The Sacrament is the latest horror film from writer/director Ti West, and while on the surface it may look like your typical found footage flick, it’s far from “typical.” The film follows fashion photographer Patrick (Kentucker Audley) and his reporter friends from Vice, Jake (Joe Swanberg) and Sam (A.J. Bowen), as they travel to a commune out in the wilderness called Eden Parish. It’s there that Patrick is reunited with his sister Caroline (Amy Seimetz), who joined the commune after leaving rehab. Though it seems like an ideal place to live at first glance, as Patrick and the Vice reporters begin to talk with members of Eden Parish, they come to discover a sinister edge that doesn’t jive with the peaceful setting they were welcomed into.
Though it starts off a bit slow, The Sacrament turns into a truly chilling experience as we start to peel back the layers of what’s really going on at Eden Parish. Run by a leader figure known only as Father (Gene Jones), we understand the cult-like nature of Eden Parish, and start to unravel a God complex that questions Farther’s messages about living for a greater good. The journalists arrive at the commune in hopes of capturing family drama and a message of hope, but instead find an unnerving truth about a place unknown to so many blind eyes.
Last week in Hollywood, California, a press day was held for The Sacrament and in attendance were West, Swanberg, Bowen and Seimetz, all of whom were very open when talking about what drew them to the film and the challenges involved in making it.
Check out what Ti West and his cast had to say in our exclusive interview below and be sure to catch The Sacrament when it hits theatres this Friday. Or, catch it on demand, where it’s already available!