The Sacrifice Game
December 4th, 2023
MOVIE: THE SACRIFICE GAME
STARRING: MENA MASSOUD, OLIVIA SCOTT WELCH, CHLOE LEVINEMADISON BAINES, GEORGIA ACKEN
DIRECTED BY: JENN WEXLER
AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 3 ½ STARS (Out of 4)
There is a wonderful connection between the horror genre and the Christmas season. From Black Christmas to Krampus, the cold winter season can conjure up fear, from great scares to slasher Santa’s that set the mood just right. What The Sacrifice Game represents, is not just an excellent new Christmas horror, but it’s also the true arrival of a superb director in Jen Wexler. That’s because there is more going on, not just the standard jump scares or ramped-up gore, but a genuine coming-of-age story, about a trio of young women that must survive a group of mass murderers during Christmas break. The Sacrifice Game is the big winner this holiday season.
It begins in 1971, when a group of four assailants enters a home, shocking a family with their invasion, leaving dead bodies and becoming known as the “Christmas Killers”. They call themselves a demonic cult, led by Jude (Mena Massoud from Aladdin), his girlfriend Maisie (Olivia Scott Welch), and two bumbling fools in Grant (Derek Johns) and Doug (Laurent Pitre). When a mishap on the road happens, the group improvises and finds a girl’s boarding school nearby. Little do they know, students Samantha (Madison Baines) and her roommate Clara (Georgia Acken), along with faculty member Rose (Chloë Levine) are staying at the school over the holidays. What was supposed to be a lonely Christmas has now become quite a terrifying one.
What director Jenn Wexler and co-writer Sean Redlitz understand is that you can have your scary cult, home invasion, and female coming-of-age story all rolled into one. On top of merging those types of horror, it allows the 1970s setting to do the lifting with costume, while the boarding school itself is a unique character. Then it becomes about watching it all unfold, as the three women at the school find themselves in an uncomfortable situation, but the cult is not aware of exactly who they are dealing with.
One thing is for certain, the cast of The Sacrifice Game, is a fresh-faced group of actors, each one more impressive than the next. The person having the most fun is Massoud, who unleashes a delightfully wicked side, something audiences never knew was in him. Newcomers Baines and Acken are the perfect yin and yang. Baines is the bright young woman with hopes and dreams, while Acken plays her role with all the mystery that is required. As the story unfolds, the cult believes they are in control, but as creaking sounds and weird occurrences take place, it becomes clear that evil spirits are not to be messed with in the night. It’s the climactic ending that Wexler and Company nail, but the overall pacing, style, and storytelling from the sophomore director prove she’s the real deal.
The Sacrifice Game is the perfect blend of holiday horror. It’s reminiscent of films such as Ti West’s House of the Devil and as fate would have it similar to Alexander Payne’s recent work The Holdovers. The only difference is this is Wexler’s turn. It becomes a story about three young women finding themselves, they just have to survive a sadistic cult, forcing them to grow up sooner than they would like. Messages such as those work perfectly in the horror genre. Commit to having The Sacrifice Game as part of your winter weather viewing lineup. You can make the sacrifice.
THE SACRIFICE GAME IS PLAYING IN SELECT THEATERS AND IS AVAILABLE ON SHUDDER ON FRIDAY DECEMBER 8TH, 2023.
3 ½ STARS
Written by: Leo Brady
leo@amovieguy.com
