Director – Rupert Russell (Freedom of the Wolf, How the World Went Mad)
Starring – Geraldine Beskin (The Death and Resurrection Show, Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror), Gavin Bone (Forbidden History, Wicca Reincarnate), and Janet Farrar (Ancient Mysteries, The Occult Experience)
Release Date – 2024
Rating – 3/5
I’ve reviewed a lot of documentaries over the years and while I did enjoy a good portion of them, none of them really wow’d me. With that being said, I’ve seen some really good documentaries over the years covering a variety of topics ranging from unsolved murders, serial killers, cryptids, aliens and UFOs, and horror legends. I’m a sucker for documentaries and jumped at the opportunity to check out The Last Sacrifice when Shudder sent me a link to check it out. I want to thank them for allowing Horror Society and myself the opportunity to check this one out!
**Spoiler Alert** The documentary covers a murder of a farm hand in Britain in the early 1940s that many locals believed to be part of a ritualistic sacrifice by a coven of witches. A legendary detective was sent down from Scotland Yard but was unable to penetrate the locals who refused to cooperate. This would inspire several pagan and folk horror tales over the years. The documentary then takes a deeper look into witch cults and covens around Britain that popped up during the love and peace era. **Spoiler Alert**
The Last Sacrifice is a documentary that doesn’t really look like any other documentary that I had seen before. It didn’t wow me like I had hoped for but it’s one of the more unique documentaries that I’ve been fortunate enough to review.
The interviews in this one consists of mostly historians and those that have spent most of their time to investigate the folklore, history, and legends of the area ranging from the witch trials to present day. They seem to know a lot about witches in the area, ritualistic murders over the years, and how this one in particular spawned a bevvy of folk horror films in the coming decades.
The topics discussed fit the film very well and work from one subject to another. As an American, I knew Britain had their own witch trials but I had no idea that witches and magic was so steeped into their lore and legends. It was very informative in that regard but I wasn’t really a fan of all the old footage used. I would have preferred to see the people being interviewed as they discussed each subject rather than the old Hammer footage and so forth. While it did make the documentary feel unique and different, it made it a bit dull and sometimes confusing.
Finally, the film is put together very well. The editing is damn near perfect and this doc is unlike any I had seen before. It is visually pleasing and fantastic in that regard. Overall, The Last Sacrifice is an interesting true crime documentary that explores a murder from over 80s years ago and the impact it would have on our beloved genres, as well as, the history the country has involving witches. I highly recommend checking it out!
