The Sacrifice Game

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.

Quick review: The opening scene in 'The Sacrifice Game' is a reasonably well done scene. Unfortunately that's about as good as the film gets and it's all downhill from there. Once we get into the school scenes the movie becomes a bit of slug-fest to get through.

It's quite a bizarre movie in that I really don't know who we were supposed to be rooting for. You'll understand this if/when you watch it. I can't remember many movies like this where everything flip flops and you are left with no real protagonist.

Regardless, the film didn't work for me I'm sad to say. It wasn't scary, or funny and I really don't know how seriously it was taking itself. It wasn't obvious. 4/10.

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.

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.