The Blackvale School for Girls, 1971. It’s bad enough that students Samantha (Madison Baines) and Clara (Georgia Acken) can’t go home for the holidays, but things take a deadly turn when a gang of cult killers arrives at their doorstep—just in time for Christmas.
American horror filmmaker Jenn Wexler co-wrote and directed the movie The Sacrifice Game with Sean Redlitz. Starring are Gus Kenworthy, Olivia Scott Welch, and Mena Massoud, July 28th, 2023, saw the debut of The Sacrifice Game at the Fantasia International Film Festival.
The Sacrifice Game is about as generic as horror films come—which is honestly not a bad thing if you are in the mood for a horror film. The movie blends old-school Christian mythology with your typical Satan-worshipping cult drama, complete with the socially awkward kid, the kind-hearted teacher, the evil girl boss, the brainless follower…the usual suspects all gathered together for a bit of Christmas cheer.
As rumours of “The Christmas Killers” foreshadow later events, our minimalistic cast prepares for a quiet Christmas alone at the Blackvale School for Girls—an intentionally quiet event for two staffers and two learners, all of whom are stuck together for the yuletide festivities. Little do they know that their uninvited guests are soon to make an appearance. Why? Because one of the killers is an alumna of the school and has figured out its dark secret.
What follows is a predictable game of cat and mouse through the empty school, with plenty of entertaining kills and thrills and clever twists and turns. The film boasts a not-to-be-spoiled reveal that takes it down a surprisingly dark direction, which I honestly enjoyed even though I did see it coming.
If you can choose to ignore the various plot holes, the overused narratives, and the questionable motivations of the characters, then the film is a lot of fun. Everything about The Sacrifice Game is good—not great—but good. The acting was above par, the editing and effects were decent, the pacing fast enough to keep you interested and the characters were endearing; even the bad guys were enjoyable in that cheesy, tropey way.
I found myself having a good time while having very little to critique. That is not to say that The Sacrifice Game is without flaws; it’s that the flaws are easy to overlook while we slash, stab and sacrifice our way through this broody Christmas dinner. The Sacrifice Game premieres on Shudder on December 8th, just in time for the festive season. Thanks for reading and as always, stay sordid. The trailer and film’s artwork are below.
