Try to control your salivating independent horror fans, because the latest team up of two genre directors taking the world by storm is a doozy.
The Film Stage is reporting that Hostel director Eli Roth is joining forces with House of the Devil helmer Ti West for an upcoming film titled The Sacrament.
What we know so far about the project is that Eli Roth will serve as producer, with Worldview Entertainment financing, and Ti West will serve as director, but besides that a tight lid has been kept on specific details.
West is working on the screenplay as we speak, avoiding any plot leakage to the media, but with production beginning at the end of this month, I expect some light will be shed on what we can only assume is some type of religious thriller, based on the title alone.
Where the collaboration gets a little dicey for me is hearing Roth say The Sacrament will be West’s “first mainstream movie,” offering reassurance to longtime fans that he’ll make the film “without sacrificing the quality and unflinching horror of the subject matter.”
While I don’t believe Roth’s statement is a “kiss of death,” whenever I hear the word “mainstream” preceding the word horror I cringe a little bit. Sure, there are numerous instances of exemplary mainstream horror, like the recent Insidious, but there are also tons of negative examples like, say, every single remake that’s recently being cranked out and watered down.
Also, both director’s best work exists outside the mainstream realm, so I truly hope we aren’t getting a safe horror movie just to expose mass audiences to Ti West’s name.
With that said, I am a firm believer in both West and Roth. Roth’s early works cemented an understanding for lavish gore and West showed a strong command of chilling storytelling out of the gate, so a brainchild resulting of both strengths only seems like the greatest of ideas.
Can The Sacrament be that twisted, terrifying, stomach churning baby?
You know my thoughts, now I want to hear what you think about the pairing of Eli Roth and Ti West. Sound off in the comments below!
