BY GABRIELLE LINDAU
Lesbian.com
New to Video On Demand (VOD) is Director Ti West’s latest chiller “The Sacrament.” “The Sacrament” takes viewers on a journey inside a cult and through the jungle where things aren’t exactly what they appear to be. The film is told through the point of view of three gorilla journalists who work for VICE, a cutting edge Brooklyn-based international media company.
Although “The Sacrament” is a fictional story with major similarities to the last hours of cult leader Jim Jones, VICE is in fact a real corporation. Specifically known for its “immersionist” style of journalism. VICE has received much acclaim and in 2013 partnered with HBO to create a television series.
“VICE” the TV show is currently in its second season as it continues to tackle horrifying and provocative news from around the globe. The show even went so far as arrange a basketball game in North Korea with the Harlem Globetrotters putting them on the map as the first American news organization to meet Kim Jong Un. If Jim Jones and his cult were alive today chances are “VICE” would be close by filming.
What Eli Roth and Ti West did with “The Sacrament” is create a horror flick that is truly a unique for its genre. Rather than just telling a story “based on” cult leader Jim Jones they decided to take viewers up close to a Jim Jones-like character and cult while letting them experience exactly what it would have been like the moment they drank the Kool-Aid. When “The Sacrament’s” lead characters look directly into the camera and share their every step of the film it’s chilling how similar the film mirrors an episode of HBO’s “VICE.” “The Sacrament” will make your stomach turn, with or without Kool-Aid.
“VICE” airs on Friday nights at 11p.m. EST on HBO and is also available on VOD.
Gabrielle Lindau is a film director, producer and writer known for 2010’s “These Showers Can Talk” and 2013’s “Who You Are.” You can follow Lindau on Facebook and Twitter.
