I was born in 83, so anything I know of Jonestown has been gleaned from podcasts, documentaries, or anniversary television broadcasts. Even that is much more than some.

And that's how it works, right? As much as we hate to admit it, as time moves on, everything (and I do mean *everything*) fades from memory. Go ahead and ask a 16 yr old nowadays who Jim Jones or David Koresh were - I bet they'll roll their eyes and assume you're talking about an 80s rock band lead. That fading and moving on of time is exactly why the remake/prequel/sequel/reboot industry is a thing of the Millennial age that never was before.

In order for history (good, bad, or indifferent) to continue to be passed along, the stories have to be retold and reincarnated in ways that are more appealing to those who come after. So maybe The Sacrament doesn't come right out and say, "Hey, we remade Guyana," but I sincerely doubt any of the filmmakers involved thought that viewers of the right age were going to mistake the story for anything else. Another movie that tells a variation of Jonestown without acknowledging it is "The Veil" btw.

As far as found footage films go, this one is high quality cinematography-wise. I thought the casting was actually fairly impressive, and despite knowing exactly where the story was headed, I did find the second half hard to watch; it did give me insight into Jonestown in a way that was truly shocking.

Worth a watch. Won't blow your mind, or bring home an Oscar, but Ti West is always hit or miss with me (mostly miss) and this one wasn't too bad. If you would rather see Jonestown through a less modern, less horror-genre lens, then by all means, go watch the stuff made in the 80s.

Most people seem to dislike the "found-footage" genre, though I personal like to see what stories filmmakers can create and develop it as a found-footage (mostly horror). I did like the first 3 installments of "Paranormal Activity," I absolutely loved "Cloverfield," and "The Blair Witch Project" did scare me. Thus, if you found more than one of these repulsive, ignore my review. I will also warn that this is obviously not a movie for everyone. After watching this movie, I can say that I came out very disturbed and mortified, which was Ti West's intentions (I presume). The whole film feels very real, and I did enjoy Gene Jones and Amy Seimitz's terrifyingly surreal acting. Most people will see this movie knowing how it'll end since it's based on the Jonestown massacre (don't look this up if you don't know it!!!), but that doesn't mean there weren't other aspects of the movie that weren't entertaining. For what the movie is about, I was surprised to still be jumping in my seat and breathing heavily at moments of great suspense. My only complaints about the film were some of the choices Ti West chose to move the story (those moments where the audience knows they are doing something very stupid and it feels unrealistic that they would do that to begin with). Some criticism I've heard is that it takes forever to get to the "good" parts. I'm going to argue that that is false criticism unless you are only looking to watch a 95 minute movie filled with terror and suspense. Yes, the first half of the movie doesn't have very much suspense, but there is still a chilling mood creeping up every minute. Plus, the chemistry between the actors is great and entertaining!

The Sacrament is a fairly straightforward movie. It's about a group of guys who are part of a documentary film group and one of the guys' sister moves into an isolated commune and the film crew wants to know the full scoop. You'll know exactly where this movie is going as it progresses, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It gives a chance for director Ti West to establish some character background and vague insights into the religious group while slowly turning the creep dial up until the movie's climax. The acting is good across the board, the standout being the Father (Gene Jones) who is suitably charismatic as the cult's ominous leader. For a found-footage movie it's shot well, but of course there are the typical issues that come with the turf - impossible angles, how the footage was even found - but these are things you'd know going in. The movie itself is a well executed, suspenseful slow burn.

The biggest fault in The Sacrament is its predictability. Again, it's not a bad thing, we just know what's coming at every turn. Creepy cult, innocent people poking their noses in places they don't belong, an underlying dark scheme that slowly unravels to the protagonists. If that kind of stuff interests you and you're willing to forgive the tropes that come with the genre, The Sacrament is a worthwhile watch.

Ti West's latest horror opus has the viewer following a man going to visit his sister at a remotely hidden commune with 2 internet documentarians in tow to film and follow the story. It turns out to be more of a cult though ruled by an enigmatic leader named Father who seems to have a tight hold over his flock.

It doesn't take long before they realize things aren't exactly as they seem as they are drawn into the horror surrounding Eden Parish.

Many comparisons to real life cult situations of the past are being drawn here in a lot of other reviews and comments which kind of give the ending of the movie away, maybe aptly so, but it really just plays out like a horror movie. A.J. Bowen plays a different kind of role than he's used to and does a great job of it.

Fun cult movie has West moving in a new direction and he does a good job of it. There is quite a bit more action than his previous 2 films as the action moves along at a fairly steady pace. The soundtrack throughout the latter half of the movie detracts a little from the found footage experience as it takes a bit of the reality out of the situation.

What starts out as a promising look into a religious cult, quickly turns into a jumbled mess of incoherent storytelling, baffling motivations, and annoying camera work.

The problem is none of the characters are well rounded or defined beyond the absolute basics (and they do incredibly stupid things throughout the film, especially in the second half). So when things start going bad, it's hard to care. The film seems to want to offer a deep, nuanced look into the world of cults, but West doesn't seem to be able to paint anyone with more than a primary colored brush. Everyone is a caricature ...especially "Father", who is little more than a mouthpiece for religious mumbo jumbo.

The decision to make this found footage becomes the film's biggest flaw, as the extremely limited use of the camera gives every scene a flat incomplete feeling, totally stripping the film of any gravitas or meaning. Found footage has become a lazy, tired cliché in the horror genre and West is no where near talented enough to make it work. West is quickly becoming a hackneyed presence in the world of horror, and it's a mystery why people make such a big deal of him.

And I am wondering where the hell the $4 Million budget went, since the cinematography is bare bones, we're only ever in a single location, and there are no explosions or huge actions scenes. I mean you could've made this for less than a million dollars and it would've been exactly the same movie.

All in all a disappointing film.

One of the best cult movies made. Sad story, plot based on the accounts that happened in Jonestown. Waco is the best miniseries made of similar account.

Well.. We all know what an amazing talent this guy Ti West is. 33 years of age and he has done almost everything a film maker dreams of. Actor, director, producer, screen writer and what not. But lately he has been in dumps mainly because of some sloppily made films (Cabin fever 2, The Innkeepers, The A,B,C.s of death) but with The Sacrament he's back with a bang. And now lets come to the story.. Yes it is based on Jonestown Murders, which in itself is a spine chilling incident and to portray that on celluloid with such realism is in itself an achievement. Performance wise AJ Bowen and Amy Seimetz rocked but the way Gene Jones carried himself in that devilish character of a "father" is simply astonishing. Good one for a surprise thriller. My vote 7 out of 10.

I feel like they wanted to tell the Jonestown story but for some reason had to make it fictional... but this is Jonestown through and through... there is a really good scene when Sam does an "Interview" with Father and it is excellently done .... Well written and well acted, that scene .... It fell apart after that to hop skip and jump to the Big Jonestown stuff and from that point it's just a reenactment of any documentary you've seen about it.

So...it is much harder for an European to imagine a lot of this as plausible than for an American. Yes, I know what inspired this. However, it was a long time ago, even if I know that nowadays the cults are still strong in America, which is very rare in almost every other developed country. I think that susceptibility from Americans to cults (probably based on their extreme beliefs in religious elements, which usually are not that common anymore in developed countries) makes this a much more terrifying experience for them, while most of us will see it as "oh c'mon, can't you see the red flags?", "c'mon, do you really believe in heaven and that it is the way to go there?" Or "why the hell would you let a white old man decides your death and future"...

Having said that...the film is mostly good, tense and effective. It's well constructed, with a good build-up, good acting and you feel something in the air even when nothing is happening. I've some issues with the found-footage elements (yeah right, you are running away from cold killers with your camera in your hand to slow you down) and with the stupidy of some characters (not only the cult members, but...that guy coming back to the place after seeing armed security officers trying to kill him??? And screaming while there are killers around looking for survivors? Jeez...). Nonetheless, I can say more good than bad about this.

When it comes to the new sub-genre, found film footage's this one does what a lot of them don't do. It takes us into a remote location where we see a fictional crazy Christian cult. One of the character's sister is involved in the cult, which is what brings our protagonists to their current location.

At first everything seems great, the people are happy but there is somehow a darkness you can't quite put your finger on. Producer Eli Roth is very good at doing this when it comes to his films, but so does a little corniness, but thankfully he's not the director so his corniness is not seen in this film.

But with his name being attached you do sort of hope to see a lot of violence and gore, something this film was lacking. It was sort of a more realistic view on cults, nothing like we saw in Kevin Smith's Red State. This is one is a little bit more subtle, but that's what makes it way more disturbing in my eyes. The final scenes are very intense in what kept me at the edge of my seat. The ending isn't what you normally get in these types of films and that is always refreshing.

As of this review this film is currently on Netflix and I highly recommend it to those who want to watch something scary and something a little different in terms of horror.

I've seen people mentioning the Jonestown Mass murder and how close the events in this movie are to that. I personally wasn't aware of it but after watching the movie I've documented myself about it and yes... if you've heard about Jonestown, then watching this movie is just a fictional visual representation of what happened there. Sorry.

Regadless, the case was interesting and the movie will most likely get a grip on most people as it makes you more and more curious towards what's really going on. As I've mentioned in the title, the story was credible, the tension building up was also there and done right and from the moment they get to Eden Parish (the community where the events in the movie take place) until things went haywire, you just feel there's something extremely eerie and sketchy about it all. The acting was pretty much great, the guy who was supposed to be the interviewer (AJ Bowen) really had this VICE interviewer personality, the Father (antagonist) was also astonishing both in acting and speaking and mostly every other smaller actor in the movie felt like professionals. Everyone BUT Joe Swanberg (the camera guy). I have nothing against him personally, I do not know him, but you will also probably notice what I'm talking about by the end of the movie. It might be the script too, but I personally found he's acting bad enough.

By the end of the movie you'll feel pretty angry with the events and if you're 'lucky' to know about Jonestown too, seeing this on screen will make you become even more upset knowing that such things actually happened. Great small flick, definitely worth giving a shot. I only hoped the ending was a bit more elaborate and intelligent.

Already out there that stands as legitimate information. Try reading "Raven,"try viewing a quality documentary and understanding the historical context from which this "movie" came from. I'm sorry but people really died in this horrible ordeal and it clearly wasn't a film. Sometimes spending 4m on a project is just a bad idea outside giving work to actors and film crews. It's not a mystery that opening weekend seemed to bring in less than $550 USD. This effort would have been better served by the creators simply retelling the original story perhaps from a different view point. I thought it was in poor taste to put up that 167 lives were lost and that only two survived. Try over 900 with no movie stars involved. 3/10 was for how things looked at the outset. Don't pay any money for this.

"The Sacrament" builds up its suspense by slowly revealing things are not as perfect as they seem in the little community known as Eden's Parish. While it may be a bit too slow for some, The Sacrament offers enough tense atmosphere and intriguing ideas to satisfy discerning horror buffs. A complex and satisfying psychological thriller. Free on TUBI

This was an almost exact telling of the Jonestown Massacre. The only differences were the date because it was present day, a film crew came with a parishioners relative rather than a congressman and there were not as many victims.

This is definitely watchable, mostly well acted, well shot and has some decent thrills. After watching it though, I became aware of Jonestown, and the film seems like it really was exactly the Jonestown incident. It opened my eyes to the real event, which is pretty shocking and downright awful, so in that way I'm glad I saw this. I cannot imagine what went through these people's heads, and I think the film is definitely faithful as to the real events (besides a few things, of course) and I am so surprised that it doesn't have the header "based on" since it really is a retelling of it. Overall, I recommend it, but it's no The House of the Devil or The Innkeepers