Le rituel du 9e jour

SACRIFICE is a horror film that doesn't want to be a horror film. Instead it would rather be a mature police procedural thriller, with lots of mystery aspects, but there's no getting away from the fact that the narrative is rooted in folk horror no matter how much the writer and director try to distance themselves from the genre.

The storyline is about an American doctor who goes to live on the Shetland islands with her husband and soon discovers a body missing a heart. It all points to sinister conspiracies and sacrifice, and she's soon up to her neck in danger. The film is beautifully shot - in Ireland for the most part - with lots of welcome outdoor location photography, and the plot feels like an episode of SILENT WITNESS with hints of THE WICKER MAN.

A shame, then, that the central detective story is so restrained and predictable. Radha Mitchell is a good actress, and she has a bit of charm here, but otherwise the it all feels very routine and difficult to get excited about. I liked seeing Ian McElhinney (GAME OF THRONES) in support but the rest of the cast are pretty boring, and things resolutely play out in the most predictable way imaginable.

I'm not really a fan of thriller movies in which legends and cults are used for a plot. Because most are quite predictable and so it is Sacrifice. Thus, after reading a storyline at IMDb, I kinda knew what to expect.

I admit, main reason for watching this movie anyway, was Radha Mitchell. I just think, over the years, she's getting better and better. I can't judge her acting, but one is for sure: she leaves a mark in a movie.

So, even nothing really surprised me during watching Sacrifice, it got my attention all the time -it's something that makes a good movie in my eyes.

Thus, if you like such genre, I recommend seeing this movie. I give it 7 stars.

What struck me about Sacrifice was that it had the feel of a really spooky episode of Monarch of the Glen (2000), somehow confused with an episode of Midsomer Murders (1997), with John Nettles played instead by an American doctor obviously in love with the adventures of Agatha Christie's Marple (2004). It's really a detective story more than a horror story. There is pace and some tension, and I admit I admired the lead's dogged determination. The story is wild, almost wacko, and will certainly make some viewers credulous. The story arc didn't really have any holes in it, which was quite a feat for such a spirally tale. I looked for them, but I have to hand it to the writers, they did a good job. I think the problem was more the premise which was far fetched. Even some of the scenarios beyond the story seemed far fetched. Would there really be a major maternity hospital on an island only reachable by boat? Wouldn't that present mothers with a problem if they came to term early? True, the hospital had a helicopter. The other problem I had was the filmmakers made no attempt to marry the story, with all its heritage, to the cinematography. The location was beautiful, but we only saw glimpses. British lovers of shows such as Marple and Midsomer Murders will enjoy this, but I doubt dire horror fans will be impressed.

This very much reminded me of the British crime series Silent Witness. Had the same feel to it. Also had a slightly "Wicker Man" feel to it. The characters were strong and though the story was a little far fetched it remained believable and convincing. It isn't a cinema quality film and certainly doesn't have special effects or big budget action scenes but the acting is good and the sense of malevolence and mystery compelling. It is worth watching and it kept my interest throughout. I liked the twists and turns, the scenery was beautiful and wild and created a dramatic backdrop to the story. I felt it was a pity this wasn't a pilot episode of a series as I would have carried on watching!

From the start you know this is going to stink when the lead asks her husband of many years "Your father doesn't know you're a diabetic, does he?", when they are IN HIS HOUSE having dinner! Presumably this didn't seem important enough to talk about before!

A nosy American doctor shows up at a remote Scottish island and without delay starts her own full scale murder investigation after she dug up a hole in her garden that uncovers a body! She immediately gets a job at the hospital, too. She must be a helluva doctor!

The bloody awful music tries to give an atmosphere of suspense for the entire 90 minutes... even when there's NOTHING HAPPENING!

The cult elements are never really explored, apart from a few daubings on walls and bodies... which the cops don't seem to think really matter.

Anyone who gets in the way is bumped off and for the cops it's just another day in the office. Happens all the time on these remote islands.

Somehow the house on the top of a mountain seems to have been FLOODED! How the bloody hell did that happen?

The final 20 minutes play out like the worst episode of a 1990's Ruth Rendell crap-fest.

Overall it's just very silly. It is Lifetime TV for people who think that Lifetime TV needs more murders!