Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- eerie
- foreboding
- paranoid
- late night horror
- horror movie marathon
What critics said
Critics generally found the film atmospherically tense and visually polished, though many felt its slow setup gives way to a less insightful and disappointing second half.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Patrick, Jake, and Sam work for VICE and record their investigation of Eden Parish as journalistic footage.
Eden Parish initially presents happy worshippers and communal harmony before its coercive control becomes visible.
Father controls Eden Parish and refuses to let the journalists or dissenting residents leave.
The VICE framing permits fluid, well-lit camerawork even as the found-footage investigation becomes increasingly horrifying.
Films like The Sacrament, and why
The Blair Witch Project
found-footage horror, journalistic investigation, and escalating cult dread
Martha Marcy May Marlene
cult indoctrination, isolated community menace, and psychological horror
The Invitation
documentary-style realism, charismatic cult leadership, and mass-suicide themes
The Visit
found-footage structure, oppressive conspiracy, and visceral survival horror
Movie Details
- Director
- Ti West
- Release Date
- 2014-05-01
- Runtime
- 99 min
- Rating
- 5.9 / 10 (513)
Cast
- Joe Swanberg
- AJ Bowen
- Kentucker Audley
- Gene Jones
- Amy Seimetz
- Kate Forbes
- Conphidance
- Derek Roberts
- Shirley Jones Byrd
- Reginald Lashaun Clay
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel, Monsters and Nightmares Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Sacrament about?
- VICE journalists enter a secluded religious commune whose cheerful surface conceals Father’s violent determination to control every life inside it.
- What is The Sacrament like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Sacrament as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Sacrament violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Sacrament as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Sacrament?
- Critics generally found the film atmospherically tense and visually polished, though many felt its slow setup gives way to a less insightful and disappointing second half.
- Which films are like The Sacrament?
- Films with a similar feel include The Blair Witch Project, Martha Marcy May Marlene, The Invitation, and The Visit.
- How long is The Sacrament?
- The Sacrament runs 99 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Sacrament?
- In United States, The Sacrament streams on Philo, Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel, Monsters and Nightmares Amazon Channel.
