MovieChat Forums > The Sacrament (2014) Discussion > My issue with Ti West...

My issue with Ti West...

posted 10 years ago by Sean_Haze
10 replies | jump to latest

Honestly, I tried this movie because I was bored and because Ti West seems to have a rep for making decent movies. I don't regret it so much as I just feel let down... again...

I've seen the Innkeepers, I've seen House of the Devil, and now I've seen this movie... and I feel like all three let me down for the same reason; there's no 'conflict' in them.

I don't say it in terms of there being a story conflict, obviously the conflict in this movie is that a group of Vice correspondents are caught up in an escalating swirl of awful events. But that's all they are, caught up in it. At no point do they really push back against anything in this film, they're completely passive throughout it. There's no struggle, no back and forth between their struggle to survive and Father's machinations.

The Innekeepers had the same feel. The characters bumble around while ghosts show up occasionally. At no point did they actually struggle against the conflict presented, they're just kind of there then the girl dies at the end. The End.

I suppose I can't hold it entirely against Ti West, mind you, it seems to be a trend in horror/thrillers these days. Sinister comes to mind immediately as another example of this kind of thing. Hapless protagonists experience something out of the ordinary and they spend the movie just... being there... then they die. If the characters can't/don't even put up a fight, what's the point? I realize 2 of the 3 characters didn't die, but the argument still stands; they didn't DO anything in this movie.

Horror movies end badly, it's something I've come to accept. The horror of such an ending comes from the ultimate futility of their struggle against whatever terrifying creature is after them; the Jason's, the Freddy Kruegers, The Michael Myers, the ghosts that come back in the final frame, etc. If the doomed protagonist doesn't even attempt to fight back against their fate, however, the inevitability of their death means nothing because it doesn't show that the challenge was insurmountable, because no attempt was made to overcome it.

That's my issue with this movie, and ultimately why I found myself bored.

[–] LnineB 10 years ago

My problem is that he watched the Jim Jones Documentary and wrote a script copying almost everything that happened. Did he not think people would remember?

[–] ginger-51 10 years ago

Exactly! Even if people don't remember the events of Jonestown, didn't he think that we might have seen the same documentary? I sure did. If he had presented an original take on the concept of a cult, I would have enjoyed this film. As it is, it just made me think about how much more horrific the truth was. And how this film failed to capture it.

[–] Bens_Basement 9 years ago

I agree completely with the OP.

Technically Ti West's movies are good with some interesting ideas behind them. But they don't have a pay-off. Instead of emotional peaks and troughs, his films are just flat with the plot just slowly drifting along.

Visit my movie review site:http://www.bensbasement.co.uk/

[–] fidgette 9 years ago

I've only seen 2 of his films. This and the house of the devil.

I've enjoyed the start of both. They have great pacing, feeling and tone. Then it goes on a little too long and then.... no real payoff.

I didnt mind this as a non-horror film, because the acting was pretty great. But all I kept thinking of was Jim Jones. I was really hoping for a surprise at the end.

I did like the Vice take on "found footage"

[–] benman46 9 years ago

The obvious answer is to stop watching Ti West films. One line instead of an essay.

[–] Sean_Haze 9 years ago

You're right.

The best answer for anything in life is to just not bother try. I mean, sure, maybe one of his movies--which always have good premises--might be good, but nah, *beep* it, better to just not even hope.

Was that sarcastic enough for you? I could be more sarcastic if it'd help? :)

[–] benman46 9 years ago

Perhaps I was being sarcastic in the first place??

[–] BlackDog123 9 years ago

I agree with your assessment of West's films - I liked The Sacrament best, and I still only gave it a six. The other two were fives. The stories always sound intriguing, but then just fall flat. Not scary, not particularly innovative, but also not terrible. Just kind of ... there.

I've always been fascinated with the Jonestown massacre. so I don't mind that the script is a pretty accurate portrayal of it. However, he really should have cited Jonestown somewhere, and/or dedicated it to its victims (even though the names were changed).

They're coming to get you, Barbara!

[–] Sean_Haze 9 years ago

"Not scary, not particularly innovative, but also not terrible. Just kind of ... there. "

I think that's possibly the best way to describe his movies.

Not bad enough to give up on him, but never particularly good either. It's just this weird middle-ground.

[–] AceRoccola 7 years ago

I actually enjoyed The Innkeepers, but that owes a lot to it's fantastic soundtrack.

I agree with your observations entirely. Modern horror is plagued with hapless, do-nothing protagonists. It's a far cry from the Phantasms, Evil Dears, and Halloweens of old. The good guys don't always have to win. But they should at least try. Otherwise it's just pointless tedium.