10 Intense Horror Movies That Dared You To Sit Through Them

In Ti West's The Sacrament, a journalist called Patrick discovers his missing sister, Caroline, is living in a mysterious commune called Eden Parish. Patrick and his team head to there, believing it'll be a good new story. The flock's leader assures his visitors that his intentions are pure, but Patrick quickly suspects he might be in serious danger.

As soon as Patrick's crew arrive, the facility gives off major cult vibes. No matter how pleasant the group behave, there is an ever-present sense of paranoia. The more polite the inhabitants are, the more unnerving they come across.

What's impressive about The Sacrament is how it doesn't rely on any obvious horror tropes. Gore is almost non-existent. The few times violence is depicted, it occurs briefly or off-screen.

And yet, The Sacrament successfully gets under viewers' skin because of how realistically it depicts fanaticism and mob behaviour. It's truly chilling to see a single person control an entire society, simply by using charm, persuasion, and exploiting fear.

Ti West is better-known for directing X and Pearl, but The Sacrament may be his most disturbing work.