Parents' Guide to The Sacrifice Game

Even with a mercifully quick runtime, this horror film lacks bite, depth, and scares. While there are requisite scenes of killing, gore, and blood in The Sacrifice Game, nothing here is really surprising or innovative, not the violence, the supernatural threat, the very predictable ending, or the characters. In more assured hands, one might imagine the setup paying off more: trapped in a boarding school in 1971 (so no cellphones or internet), a teenage girl (Samantha) has to outwit and outfight her assailants and a possible demonic evil to stay alive. But instead, this film feels tame, mild, and run of the mill, even when the scenes of violence and killing attempt to shock the viewer into believing that something crazy might happen (which it never does).

There also isn't any payoff or follow-through to the supernatural threat (the raising of a demon), and while it might be understandable given the film's budget, most viewers will still wish for something more terrible than an angry teenager who can float in the air a bit and speak with a slightly lower voice. Her face doesn't even change or look frightening, and none of her actions amount to anything terrifying. While Samantha does surprise a tiny bit in the end, briefly, her moment still reads as improbable given her character. But even if there had been more depth and mystery to Samantha, it still wouldn't have been enough to save this movie.