The Sacrifice (2005)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Jamie Fessenden

Writer:

Jamie Fessenden (writer)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

Sometimes Friendship Requires A Little Sacrifice

Plot:

A teenage boy moves to a small New Hampshire town with his mother, only to discover that it is being run by an ancient Satanic coven.

Plot Keywords:

New Hampshire | Dunkirk | Spell | Witchcraft | B Horror

Cast

Kevin Belval	...	Coach Warren
Amber Bonilla	...	Student #1A
Andrea Boyd	...	Mary Legget
Eugene Conn	...	Hank
Jeff Delano	...	Bradley Somersett
Anna Dumas	...	Girl in Cafe
Ximon Dunedain	...	Dr. Marshfield
Jamie Fessenden	...	John Lowry
Cary D. Gladstone	...	Policeman #1
Teri Gladstone	...	Receptionist
Robert Kersey	...	Jonathan Kelly
Vicki Laird Rourke-Rooney	...	Prudence Whitehead
Kymra McCarthy	...	Laura Kelly
Sherry Mitsui	...	Mrs. Henniker
Maureen Murphy	...	Student #2
Ford Natirboff	...	Joe
Bob Pearson	...	Eli Corwin
Dan Randall	...	Chief Lewis
Dawn Reilly	...	Student
Tim Robinson	...	Mr. Allen
David Snyder	...	David Ross
Bowen Staines	...	Absent Student
Robert Stiefel	...	Christoph
Aron Theroux	...	Aron

Runtime:

USA:95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Derry, New Hampshire, USA

Trivia:

The kiss scene did not originally contain a kiss. The original scene had the two boys appear as if they were about to kiss, then pull away from each other. However, early showings indicated that the audience felt too frustrated by this, so the two leads proposed altering the scene. Exactly one year to the day after filming the original scene, the kiss was filmed and added in.

Goofs:

Continuity: Jonathan Kelly's hair length changes many times throughout the entire movie.

Quotes:

Jonathan Kelly: He's a Corwin, isn't he?
David Ross: He's a nice old man who sells used furniture.
Jonathan Kelly: You've watched more horror movies than I have. Antiques dealers are always evil. Just like clowns and friendly neighbors who bring you health drinks.

Movie Connections:

Followed by The Resurrection (2008)

Soundtrack:

Wormwood

An extraordinarily fine first feature film from an indie.

"The Sacrifice" is the first feature film by Jamie Fessenden, who wrote the screenplay, the score, and directed the film. It is a remarkably fine film: the acting by the leads is subtle and natural, befitting the New England setting. The director's eye catches many details that contribute to an understanding of the unfolding narrative of the film. The horror plot is more than clever and takes surprising twists and turns, much to the viewer's delight. The musical score caught me off guard, since it is so successful and fitting that it took me a while to realize that Jamie Fessenden had written it himself.

Disclosure: I play a cameo role in the film, appearing (sort of) for about five seconds. Except for the filming of those five seconds against a black background, I had nothing to do with the production of the film and saw none of its making. And I received no fee for my five terrifying seconds on screen - nor did I ask for any. Looking ghastly is its own reward.

On the other hand, I do teach interdisciplinary seminars at a nearby university and I can claim some experience in the history of film-making and familiarity with the horror genre. If his first film is this good, Jamie's future films ought to be first-rate and widely shown.