MovieChat Forums > The Sacrament (2014) Discussion > Skip this See Jonestown: The Life and De...

Skip this See Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple


I honestly don't understand Ti West as a horror director. He has absolutely no sense of how to build tension. The documentary draws us in and we, even knowing the outcome feel the dread. In The Sacrament, even though it's fiction and could have done its own thing, we're just carried along, expecting a huge climax and there is none. Not a single scene contains any tension and the ones that attempt it are destroyed by the silly found footage angle (which is horribly shot).

I still haven't seen The Innkeepers, but this is another 1 star attempt by Mr. West.

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Speak for yourself mate. I thought this film was seeping with tension, and I was filled with a terrible sense of dread throughout the first half. The most disturbing and eerie part was that the settlement was enviable and many things which Father said made sense.

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I agree with your last statement. I was watching it with a friend, and I kept telling her that even I might have fallen for it. The ideas that he was putting in their heads sounded wonderful, and I could understand why someone would do it.

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The Innkeepers was terrible. Literally only 2 scary scenes, the rest was all suspense that never paid off.

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I agree with you. Having said that, documentaries and movies with actors and such, are different beasts. I will say this- Check out the movie where Joe Don Baker plays Jim Jones. He nails the role even better than the bloke in this film.

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Do you happen to know the title of that film? I know of one with Powers Boothe called Guyana, which was pretty solid (especially Boothe), but can't remember and can't find one with Joe Don Baker....who sounds perfect for the role

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WHoops! I always get those two guys confused. It has been a along time, and you're right, it was Powers Boothe.

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That is a good movie. Powers Boothe is a very underrated actor. Always plays the guy you're not sure if you like or hate. I might have to watch that one again.

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It was titled: Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones

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