Sacrifice (2016)

After digging up a bizzarly mutilated corpse on her land, physician Tora Hamilton uncovers a lethal connection to ancient pagan rituals.

Director:

Peter A. Dowling

Writers:

Peter A. Dowling (screenplay by), Sharon Bolton (based on the novel "Sacrifice" by) (as S.J. Bolton)

Stars:

Radha Mitchell, Rupert Graves, Ian McElhinney

Cast

Credited cast:
Radha Mitchell	...	Dr. Tora Hamilton
Rupert Graves	...	Duncan Guthrie
Ian McElhinney	...	D.I. McKie
Hilary Rose	...	Janice Shaw
David Robb	...	Richard Guthrie
Joanne Crawford	...	Sgt. Dana Tulloch
Peter Vollebregt	...	Kenn Wickliff
Liam Carney	...	Mr. Grey
Conor Mullen	...	Stephen Renney
Lesa Thurman	...	NY Hospital Nurse
Declan Conlon	...	Stephen Gair
Rachel Oliva	...	Ruth Morgan
Aron Hegarty	...	Officer
Deirdre Monaghan	...	Elspeth Guthrie
Megan Riordan	...	Janet

Storyline

Sacrifice is the story of consultant surgeon, Tora Hamilton, who moves with her husband, Duncan, to the remote Shetland Islands, 100 miles off the north-east coast of Scotland. Deep in the peat soil around her new home, Tora discovers the body of a young woman with rune marks carved into her skin and a gaping hole where her heart once beat. Ignoring warnings to leave well alone, Tora uncovers terrifying links to a legend that might never have been confined to the pages of the story-books.

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Plot Keywords:

falling to one's death | murder of a police officer | murder of a policewoman | woman in jeopardy | pagan | 

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Taglines:

Every life has a price.

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Genres:

Crime | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Ireland Germany USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 April 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Жертва

Filming Locations:

Ireland

Company Credits

Production Co:

Subotica Entertainment,Cheyenne Enterprises,Fundamental Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Rupert Graves, who plays Duncan Guthrie, also plays the iconic role of DI Lestrade on the BBC series, Sherlock (2010).

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Goofs

When the crime scene investigator is examining the remains uncovered in the horse paddock, he says that her body is tanned from the peat but her bone structure indicates she's Caucasian. This is chemically impossible. Exposure to the anaerobic bog would preserve her body, and the peat would most definitely tan her skin, yet the acid in the peat (a pH near to vinegar) would also dissolve the calcium phosphate of her bones. Her bone structure would melt into a blobby mess, and her body would have the shape of discarded clothes or a shed snakeskin. And the body itself, once uncovered and exposed to the elements, would decay rapidly--making any postmortem inquest very imprecise.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Dr. Tora Hamilton: Can I ask you something? Did you know about all this?
D.I. McKie: I have daughters.
Dr. Tora Hamilton: They were all somebody's daughter.

User Reviews

Looks nice, but the story is oh-so-predictable

SACRIFICE is a horror film that doesn't want to be a horror film. Instead it would rather be a mature police procedural thriller, with lots of mystery aspects, but there's no getting away from the fact that the narrative is rooted in folk horror no matter how much the writer and director try to distance themselves from the genre.

The storyline is about an American doctor who goes to live on the Shetland islands with her husband and soon discovers a body missing a heart. It all points to sinister conspiracies and sacrifice, and she's soon up to her neck in danger. The film is beautifully shot - in Ireland for the most part - with lots of welcome outdoor location photography, and the plot feels like an episode of SILENT WITNESS with hints of THE WICKER MAN.

A shame, then, that the central detective story is so restrained and predictable. Radha Mitchell is a good actress, and she has a bit of charm here, but otherwise the it all feels very routine and difficult to get excited about. I liked seeing Ian McElhinney (GAME OF THRONES) in support but the rest of the cast are pretty boring, and things resolutely play out in the most predictable way imaginable.