The Sacrifice Game

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.

I recently watched The Sacrifice Game (2023) on Shudder. The storyline centers around a boarding school where students, left with no holiday plans, find themselves sharing their space with a gang on the run from the law. The challenge arises as the students must survive the presence of these ruthless killers.

Directed by Jenn Wexler (The Ranger), the film stars Mena Massoud (Aladdin), Olivia Scott Welch (Fear Street Part 1), Chloe Levine (Adam), Gus Kenworthy (80 for Brady), and Madison Baines (The Young Arsonists).

The Sacrifice Game proves to be an entertaining modern-day slasher. The film kicks off with a fun opening, establishing an intense tone that comes through with great stab sequences and throat slashes. The movie boasts good blood splatter, clean cinematography, and worthwhile gore. This has a well-selected cast and tremendous villain that keeps your attention. The unique twist at the end adds an extra layer of interest. I'm still not sure if I liked it.

In conclusion, while not the pinnacle of slasher films, The Sacrifice Game is a commendable addition to the genre. With a score of 6/10, I would recommend giving it a watch, at least once, for its contributions to the slasher genre.

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.

Ok, so this one had a lot of good things going for it, the acting I genuinely think was good, nice characters that did their job, the annoying ones did annoy you and you did root for the good guys.

The plot is simple but on point, nice flow in the development, yet something was just a little off. It could be that the twist reveals itself perhaps too early, even tho it is on purpose. Maybe we just didn't have the proper time invested in everybody's plan in order to emphasis enough.

Whatever it is, for me The Sacrifice Game is an ok movie but definitely not something to recommend. Even for the Christmas horror list, I'm sure you've been a good girl/boy and deserve better. If I could put my finger on something, I think it's on the fact that it does come off as boring and a little pretentious at times. A lot of unnecessary dialogue that we could have done without and maybe less focus on explicit violence.

So there, I did found a few, flaws, in my opinion.

But if you do enjoy it, I would totally understand. I think it is indeed a well done movie, a lot of effort and passion was put into it, but sadly not my coup of tea.

Cheers!

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.