THEY'RE COMING FOR YOU
Released by: Magnolia Pictures
Release Date: September 1, 2015
Production Year: 2015
Region Code: A
Running Time: 1:23:02
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1
Video: 1080p (1.78:1 Aspect Ratio)
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
THE FILM - [2.5 / 5]:
It’s Ed (Lee Williams) and Sarah’s (Pollyanna McIntosh, "The Woman," "Let us Prey") first night at their new home – an isolated farmhouse on the Scottish borders. This should be a new beginning away from their stressful London lives. And at first it is; come sunset they fall in love all over again on a wander in the woods. But as darkness falls, Sarah suspects they’re not alone, Ed goes to investigate and quickly, the evening becomes a nightmare. It suddenly dawns on them; they do not belong here. And they certainly aren’t welcome either.
"The Blood Lands" starts off leading you to believe that it is going to be similar to the horror films, "The Strangers" and "Ils" which it is, but unfortunately, it is inferior to both. It is still an enjoyable film with Pollyanna McIntosh giving a great performance as the terrorized, Sarah. Lee Williams does a fine job as well in the role of Ed. The viewer does get the idea why things are happening. But it just seems like its reaching a bit too far or maybe I was expecting too much. While the plot may not be the best, director Simeon Halligan did an excellent job of creating tension. Once the action starts to roll, it is a roller coaster ride until toward the end when the film does not quite end as I was expecting. Even though a clue is given earlier on in the film by one of the antagonists, I still expected a different ending.
The film is not heavy on blood and gore, nor does it have a high body count, but there is a very good scene depicting a heavy dose of violence and blood. With that said, the effects used did have a great look to them. If you watch the film with low expectations, you should be satisfied. Like I said earlier, despite its flaws, I still enjoyed watching "The Blood Lands."
AUDIO - [4 / 5]:
"The Blood Lands" comes with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio track. The quality of the audio was terrific. The DTS-HD track does a great job of helping to set the right ambiance in the film. At times you feel like you are right out there in the woods with all the surrounding noises and people lurking about. I thought the audio had a great balance with the dialogue never being drowned out by the score or sound effects. I did not encounter any problems with the sound as far as hissing, drop outs and so forth. A pretty solid track. The Blu-ray also includes English SDH, Spanish and French subtitles.
VIDEO - [4 / 5]:
"The Blood Lands" stalks its way on to Blu-ray thanks to Magnolia Pictures. The film is presented in 1080p with a 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio. The film looks excellent. There almost seems to be two distinct aspects to the film in terms of color. In the daytime scenes, the countryside looks amazing with rich, lustrous colors. The house and all of its surroundings make you want to immediately book a trip. Although you would think twice about that after watching the film. In the scenes that take place at night, of which there are many, the colors are mostly dark, drab and cold, which in essence, matches the mood and outlook of our main characters. The brighter scenes reveal a significant amount of fine detail which just adds to the beauty of the scenery. Black levels looks good throughout the film. I thought the actors skin tones looked natural in appearance.
SPECIAL FEATURES - [1 / 5]:
Making of The Blood Lands (16:21) - This extra features brief interviews with several members of the cast and crew including director Simeon Halligan, writer Iam Fenton and stars Pollyanna McIntosh and Lee Williams. They discuss their jobs in the film as well as the films production, from its inception, to filming.
More from Magnolia Home Entertainment - Trailers for "Skin Trade," "The Dead Lands," "Kill Me Three Times," "Chideo," and "AXS TV."
IN CONCLUSION:
A great looking and sounding Blu-ray from Magnolia Pictures. Even though I thought the film didn't quite fire on all cylinders, I could think of worse ways to spend 83 minutes. I would suggest tracking the film down on VOD or online rental service for most people. However, nobody knows better, what you like, than you do. The red band trailer is below and perhaps that will give you a good idea as to whether you would enjoy this horror film or not.
OVERALL: [2.5 / 5]
It’s Ed (Lee Williams) and Sarah’s (Pollyanna McIntosh, "The Woman," "Let us Prey") first night at their new home – an isolated farmhouse on the Scottish borders. This should be a new beginning away from their stressful London lives. And at first it is; come sunset they fall in love all over again on a wander in the woods. But as darkness falls, Sarah suspects they’re not alone, Ed goes to investigate and quickly, the evening becomes a nightmare. It suddenly dawns on them; they do not belong here. And they certainly aren’t welcome either.
"The Blood Lands" starts off leading you to believe that it is going to be similar to the horror films, "The Strangers" and "Ils" which it is, but unfortunately, it is inferior to both. It is still an enjoyable film with Pollyanna McIntosh giving a great performance as the terrorized, Sarah. Lee Williams does a fine job as well in the role of Ed. The viewer does get the idea why things are happening. But it just seems like its reaching a bit too far or maybe I was expecting too much. While the plot may not be the best, director Simeon Halligan did an excellent job of creating tension. Once the action starts to roll, it is a roller coaster ride until toward the end when the film does not quite end as I was expecting. Even though a clue is given earlier on in the film by one of the antagonists, I still expected a different ending.
The film is not heavy on blood and gore, nor does it have a high body count, but there is a very good scene depicting a heavy dose of violence and blood. With that said, the effects used did have a great look to them. If you watch the film with low expectations, you should be satisfied. Like I said earlier, despite its flaws, I still enjoyed watching "The Blood Lands."
AUDIO - [4 / 5]:
"The Blood Lands" comes with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio track. The quality of the audio was terrific. The DTS-HD track does a great job of helping to set the right ambiance in the film. At times you feel like you are right out there in the woods with all the surrounding noises and people lurking about. I thought the audio had a great balance with the dialogue never being drowned out by the score or sound effects. I did not encounter any problems with the sound as far as hissing, drop outs and so forth. A pretty solid track. The Blu-ray also includes English SDH, Spanish and French subtitles.
VIDEO - [4 / 5]:
"The Blood Lands" stalks its way on to Blu-ray thanks to Magnolia Pictures. The film is presented in 1080p with a 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio. The film looks excellent. There almost seems to be two distinct aspects to the film in terms of color. In the daytime scenes, the countryside looks amazing with rich, lustrous colors. The house and all of its surroundings make you want to immediately book a trip. Although you would think twice about that after watching the film. In the scenes that take place at night, of which there are many, the colors are mostly dark, drab and cold, which in essence, matches the mood and outlook of our main characters. The brighter scenes reveal a significant amount of fine detail which just adds to the beauty of the scenery. Black levels looks good throughout the film. I thought the actors skin tones looked natural in appearance.
SPECIAL FEATURES - [1 / 5]:
Making of The Blood Lands (16:21) - This extra features brief interviews with several members of the cast and crew including director Simeon Halligan, writer Iam Fenton and stars Pollyanna McIntosh and Lee Williams. They discuss their jobs in the film as well as the films production, from its inception, to filming.
More from Magnolia Home Entertainment - Trailers for "Skin Trade," "The Dead Lands," "Kill Me Three Times," "Chideo," and "AXS TV."
IN CONCLUSION:
A great looking and sounding Blu-ray from Magnolia Pictures. Even though I thought the film didn't quite fire on all cylinders, I could think of worse ways to spend 83 minutes. I would suggest tracking the film down on VOD or online rental service for most people. However, nobody knows better, what you like, than you do. The red band trailer is below and perhaps that will give you a good idea as to whether you would enjoy this horror film or not.
OVERALL: [2.5 / 5]