Sacrilege

**_Maybe it’s not a good idea to play around with the occult_** Four women in their 20s take a weekend trip to a remote lodge in Britain, but the holiday takes a negative turn after they frivolously partake of a religious celebration in honor of the goddess Mabon and the summer Solstice. "Sacrilege” (2020) was obviously inspired by "The Wicker Man" (1973/2006), which itself was influenced by “The Witches,” aka “The Devil’s Own” (1966). Some more recent movies in this mold include “The Ritual” (2017) and “Midsommar” (2019). I breezed through several negative reviews (amongst a few good ones) before watching and so was braced for a lousy non-production, but was pleasantly surprised by professional filmmaking despite the low budget. The theme of personal fears being one’s worst enemy and facing those fears to overcome is an interesting element and original for this subgenre. The writer/director, David Creed, knows how to shoot women (no pun intended) with Tamaryn Payne shining as Kayla and Sian Abrahams notable as Blake in a swimming sequence. Unfortunately, Creed decides to throw in a needless softcore lesbian sex scene. Get real. “The Devil's Nightmare” (1971) did the same thing almost fifty years prior, so it’s not like it’s anything new or “progressive.” The film runs 1 hour, 23 minutes, and was shot in Britain. GRADE: B-/C+