It's not the cornfield you should be afraid of...
Released by: MVD Entertainment Group
Release Date: March 22, 2016
Production Year: 2015
Region Code: 1
Running Time: 1:22:29
Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35 Aspect Ratio)
Subtitles: None
THE FILM - [ 3 / 5 ]:
Rows is a horror/fantasy/thriller inspired by Grimm's tales. Rose (Hannah Schick) works for her father, Mark (Kenneth Hughes), who turns cornfields into subdivisions. Rose must deliver eviction papers to Haviland (Nancy Murray), a squatter in a condemned farmhouse. Haviland is an evil enchantress-- she puts Rose under a spell. Rose's friend, Greta (Lauren Lakis), will also come under Haviland's powers. They become lost in a seemingly infinite cornfield and must repeat a series of surreal or terrifying events in order to solve the mystery and break the spell. Rose's father is drawn into the mystery, and Rose's relationship with him is tested. A series of shocking reversals leads to a haunting climax.
It's hard to say too much about the film without possibly giving too much away. I've actually trimmed down the synopsis of the film from the description on the MVD website since it pretty much tells you everything that happens in the movie. I went in to the film knowing absolutely nothing about it, not even reading the blurb of plot details on the back of the DVD case. But that's me and I usually like to go in unprepared without any preconceptions of a film, at least with non-Hollywood movies. Admittedly the film did indeed catch me off-guard in the first few minutes with a, wait, what happened type of response. I did take my eyes off the screen just prior but even on my second viewing it was still effective at making me take pause. Anyhow, typical indie films have that "look" about them. You know, that cheap look. I was pleasantly surprised to quickly see that "Rows" looked professionally made. The film looks terrific with a number of great camera shots at various angles and points of view that to me, places it above the pack. Kudos to Scott Chestnut for his wonderful job as cinematographer. The cornfield in "Rows" looks vast and foreboding, seemingly having no start or end. Is it infinite? Perhaps.
Our heroines Rose and Greta are pleasing to the eye but don't let their beauty fool you. They're equally cunning in their own way which is fortunate as they find themselves entangled in the seemingly never ending nightmare. I thought both ladies did a fine job in their respective roles. If they hadn't, the film would have been a chore to sit through since they have to carry most of the scenes. I though the rest of the cast did fine in their smaller, limited roles.
I appreciated the few surprises and startling moments in the film as opposed to say, cats jumping out of the closet or other typical jump scare tactics. "Rows" goes more for mood and messing with your mind and perception of what is happening, what has happened and what might happen next. For your convenience I've included the trailer below. I watched it and it is fairly safe in regards to spoilers. So feel free to give it a look and see if it draws you further in to the "Rows."
AUDIO - [ 4 / 5 ]:
The sole audio option on the DVD is an English Dolby Digital 5.1 track which does a pretty good job of helping to set the unsettling mood inspired in the film. I enjoyed the sound of the rustling cornstalks. It reminded me of playing in cornfields when I was a kid. Dialogue, sound effects and the score maintained a good balance throughout. I did not encounter any technical problems with the audio. Just to further note, there are no subtitles included.
VIDEO - [ 3.5 / 5]:
"Rows" comes to DVD thanks to MVD Entertainment Group. The film is presented in the 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio and looks great for the most part. I have seen some Blu-ray discs that look worse than this DVD. The film doesn't feature an abundance of colors other than the lush green cornfield, but they look great when they appear. There is a brief scene with water that looked fantastic. The film is fairly sharp and looks even better in close ups. Skin tones looked great. There are some instances of banding notably on the shirt of Rose around four minutes in to the film. Despite that I was still quite pleased with the video quality of the DVD.
SPECIAL FEATURES - [ 0 / 5 ]:
There are no extras included on the DVD.
OVERALL RATING - [ 2.5 / 5 ]
Our heroines Rose and Greta are pleasing to the eye but don't let their beauty fool you. They're equally cunning in their own way which is fortunate as they find themselves entangled in the seemingly never ending nightmare. I thought both ladies did a fine job in their respective roles. If they hadn't, the film would have been a chore to sit through since they have to carry most of the scenes. I though the rest of the cast did fine in their smaller, limited roles.
I appreciated the few surprises and startling moments in the film as opposed to say, cats jumping out of the closet or other typical jump scare tactics. "Rows" goes more for mood and messing with your mind and perception of what is happening, what has happened and what might happen next. For your convenience I've included the trailer below. I watched it and it is fairly safe in regards to spoilers. So feel free to give it a look and see if it draws you further in to the "Rows."
AUDIO - [ 4 / 5 ]:
The sole audio option on the DVD is an English Dolby Digital 5.1 track which does a pretty good job of helping to set the unsettling mood inspired in the film. I enjoyed the sound of the rustling cornstalks. It reminded me of playing in cornfields when I was a kid. Dialogue, sound effects and the score maintained a good balance throughout. I did not encounter any technical problems with the audio. Just to further note, there are no subtitles included.
VIDEO - [ 3.5 / 5]:
"Rows" comes to DVD thanks to MVD Entertainment Group. The film is presented in the 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio and looks great for the most part. I have seen some Blu-ray discs that look worse than this DVD. The film doesn't feature an abundance of colors other than the lush green cornfield, but they look great when they appear. There is a brief scene with water that looked fantastic. The film is fairly sharp and looks even better in close ups. Skin tones looked great. There are some instances of banding notably on the shirt of Rose around four minutes in to the film. Despite that I was still quite pleased with the video quality of the DVD.
SPECIAL FEATURES - [ 0 / 5 ]:
There are no extras included on the DVD.
OVERALL RATING - [ 2.5 / 5 ]
