The Sacrifice Game

The Sacrifice Game

Credits
Title:	The Sacrifice Game
Directed by:	Jenn Wexler
Written by:	Jenn Wexler; Sean Redlitz
Produced by:	Jenn Wexler; Albert I Melamed; Philip Kalin-Hajdu; Peter Phok; Mark S. Berry; Benoit Beaulieu; Marc Cote; Duane Farley; Crystal Hill; Olivia Scott Welch; Mena Massoud; Todd Slater; Yannick Sadler; Heather Buckley; Brian Cuccovia
Music by:	Mario Sévigny
Cinematography:	Alexandre Bussière
Edited by:	Mathieu Bérubé; Arthur Tarnowski
Production
Production:	Red Sea Media Real by Fake Convoke Media AMG Music Film Television
Distributors:	Shudder
Released:	July 28th, 2023
Rating:	Unrated
Running time:	90 min.
Country:	Canada/USA
Language:	English
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The Sacrifice Game is a Canadian/American co-produced independent feature film of the supernatural thriller subgenre of horror, and also includes some elements of the slasher genre. It was written and directed by Jenn Wexler with a screenplay co-written by Sean Redlitz. It was produced by Red Sea Media, Convoke Media, AMG Music Film Television, and Real by Fake. It premiered at the Fantasia International Film Festival on July 28th, 2023.

Plot[]

Samantha, Rose and Clara — Rose welcomes Clara to the school.

In December of 1971, a young teenager named Samantha is sent to the Blackvale Boarding School for Girls. There she meets a kind teacher named Rose, her boyfriend Jimmy, and a strange, introverted student named Clara. Samantha does her best to fit in and strikes up an awkward friendship with Clara.

Meanwhile, four individuals have been traveling the countryside conducting a rash of brutal killings, which the newspapers have dubbed "The Christmas Murders". The group includes Jude - the ringleader, Maisie - the mastermind, Grant - the muscle, and Doug - the driver. They have been collecting swatches of flesh that bear religious symbols on them and are planning to use them in a Satanic ritual to summon a demon named Chiroc.

Jude - The Sacrifice Game — Meet Jude. He's not a nice guy.

On Christmas Eve, they break into the Blackvale school after most of the student body have gone home for the holidays. They capture Rose, Jimmy, Samantha and Clara and have them bound and seated as they serve up the holiday dinner that Rose had been preparing. Jimmy tries to fight back, but Jude slits his throat open and Rose watches in horror as her lover's blood spills out onto the floor.

Clara, Samantha and Rose — The girls are having a crappy Christmas.

After the meal, they draw arcane symbols and a summoning circle on the floor. The summoning ritual requires the blood of an innocent, so Jude then murders Rose in the center of the circle. Maisie goes into the basement of the school where she finds more books that supply information about Satanic rituals.

The group of murderers soon discover that their ritual is incomplete, and that the spell also requires the blood of the guilty as part of its sacrifice. This forces the group to turn upon one another, but there is another factor they have yet to reckon with - Clara. Clara reveals herself to be the vessel for the demon and seduces Grant into obeying her commands. While Samantha succeeds in escaping from the school, Clara manipulates Jude, Maisie and Doug into turning on each other.

Cast[]

Actor

Role

Jude

Maisie

Rose

Jimmy

Samantha

Clara

Grant

Doug

Wife

Security guard

Husband

Cop

Sandy

Police officer #1

Gabriella Mejia Perez

Girl #1

State trooper

TV news anchor

Popular mean girl

Christmas caroler

Christmas caroler

Notes & Trivia[]

The Sacrifice Game redirects to this page.
There are a total of twenty credited cast members in this film.
Due to this film being directed by a woman and its strong female cast, The Sacrifice Game falls into the "Women in Horror" sub-category.
Production on The Sacrifice Game began on August 15th, 2021. Principal photography commenced on May 1st, 2022 and concluded on June 10th. Post-production on the film concluded on October 31st, 2022.
Scenes of the Blackvale Boarding School for Girls were filmed at Oka in Québec, Canada.
Following its premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival, The Sacrifice Game was screened at FrightFest in London, England on August 28th, 2023. It was then screened at the Festival European du Film Fantastique de Strasborug in France on September 22nd, 2023. It was screened at the Calgary International Film Festival in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on September 23rd, 2023, and also screened at Fantastic Fest in the United States on that same day. Following a two-month festival circuit in the United States, The Sacrifice Game premiered on the Shudder streaming service on December 8th, 2023.
On the movie review website aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, The Sacrifice Game holds a 92% Tomatometer rating based on twenty-four posted critic reviews. It has 22 positive reviews and 2 negative reviews, averaging 7.0 out of 10. It has an audience score of 50% based on more than 50 ratings, averaging 2.6 out of 5. These numbers are based on the film's review rating per its release on Shudder on December 8th, 2023.
Actors Craig Wexler and Gale Wexler, who plays Christmas carolers, are likely related to director & producer Jenn Wexler.
The name of the demon inhabiting Clara in this film is Chiroc. The demon's name is only mentioned once by Jude.

Recommendations[]

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