Fifteen years after landing his first acting contract at the La Ronde haunted house, Laurent Pitre finally returns to horror. The Quebecer stars in the American-Canadian film The Sacrifice Gamelaunched for the holiday season on the Shudder platform.
“It was at La Ronde that I began to appreciate horror. Before, I didn’t listen to it, I was too afraid,” says Laurent Pitre, laughing.
“But after discovering the other side of the story, I realized that fear is such a visceral emotion that it is sure to affect people. We can use it to tell complex and dramatic stories in a completely different way,” continues the actor who we saw in District 31 or The blue house.
In The Sacrifice Game, he slips into the shoes of Doug, a member of a gang of criminals who will give two young students a hard time, lonely on their campus during the holiday break. Their New Year’s Eve will therefore be anything but peaceful, punctuated by murders and satanic rituals from which no one will emerge unscathed.
More than just a Christmas movie
Certainly, this synopsis can suggest a film at the Black Christmas or Silent Night, horror classics that have chosen to set their plot during the holiday season. But even if the family ties are flattering, Laurent Pitre brings a nuance.
“If people decide to make it a classic that they watch every Christmas, that’s great. But I think that The Sacrifice Game goes beyond that; It’s a film that can be watched no matter the season. And anyway, we shot it in the spring when it was very, very hot in Montreal,” says the actor with a touch of humor.
Indeed, director Jenn Wexler set up her film set in the metropolis in May 2022. The film – also starring Mena Massoud (Aladdin), Gus Kenworthy (American Horror Story) and Olivia Scott Welch (Fear Street) – also had its world premiere in Montreal last summer, as part of the Fantasia festival.
“The room was full for the premiere, it was a very powerful experience. To be able to see the film on the big screen, surrounded by people who react, who laugh and who are afraid… it was a great moment. I really think that The Sacrifice Game will mark an important turning point in my career,” says Laurent Pitre.
Projects in front of and behind the camera
Besides The Sacrifice Game, we will soon be able to see the face of Laurent Pitre in several television projects expected in the coming months; the Quebecer has recently obtained episodic roles in series such as Fargo, Hudson & Rex And Something Undone.
The actor also wishes to shortly present his first works as a director; four short films having already been shot are currently being edited.
- The film The Sacrifice Game is currently available via the Shudder platform.