‘It’s beginning to look a lot like demons!’ in Jenn Wexler’s Christmas horror throwback The Sacrifice Game

Chloë Levine, Madison Baines, and Georgia Acken in Jenn Wexler’s THE SACRIFICE GAME. // Courtesy of Shudder

It’s Christmas time, and you know what that means: Holiday movie season is upon us. There are plenty of options that cater to your nostalgia or offer half-baked Christmas-themed romances (just how many small towns with Santa-centric small business economies are there, anyway?). If you’re looking for an alternative, you may find some unexpected joy in holiday horror like Jenn Wexler’s The Sacrifice Game. 

A few days before Christmas 1971, a wave of killings rocks numerous small communities. Miles away from this festive carnage, Samantha (Madison Baines) prepares to leave for Christmas Break with the rest of her classmates at the Blackvale School for Girls. Unfortunately, Samantha’s stepfather changes plans at the last minute, and she learns she’ll be stuck at school with class oddball Clara (Georgia Aken), young teacher Rose Tanner (Chloe Levine), and her boyfriend, Jimmy (Gus Kenworthy).

As everyone gets ready for Christmas Eve dinner, a quartet of creepy travelers knock at the door. Blackvale alum Maisie (Olivia Scott Welch), preacher’s kid Jude (Mena Massoud), military vet Grant (Derek Jones), and their accomplice Doug (Laurent Pitre) plan to conjure up a wish-granting demon whose summoning ritual requires a human sacrifice.

Samantha, Clara, Rose and Jimmy are taken hostage and fight for their lives, but their captors haven’t factored in that all of them are pawns in a bigger game no one fully comprehends.

The script by Wexler and Sean Redlitz demands viewer attention with its many twists and turns. Separating the characters into two distinct groups traveling across the school’s sprawling grounds also helps. Killings crop up at unexpected intervals. While none of the kills would win awards for creativity, The Sacrifice Game deserves a few points for keeping things practical rather than computer-enhanced.

Cinematographer Alexandre Bussiere makes the film’s open spaces claustrophobic as its cramped basement catacombs, with every corner holding the threat of death. Costuming and art direction help capture the 70’s aesthetic, without ever coming off as too cliche or cheap.

Even with a swirling mystery at its core, there’s simple and clear-cut mythology keeping things from getting too wonky. Any issues come courtesy of acting and pacing choices. At some moments, characters delve into inorganic camp. At others, scenes drag on for too long. The biggest problems crop up in the third act, after the movie’s done a lot to earn your good will. While they don’t ruin the experience, it does take an otherwise “very good” film down to “solid” territory.

Wexler’s previous film, The Ranger, also made use of a throwback vibe and a mean center, but buckled under the weight of its story and overall pace. The Sacrifice Game is an improvement in every way. From staging to mythology to bloodletting and tone, the film displays a growth in craft and is more fun as a whole because of that. 

If the incessant barrage of yearly Hallmark dreck has taught us anything, it’s that there’s always room for another Christmas movie. Thankfully The Sacrifice Game scratches a demonic itch that’s as far from cookie-cutter as you could ask for. It may not be perfect, but you’d have to be a real Grinch not to vibe with this little gem.