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