[4] A. J. Bowen and Joe Swanberg play VICE journalists who document their co-worker's (Kentucker Audley) attempt to locate his sister (Amy Seimetz) after she joins a reclusive religious commune.

[5] Patrick, a fashion photographer, receives a letter from his sister, a recovering addict named Caroline, that invites him to visit Eden Parish, a utopian, drug-free community founded by a religious leader.

Expecting only Patrick, the guides are taken aback by a film crew; they contact Father, the leader, who authorizes their entrance.

Feeling uneasy, Jake and Sam begin to regret the trip, but Patrick is able to smooth things over when his sister appears.

Put off-guard, Sam fumbles and loses control of the interview, and Father politely but dominantly cuts it short with roaring applause from his followers, who proceed to engage in a party.

Growing increasingly distrustful of Father and the commune, Jake and Sam anxiously wait out the night, unable to sleep.

Sarah, Savannah's mother, insists that they at least rescue her daughter, and Jake returns to the helicopter to delay its take-off.

The only survivors were Sam Turner and Jake Williams with their filmed documentary being the only first-hand account of the events that took place at Eden Parish.

Swanberg doubled as cameraman for parts of the film, as West trusted his background as a filmmaker to shoot the scenes without supervision.

[11] Rotten Tomatoes reports that 64% of 70 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating was 5.86/10.

The consensus reads: "While it may be a bit too slow for some, The Sacrament offers enough tense atmosphere and intriguing ideas to satisfy discerning horror buffs.

[13] Guy Lodge of Variety gave a mostly-positive review, commenting that making the cameraman of the found footage feature an employee of Vice magazine helped "[provide] an alibi for Eric Robbins' fluid, generously-lit lensing; most films in the found-footage genre have no reason to look this good.

"[14] David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter called it "a bone-chilling genre piece" that may disappoint horror purists.