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fearsmagazine · 5 months

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THE SACRIFICE GAME - Review

DISTRIBUTOR: SHUDDER

SYNOPSIS: It's 1971 and at the Blackvale School for Girls, students Samantha and Clara have different circumstances as to why they will not be heading home for the holidays. As the “holdovers” at the school are settling into their holiday “festivities” a gang of cult killers arrives at their doorstep. Apparently, the school houses ancient texts that figures into the gang’s plan to raise hell, literally. Just in time for Christmas things turn deadly and Clara and Samantha bond over one horror filled night.

REVIEW: Filmmakers Jenn Wexler and Sean Redltz weave cinematic magic together for a holiday horror tale that embraces themes and tones from “Die Hard” to “Home Alone,” and “Violent Night” to “Black Christmas.” THE SACRIFICE GAME is an atmospheric contemporary female driven hybrid genre film that embraces a variety of horror concepts from the “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” to “Anna and the Apocalypse” with a charming cast.

I loved the narrative. Wexler and Raditz interwork twists and turns into an engaging tale. They grab the viewer right by the throat with an “in your face” opening sequence that is shocking and extreme. Their nightmare begins to fade as they introduce us to the Blackvale School for Girls, but just as the last emotional vestiges of the opening sequence seem to be fading, things ratchet up as the gang shows up at the school and mayhem ensues. The duo are experts at building up expectations and then shifting perspectives. They create organic characters in Samantha and Clara that hook the viewer. They even add traits to their villains that make them identifiable and at times somewhat likable. Some of the humor can seem a bit dated and flat, but it might be as it is more a homage to the comedy of the 70’s. I enjoyed the dialogue as they created unique character voices and a feel for the period.

The film has excellent production values and an amazing location. It is a stately manor that feels it possesses the history that ecompasses the foundation for their tale. It feels like another character in the film. Wexler artistically frames her shots, and along with the cinematography, adds a lot of ambience to the film and also is reminiscent of the look of the films of the 70s. Likewise, the costumes and production designs invoke the period while adding this dark fairy tale feel. There are some wonderful visual and special effects that add to the shock and awe, and the sequences are skillfully edited for effect and not distract from the story or performances. Part of the glue bringing this all together is a great score by Mario Sévigny and the sound design. By the end, you get a sense that a large percentage of the budget went into the film’s production values and the exceptional talent that went into pulling it all together.

THE SACRIFICE GAME has a great ensemble cast. From the minor characters to the central roles, everyone feels like they brought their “A” game. While I was sad to see some of the secondary characters murdered-out of the tale, Madison Baines as Samantha and Georgia Acken as Clara do an enchanting job of creating this complex relationship that is nicely choreographed in a way that leaves that at a place in their relationship that feels like the genre equivalent of “Thelma & Louise.” These are two talented actors who I'd love to see in a follow up tale about these two characters, it could even make for an excellent series/limited series… just saying.

Other than Diciken’s “A Christmas Carol,” for years there have been few genre films that combine the perfect blend of Christmas and horror/Halloween. Jenn Wexler’s THE SACRIFICE GAME is a hybrid holiday film that earns its place in your holiday film rotation alongside, some of my personal favorites, such films as “Krampus,” “Anna and the Apocalypse,” “Nightmare Before Christmas,” and “Violent Night,” to name a few. Wexler demonstrates passion and artistry for the medium. Along with her film “The Ranger,” her name should be on your list of filmmakers to stay on the lookout for. Jenn Wexler’s THE SACRIFICE GAME is a new holiday horror event that will add some chills and thrills to your holiday season.

CAST: Mena Massoud, Olivia Scott Welch, Gus Kenworthy, Madison Baines, Derek Johns, Laurent Pitre, Chloë Levine and Georgia Acken. CREW: Director/Screenplay/Producer - Jenn Wexler; Screenplay - Sean Redlitz; Producers - Philip Kalin-Hajdu, Albert I. Melamed, Todd Slater and Heather Buckley; Cinematographer - Alexandre Bussière; Score - Mario Sévigny; Editors - Arthur Tarnowski and Mathieu Bérubé; Production Designer - Ted Samuels; Costume Designer - Stella Creary; Prosthetics & Makeup Effects - Morot FX Studio INC; Special Effects - Blood Brothers Effects; VFX Supervisor - François Bordez; Special Effects Supervisor - Carlo Harrietha. OFFICIAL: www.thesacrificegame.com FACEBOOK: N.A. INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/thesacrificegame/ TRAILER: https://youtu.be/FgUtPsloNxs?si=5spnBmm6b92DJbbO RELEASE DATE: Streams on Shudder December 8th, 2023.

**Until we can all head back into the theaters our “COVID Reel Value” will be similar to how you rate a film on digital platforms - 👍 (Like), 👌 (It’s just okay), or 👎 (Dislike)

Reviewed by Joseph B Mauceri

#film review #movie review #the sacrifice game #shudder #Jenn Wexler #Sean Redlitz #Heather Buckley #Madison Baines #Georgia Acken #horror #christmas #supernatural #demonic #joseph b mauceri #joseph mauceri

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moviesandmania · 9 months

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THE SACRIFICE GAME (2023) Reviews of Christmas horror

‘This Christmas, raise a little hell.’ The Sacrifice Game is a 2023 American horror film about two female boarding school students stalked by a murderous gang. Directed and co-produced by Jenn Wexler from a screenplay co-written by Sean Redlitz. Also produced by Heather Buckley, Philip Kalin-Hajdu, Albert I Melamed, Yannick Sadler and Todd Slater. Executive produced by Mark S. Berry, Marc Cote,…

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#2023 #American #Chloe Levine #Christmas horror #Georgia Acken #Jenn Wexler #Madison Baines #Mena Massoud #Olivia Scott Welch #review reviews #The Sacrifice Game

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horrorpatch · 2 years

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'70s Supernatural Horror Film THE SACRIFICE GAME Begins Production for Shudder!

’70s Supernatural Horror Film THE SACRIFICE GAME Begins Production for Shudder!

Shudder has announced they have jumped on board the upcoming supernatural horror film, THE SACRIFICE GAME. The film begins production on May 9th for director Jenn Wexler (The Ranger). Keep reading for more details right here below. From The Press Release New York — May 6, 2022 — Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium streamer for horror, thriller, and the supernatural, and Red Sea Media announced today…

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#Jenn Wexler #Shudder #The Sacrifice Game

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the-bi-library · 1 year

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Bi fantasy books!

Make sure to check the TWs and ratings for all the books if necessary!

Here is a list of 16 fantasy books with bi MCs for my dear friend @hoolay-boobs

Books listed

💕 Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust 💕 Ship of Smoke and Steel by Django Wexler 💕 Forging Silver into Stars by Brigid Kemmerer 💕 Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh 💕 The Daughters of Izdihar by Hadeer Elsbai 💕 Render To Silver by Catherine Labadie 💕Poison Forest by Lauri Starling 💕 The Buried and the Bound by Rochelle Hassan 💕 A Ruinous Fate by Kaylie Smith 💕 Windfall by Shawna Barnett 💕The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska 💕 The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons 💕 The Blood Hours by Ann H. Fox 💕 The Shattered Lands by Brenna Nation 💕Inkmistress by Audrey Coulthurst 💕 The Blood-Born Dragon by J.C. Rycroft (out on April 30th)

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dyouknowwhatimean · 7 months

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the ranger (2018) dir. jenn wexler

#mutuals WATCH this movie #that's the man who raised her after her uncle died... you see she had absolutely nowhere else to go #the ranger 2018 #m. film #own post

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wiha-jun · 5 months

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MENA MASSOUD as Jude in THE SACRIFICE GAME (dir. Jenn Wexler, 2023)

#mena massoud #the sacrifice game #mancandykings #flawlessgentlemen #dailymenedit #dailymalestarsedit #dailymalesource #horroredit #filmgifs #cinemagifs #filmedit #cinemaedit #movieedit #moviegifs #menedit #mensource #directed by women #*

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cipheramnesia · 5 months

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Between Jennifer Reeder and Jenn Wexler it's just a banner year for horror filmmakers named Jennifer with POC leads in awesome movies.

#Perpetrator 2023 #The Sacrifice Game 2023

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lgbtqreads · 10 months

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hi!! i know this has beeb asked before but not for a while and I thought there might be some releases since then, so : any Queer High Fantasy? I've been recommended Priory of the Orange Tree before. Thank you!!

Not sure when the last time was but here’s what’s currently on my radar! (You can also find these here, and an asterisk means it’s not out yet: https://lgbtqreads.com/sff/spec-fic-by-subgenre/) I bolded some of the ones that are newer or coming out in the next few months.

*Splinter & Ash by Marieke Nijkamp – NB

Sir Callie by Esme Symes-Smith – NB

Female Protags

The Winter Duke by Claire Eliza Bartlett

The Never Tilting World by Rin Chupeco – L

Queen of Coin and Whispers by Helen Corcoran

Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst – L,B

Inkmistress by Audrey Coulthurst – B

The Impostor Queen by Sarah Fine – B

Noble Falling and Noble Persuasion by Sara Gaines

Rule by Ellen Goodlett

Havenfall by Sara Holland

*Hearts Forged in Dragon Fire by Erica Hollis

The Afterward by EK Johnston

Empirium by Claire Legrand – B

Belle Révolte by Linsey Miller – BA

These Feathered Flames by Alexandra Overy

The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski

It Ends in Fire by Andrew Shvarts

Beneath the Citadel by Destiny Soria – B, A

The Third Daughter and The Second Son by Adrienne Tooley

Shatter the Sky by Rebecca Kim Wells – B

The Thousand Names by Django Wexler

Male Protags

Cloaked in Shadow by Ben Alderson

The Runebinder Chronicles by Alex R. Kahler

Skybound by Alex London

So This is Ever After by F.T. Lukens

Beneath the Citadel by Destiny Soria

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas – T

Non-Binary Protags

Spell Bound by FT Lukens

Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller – GF

*A Hundred Vicious Turns by Lee Paige O’Brien

Adult

Female Protags

A Broken Blade by Melissa Blair

Tales of Inthya by Effie Calvin

The Vanished Queen by Lisbeth Campbell

Rook & Rose by M.A. Carrick

The Night and its Moon by Piper CJ

The Unbroken by C.L. Clark

*Warmongers by C.L. Clark

The Gardener’s Hand by Felicia Davin

*The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang

Dragonfall by L.R. Lam

The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

From Under the Mountain by C.M. Spivey

The Drowning Empire by Andrea Stewart (Amz)

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

Malice by Heather Walter

When Women Were Warriors series by Catherine M. Wilson

Male Protags

Kirith Kirin by Jim Grimsley

The Cadeleonian series by Ginn Hale

Tales From Verania by T.J. Klune

A Chorus of Dragons by Jenn Lyons

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

*Dark Moon, Shallow Sea by David R. Slayton

Stagsblood Trilogy by Gideon E. Wood

Genderqueer Protags

*The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang

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septembersghost · 1 year

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chronic illness flare has turned me into a soaking wet paper doll of a person, but i have tag games to catch up on and that's a fun distraction 😊💕

tagged by jenn my sweetie @castiel

show your lock screen, last celeb photo, and last song listened to

oh this is probably going to be embarrassing. okay so my most frequently used device unfortunately doesn't have a customizable lock screen. i am very lucky to have a secondary device i use quite often these days which was a gift from a friend who didn't need it anymore, and that one had a really pretty floral/lyric from the archer for ages, but now... (if i hadn't saved this picture of taylor and benji, the lock screen and photo would've been a neat display of matched insanity, could've hit a trifecta with the song too but fob swooped in at the last second.) anyway...

♥♥♥♥

tagged by (polk! salad!) dani @valkaryah: share my top 5 songs I've been listening to.

according to my current replay playlist, and without repeating artists, otherwise this would be very skewed, it's 1. any day now - elvis presley, 2. heartbreak feels so good - fall out boy, 3. all of the girls you loved before - taylor swift, 4. look at us now (honeycomb) - daisy jones and the six, 5. all my ghosts - lizzy mcalpine (the way lizzy has not left my rotation for a year!)

♥♥♥♥

tagged by darlings @thebohemianbelle and @waxandwanewitchery: when you get this, you have to put 5 songs you actually listen to

similar to the above, but different!!! if i snagged this from that weekly replay playlist, it would essentially be all of the same artists because my listening habits have been in a cycle of comfort lately, but i'll choose five that i do listen to a lot that are also in the list and weren't represented. 1. golden - harry styles, 2. say you love me - fleetwood mac, 3. just one of those things - frank sinatra, 4. supercut - lorde, 5. easy to love - ella fitzgerald

♥♥♥♥

tagged by @bloodmoonlits 😘 my top 4 current albums (the taste on yours, i love seeing recognition for holly!) mine are going to be so predictable here please send help. (i am making an executive decision to exclude taylor from this, but red tv and lover are actually battling it out for a top spot at the moment 💖)

♥♥♥♥

tagged by @headfullofpresley and @castiel: talk about 8 shows as a way to get to know me better. this is unexpectedly hard because rarely are the shows i most dearly love ones that i would openly recommend to another human being haha 😳 so let that be a disclaimer here as i wrack my brain. in no particular order:

(1). better call saul: i will never be as deranged about anything on television as i was about this show, scheming times were had, tragedies were felt, cinnamon rolls were eaten. kisses sealed at city hall, flowers blooming in the desert. my unpopular qualms with the last few episodes/ending aside, it was such a gorgeously layered, meticulously crafted show, i loved those characters so much, it was SUCH a cinematic treat visually, and nearly every step was finely tuned and written in such a thought-provoking way. every step was perfectly acted. i could still talk about it forever. kim wexler queen of my heart, you will always be famous. you don't save me. i save me. (shout-out to the magnificent, and inarguably definitive, predecessor breaking bad.)

(2). penny dreadful: this show is a glorious horror, a mess of victoriana, a fanfiction potpourri of some of the most famous characters of literature, no sane person should invest themselves in it. unfortunately, i, not sane, love it to the bone (except for the terrible ending, you'll catch a pattern here), predominantly because vanessa ives means everything to me. the flame to which all moths gather. defiant martyr of my heart. no one will ever be like her!!! she is my fierce compassionate sickgirl heroine, fighting against the shadows of her world, her soul forever unbowed and true. even when she fears that lost, she holds close her dignity, her ability to love, her perseverance. the poetry with which the show, particularly the first two seasons, was written is unmatched. it's gothic horror in a frame that no one else on television has ever attempted, and it felt made for me when i first watched it in january of 2020. for though it is macabre and gruesome and dark and steeped in grief, it's also about beauty and devotion and resilience and connection. "i see no wildflowers here."/"then you need to look closer." and the everlasting heartbeat, no matter what john logan did to her, my vanessa. something yet remains. i remain.

(3). bates motel: fun fact, i only started bates last february, i've watched S1-4 more than once, and yet still have not finished S5. i keep trying but i don't want to do it! it's a rare one where i already know the ending is fitting, i just keep pushing it off. it's a very difficult show, it deals with heavy themes, there's triggering and horrific stuff in the pilot alone that would immediately stop me from telling people to watch (or at least give me pause), yet at the same time i think it unexpectedly becomes one of the most brilliantly done pieces of television i've ever seen. they have this audacious idea - what if we made a prequel of one of the most iconic movies of all-time? - and somehow not only pull it off, but end up making that story richer and more meaningful. we KNOW we're plummeting towards inevitable tragedy and still wish it could be diverted. we are fascinated and repulsed and aching for the bonds these people share, the desperation as they try to survive. every character is flawed in ways that the story tries to claw humanity out of, and it does something distinct in never shaming or vilifying any of the protagonists for the wretched things they do, never talking down to the audience saying we should be judging them or wishing ill on them, but rather examining WHY they are this way, why they act and react as they do, how they have been bent into these strange shapes. it exhumes your empathy and refuses to let you turn away from the difficulties of their world. the house looms forever like a breathing entity in the background. we will always end up in the basement, but how it comes to happen is the more important tale. and it has the incomparable powerhouse of norma bates, wonderful, awful, extraordinary, complicated, half queen, half little girl. she was like a miracle. as with vanessa, i will never forget her. (another pattern you'll see here: WOMEN.)

(4). remington steele: this was the very first "grown up" show i was ever allowed to watch with my mom, in syndication when i was a kid, and i just love it so much. it's such a delight. 80s glamour! mysteries and hi-jinks! THEE ultimate will-they/won't they romance, and she doesn't even know his real name! try this for a deep dark secret - the great detective remington steele? he doesn't exist. i invented him. follow - i always loved excitement, so i studied, and apprenticed, and put my name on an office, but absolutely nobody knocked down my door... i can recite the whole first season intro monologue, burned into my brain from age twelve. we just finished a rewatch a few weeks ago and i miss them already. laura holt is intelligent, beautiful, romantic, indefatigable, the closest thing the small screen has had to a classic noir inspired brassy leading lady, and was FORMATIVE for me.

(5). crazy-ex girlfriend: they put a musical on television for me. immediate hit right there. many of the numbers are parodies/homage, cheeky and clever but still heartfelt. then it became one of the funniest, most poignant, most empathetic, most memorable explorations of infatuation, self-worth, and most significantly mental health that i have ever seen. there have been a couple of other musical concept shows (smash, notably), but none that achieved what cxg did. it's an extraordinary work and sometimes i can't believe it was allowed to exist, and got to flourish the way it did. rebecca bunch could so easily be called unlikable - selfish, impulsive, obsessive - and yet she is so lovable and so real through all of her flaws, how can you not root for her, laugh with her, sing with her, cry with her? how can you not want her to get better? you find, eventually, it was never even about the guys, though they're fun to explore in all their neuroses too. they're almost...irrelevant. "a diagnosis" will never not make me weep. the show is just so important. this is about the story of a woman who learns how to recover, how to build true friendships (#gurlgroup4eva), and how to embrace herself.

(6). that girl: another one my mom brought me up on, and there are other shows i could mention here (i love lucy, the dick van dyke show, the addams family) as far as prototypes of modern comedy go (there is a direct line from that girl to the mary tyler moore show to friends and new girl), but that girl is particularly dear to me because it was influential to my mom, and because ann marie is a character all her own. she's quirky, she's determined, she's got the greatest 60s fashion, she's constantly getting herself into situations, she's one of the very first sitcom heroines to be a "single girl in the city" and to directly confront sexism (in multiple ways, but especially in the workplace and in the entertainment industry), she is loved and adored by her boyfriend (one of the best and most patient of all fictional boyfriends), but she is not defined by don, they complement each other. marlo thomas, the icon that you are.

(7). pretty little liars: listen. i know. I KNOW. it's silly, it's ridiculous, it has a host of issues, but i was hooked. and the thing is, though the mysteries fizzled and the reveals didn't make sense, what mattered were those girls. female friendship was the heart of everything in that story, they stood by each other and supported each other through every danger, toil, and snare, and even when they messed up, they forgave each other and came back together as a team every time. -A hardly matters, but the liars are everything. young volcanoes. aria, hanna, emily, and spencer all mean so much to me for very different reasons, and spencer especially. my genius, tenacious, too-caring girl. down these mean streets a girl must go who is not herself mean.

(8). supernatural: sigh. would be remiss not to mention it, right? have, in fact, written what amount to personal essays and fanciful poetics on this blog explaining at length what it once meant to me, have delved into the folklore urban legend americana of it all, and while i have gained a certain distance from it since the palpable breakdown i had from its ending that we do not acknowledge, those entries would hold true. it was so formative that things which are on this list would not be here without it, and i know that. it's so inextricable that i can't tell what is a thread connected to it in my life and what isn't at times. premiered on my birthday and presented me one of the greatest loves of my life, who i will always carry with me. i would not quite be me without dean. i would not be here right now without dean, in more ways than one. and i do my best to be brave.

(honorable mentions to shows tam and jenn had on their lists: the x-files, tvd/the originals, the marvelous mrs. maisel; other honorable mentions: btvs/a:ts, bones, dexter, fleabag S2, gilmore girls, the good place, jane the virgin, nancy drew/hardy boys mysteries, orphan black, the haunting of bly manor, select episodes of doctor who, i am quite certain i'm forgetting a bunch!)

for this last one i am tagging @nerdfaerie, @arthurwilde, @desireearmfeldt, @someoneoffthestreet, @freakwiththeknifecollection, @bcyoureallthatmakessense, @setyourfireonme, @dewintering, @joons, @thebohemianbelle, @beckybloomwood, @takeawaythepain, and @wickedhawtwexler, but also any of you who wants to do this, or any of the rest of these, please do, and then tag me!!! i love to see them! i apologize profusely for the pervasive brainrot. 💟

#tag games #jess.mess #about me #managed to fix the formatting after tumblr tried to eat it thank goodness 😌#i snagged the 13 of your from my recent activity but obviously as always this is open to everyone ilu

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