This weekend, I had the opportunity to view a screener copy of Shawn Ewert’s Sacrament.  A small, independent film made on a modest budget of $25,000, Sacrament proves that it’s not about how much money you have to spend, but rather what you decide to spend the money on that can make or break your film.

The plot is pretty standard fare in the horror genre.  Seven friends take off on a road trip to get away from life and relax for a few days.  Their destination?  The Gulf Coast of Texas.  But as they travel, weather reports coming in predict huge storms making landfall and so they decide to stop in a quiet little town called Middle Spring for the night, and notice almost immediately that something isn’t quite right.  Middle Spring is hosting a big tent revival and barbecue, and it doesn’t take long for the viewer to realize that maybe, just maybe, this little town is serving up sinners as the main course in between sermons.

So, with this pretty standard plot and such a modest budget, why should you watch this film?  I’m so glad you asked!

First, let’s talk casting.  In a coup for fans of classic horror, Marilyn Burns and Ed Guinn, both alumni of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, make an appearance as Beulah and Luke Standifer.  The Standifers own a little mom and pop general store and restaurant serving up some of the town’s famous barbecue.  Burns is one of my favorite survivor girls of all time (who can forget her screams as she made her escape from Leatherface into the back of that pickup truck at the end of the film?), and it was so much fun to see her playing on the other side of the knife in this movie.  Sadly, Ms. Burns died two months after appearing at the film’s premiere, making this her final role.

Filling the roles of the friends on this fateful journey, Ewert did the exact opposite of what a horror director normally does.  He gives us an attractive cast of talented actors who do not all fit the cookie cutter ideal that has become standard fare in the genre.  The women are not all size twos with 38DD busts, and the men are not all rocking perfect six pack abs.  Instead, we have really talented actors with a variety of body types and who are perfect for the roles they play.  The stand out for me in this group was Amanda Rebholz, who also worked as a location scout and producer on the film.  Her character, Lorri, felt like a real person, both compassionate and with a wicked sense of humor that I could believe.

Special props also go to Troy Ford (Lee) and Avery Pfeiffer (Blake) who play the central couple of the group.  Yep, you read that right.  The central couple among the protagonists is a gay couple!  Ewert’s just breaking all the rules, right?  Well, as a gay filmmaker, he’s just the one to do it, and do it well.  In his hands, Lee and Blake are real people and hardly the stereotypes they could have turned into in another writer/director’s hands.  They also share one of the most heart wrenching scenes in the film toward the end.  I literally found myself tearing up as Blake tells Lee how it’s all just been so hard being different, being on the outside, being gay in Texas surrounded by people who will tell you that it’s wrong and you’re going to hell on a daily basis.  Anyone in the LGBT community in Texas can identify with this struggle and Avery plays it beautifully.

Before I move on, there is one more cast member that I really have to put in the spotlight here:  Joshua Cole Simmons.  Simmons plays Brahm Renneker, son of the local pastor and head of his own little crew of enforcers who round up the sinners for judgement in Middle Spring.  He’s ruthless, sadistic, and absolutely convinced of the righteousness of his task.  Simmons’ portrayal sometimes moves into the realm of camp as he quotes scripture and pronounces judgement, but his best moments come when all of that outward rage tightens around him.  In these scenes, he oozes the sinister calm of a viper just before it strikes.

Ewert shows a great deal of promise as a director and writer.  This is a good film, but not a great one.  However, the entire time I was watching Sacrament, I kept thinking to myself, “I can’t wait to see what this guy does next.”  He genuinely loves the genre and that comes across on screen.  So long as that continues to translate into his films, I see no reason why everyone won’t be talking about his projects in the future.

On a side note, I would like to see what he could do with a bigger budget.  Let’s face it, $25,000 in 2015 is not much (Carpenter had $300,000 in the 70’s to make the first Halloween), but he did an excellent job of using his resources. The use of practical effects, gives the film an almost retro feel that I really like, while the use of the high def cams really point toward a more modern look.  My biggest complaint about the film comes down to editing choices.  There were times when the scenes were cut so close together, with so little transition, that I honestly felt surprised by the dialogue and movement.  Likewise, the sound sometimes has that echoing quality that comes with lower budget films.  As I said before, though, I’m sure this will be something that improves with experience.

I encourage you all to give this little gem a try.  It’s becoming more and more important to support the independent horror film, and this little grass roots movie made in Texas by Texans proves that even a diamond in the rough deserves to shine.

A release date has been set for a UK release.  You can pre-order the Region 2 DVD at Amazon UK here.  While it has no set date for US release, at this time, it has been making the rounds at film festivals and horror conventions.  In the meantime, you can follow the film’s progress on their Facebook page, Twitter @Sinners4Dinner, and their website.