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Blu-ray Review: Black Death
Now in stores everywhere is Magnet Releasing’s Blu-ray release of Black Death, the latest genre offering from Christopher Smith (Creep, Triangle, Severance).
Starring Sean Bean, Eddie Redmayne, Carice Van Houten, Rupert Friend and Kimberley Nixon, the film is “set in an apocalyptic medieval world, “Death” details the story of a band of brothers whose quest is to hunt down a necromancer against the backdrop of the first outbreak of bubonic plague in England.”
Inside you’ll find Laren Taylor’s review of the 1080p HD release that includes a behind the scenes featurette and a digital copy of the film.
The plague is one of my personal favorite times in history that I’ve studied, and when this film was announced, I was very intrigued. Halfway into this film, I realized it was far from what I had expected.
While the original reviewer states the film hints at the classic The Wicker Man from 1973, which it does undoubtedly, I, unfortunately, also saw shades of the 2006 remake. The former dominates, thankfully, and adds such great depth to the film. Growing up with religion force fed to me, I was very satisfied with the storyline.
The only other adverse aspect of the film is the hand held shots. Perhaps they are to add to the tension, but it seemed a bit excessive at times. However, all of this did not take away from the subtle beauty of the sound and scenery. These are accentuated by the Blu-Ray edition, but are still maintained in the standard.
The features on the disc include behind the scenes footage, deleted scenes, interviews and more. They are all insightful and worth checking out if you have the time to enjoy them.
The overall message of the film is what slyly blew my mind in the end. There is no doubt it left me thinking. Thinking in the deep dark warped parts of my brain. Many aspects of our current world and society, along with the lack of toleration in those different from us, can be drawn from the film. Though it strayed from what I had expected, Black Death left me quite pleased.
4/5 Skulls
After scaring up a strong theatrical run, Oddity director Damian McCarthy’s Hokum heads home to Digital this week.
Settle in for a spooky supernatural chiller as Hokum arrives on all Digital platforms to rent or own beginning June 2, followed by a Blu-ray/4K Ultra HD Combo and DVD release on August 11, 2026.
Adam Scott (“Severance”) stars in Hokum as reclusive novelist Ohm Bauman. When he retreats to a remote Irish inn to scatter his parents’ ashes, the staff’s tales of an ancient witch haunting the honeymoon suite take hold of his mind. Disturbing visions and a shocking disappearance draw Ohm into a nightmarish confrontation with the darkest corners of his past.
Peter Coonan (“The Alienist: Angel of Darkness”), David Wilmot (“Station Eleven”), Florence Ordesh (“Departure”), Michael Patric (“Frontier”), Will O’Connell (“Game of Thrones”), Brendan Conroy (“Bodkin”), and Austin Amelio (“The Walking Dead”) also star.
Get a peek at the upcoming physical media release below, including a few special features.
Spooky Pictures’ Roy Lee (Weapons) & Steven Schneider (Insidious) produce alongside Image Nation’s Derek Dauchy (Late Night with the Devil), Tailored Film’s Ruth Treacy, Julianne Forde, & Mairtín de Barra, and Cweature Features’ Ken Kao & Josh Rosenbaum.
I wrote in my review for Bloody Disgusting, “A quaint Irish hotel with a deeply haunted history awaits an American writer in McCarthy’s third outing, continuing his streak for folkloric tales of supernatural karma and spine-tingling terror with a dark sense of humor.”
What’s next from Damian McCarthy? He’s currently writing a haunted house movie, but recent comments suggest he may be moving into other genres beyond that upcoming project.
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