After Dark Horrorfest – Double Features To Die For (2005-2009/Lionsgate
Blu-ray)
Picture: C Sound: C
Extras: C Films: C
The After Dark Horrorfest has been
giving theatrical releases to eight films each year as part of their annual
film festival, 8 Films To Die For. They range in quality, but typically serve up
more filler than they rightfully should. These Blu-ray sets showcase eight of these
films - two on each disc selected from the four fests they have done from 2006
to 2010.
Part of the initial lineup of films, Gravedancers doesn't prove to be
particularly great, but at least feels like a semi-competent horror film,
especially when seen next to what was to follow. It is shot well enough, and you can tell that
there was some care put into making it appear professional, but the story is
slim, leading to more boredom than anything frightful.
Wicked Little Things takes a long time to get running, but it should be
enough to hold interest for those who think having some undead kids on hand is
the mark of a quality scare film. These
children were buried alive in the early 1900's when the mine they worked in
collapsed on them. Now they are now
back, eating up anyone who happens to not be a relative. It's a shame they couldn't have made a more pronounced
appearance earlier in the film, as it doesn't get rolling until later on, once
their appearances become more pronounced.
Borderland has a familiar setup - young travelers in a foreign setting,
being captured by bizarre natives and then killed. It has similarities to films such as 2000
Maniacs and Hostel, treading no ground that hasn't already been
covered by either of those films and countless others.
By the time we get to Crazy Eights, things just might start to run
together. This is a typical haunted
house movie, and in the second year of this festival, you can see than any
spark of originality is already dimming.
Having not watched the original Butterfly Effect, or its first sequel,
for that matter, I cannot compare the quality of this entry to the others in
the series. Seeing as it is part of an established franchise, its inclusion
here seems unusual, especially when considering that it is not even a horror
film. Surprisingly, The Butterfly
Effect 3: Revelations looks the most professional of all the films here,
and while still not great, it does manage to overcome the blandness of the
other titles.
The Broken, as well, strays from being a strict horror film. There are certainly elements of the genre, and
the story revolves around the doppelganger, but overall it has the feeling of a
paranormal thriller. Judging only by the
collection of titles presented here, it would seem that the festival was
looking at expanding its focus in an effort to pull in new viewers with this
year's entries.
The Graves, is a film directed by comic artist Brian Pulido, and as with
the other films here, average is the best descriptor for this Hills Have
Eyes meets The Texas Chainsaw Massacre knockoff. Horror convention
regulars Bill Moseley and Tony Todd are among the cast, and genre fans will
appreciate seeing them here. Sadly,
their appearances here are nothing special, as they have been abundant in other
productions of this type. Both actors deserve better than this, and I wish
there greater outlets for their talents happened with more regularity.
A pretty standard (and boring) zombie flick, Zombies of Mass Destruction,
tries, as many other productions do, to use zombies as a vehicle for social
commentary. It is my opinion that if
you're a filmmaker without something to say, don't shoehorn it in just because
some of the best ones out there do it too.
Unsurprisingly, picture and sound carry on being little more than average on
just about every film here. The earliest
ones are also the better looking of the group, excepting The Butterfly
Effect 3, which surprises by being the title I would have pegged to be
among the worst. Aspect ratios vary from
film to film, but all are presented in 1080p digital High Definition
widescreen. Sound isn't anything to
write home about for any of the titles, but all are at least presented in 5.1
DTS-HD Master Audio, which is a significant upgrade over the audio on the
previous editions of the films.
It seems that Lionsgate has carried over all of the special features from the
previous DVD releases, so that is a plus. Unfortunately, most of the movies are so
painfully average, it's doubtful anyone will want to stick around for the bonus
content. These extras are plentiful for
about half of the films, with Borderland, Gravedancers, The
Graves and Wicked Little Things all at least having a commentary
track. The first three of these also
have many more behind the scenes features. The only disc to not feature much of anything
at all would be the one featuring the third year entries, with very little in
the way of added content.
A recommendation for any of these sets doesn't come easily, but looking over
the films they've released in this series over the years, other titles stand
out as more interesting choices. Why these weren't selected as first in line is
odd, but I'm sure that they'll come along in future waves. Perhaps those would present better
opportunities to get your feet wet with as far as this series goes.
For more After
Dark coverage, try this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/10152/After+Dark+Horrorfest+4+(Lake+Mun
- David Milchick
