acken can be a great actress in the future, her role was the most demanding. Of course, this is not the most convincing and realistic movie of the world and viewers won't feel anxiety and agony, but there is no need for nitpicking. It's a horror movie.

4) This is not a MUST WATCH movie, it's not scary neither exciting and if you think about it, you will find a lot of flaws. (For example, the whole thing about the photographs and a specific person..). Lower your expectations and you will enjoy it, some reviewers are unnecessary harsh. This is a movie that respect its viewers.

The premise here is pretty straight forward.

A Manson-style cult takes over a private girls school on Christmas Eve, as they seek to enact an ancient demonic ritual, through a series of murders.

Because it's Christmas...only one teacher and a couple of students are present.

Making it relatively easy for the twisted gang of killers to force their way in, and get what they want.

Their next victim.

The one they need to complete the ritual...and bring forth the demon.

However...things don't exactly go as planned once it's complete.

And it's at this point when the tables start to turn.

The film exudes a relatively dark atmosphere, and has a decent amount of tension.

But the twist is pretty obvious (as a series of incidents strewn throughout the opening foreshadow it).

Fortunately, the film isn't broken because of it.

Good character development manages to salvage it from being a complete bust...and keep you engaged, so as to see how things play out.

After the "twist" kicks in...it takes a bit of a lackluster turn.

But ends up redeeming itself in the end.

Not a bad little Christmass horror, at all.

6 out of 10.

I felt like it was a horror movie that told a scary story but was not really scary (at least to me). A lot of people making that style of movie and a lot of them don't work, but this one did it. It's a horror story that's not scary but its a great tone of bad people getting what they deserve in the most deserving way. The two actors who played the little girls in the movie were captivating, kept me interested in what their fates would be.

If Shudder is keeping count they had a lot of misses but this hit makes up for all that. Went in not expecting much but I got so much from it. Absolutely worth the watch!