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[BD Review] Excitement Stumbles In ‘As Night Falls’

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Ever need something on for background noise? Today I recommend to you As Night Falls. The 2010 film, written and directed by Joe Davison, has finally hit DVD! What’s the premise, you ask? Well, there is this house and long ago some people that lived in it decided to kill their kid. Fast forward to present day, they return from Hell to keep killing!

Holly and Elizabeth are sisters that live in the house where 10 year old Amelia was killed long ago. Why was Amelia killed? I am not sure. Why do the ghosts decide to attack the sisters and everyone at the party they throw? I don’t know. What I do know is that the two actresses, Lily Cardone and Deneen Melody, along with the rest of the cast, are truly amateur thespians.

The acting is bad, yes, but the manner in which it is bad is something that always leads to this type of review. A lot of bad actors – especially those in horror films – think they are actually good actors. Once you throw these types of people into a recycle storyline (in this case think The Ring, but not nearly as good), it will always lead to this type of review. And perhaps the story itself, and scripted dialogue, could use a good edit to make it more comprehensible. Yes, but even still, the acting would not improve. It is simply a lost cause.

Production wise, As Night Falls is not bad. Even the bad CGI on a scale of 1 to Sharknado, is about a 5. It is truly amazing how a bad movie can look and sound fine, despite the fact that I’d rather have my teeth pulled than have to sit through it twice. The DVD includes Behind the Scenes footage, some ten minute short feature called ‘Dude & Pennywise’ based off two characters from the movie (that I didn’t understand at all), a trailer and a photo gallery. Then there is a 6 minute music video for the title track of the film, also called ‘As Night Falls’ – performed by Dirty Black Halo. You HAVE to look these guys up, NOW. No, really. It is no surprise this music video is included as the most jarring aspect of the film is the soundtrack. The music simply doesn’t flow, jumping from dramatic synthesizers to the thrashing guitar solos of this song whenever something mildly dramatic happens. If the acting doesn’t bring you out of the element, the music will. The video even features clips from the movie!

Wait – is As Night Falls just an expanded version of music video??

If so, in this case, I recommend the video over the movie. That is, unless, you like having your teeth pulled.

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Gateway Horror Classic ‘The Gate’ Returns to Life With Blu-ray SteelBook in May

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One of my personal favorite horror movies of all time, 1987’s gateway horror classic The Gate is opening back up on May 14 with a brand new Blu-ray SteelBook release from Lionsgate!

The new release will feature fresh SteelBook artwork from Vance Kelly, seen below.

Special Features, all of which were previously released, include…

  • Audio Commentaries
    • Director Tibor Takacs, Writer Michael Nankin, and Special Effects Designer & Supervisor Randall William Cook
    • Special Effects Designer & Supervisor Randall William Cook, Special Make-Up Effects Artist Craig Reardon, Special Effects Artist Frank Carere, and Matte Photographer Bill Taylor
  • Isolated Score Selections and Audio Interview
  • Featurettes:
    • The Gate: Unlocked
    • Minion Maker
    • From Hell It Came
    • The Workman Speaks!
    • Made in Canada
    • From Hell: The Creatures & Demons of The Gate
    • The Gatekeepers
    • Vintage Featurette: Making of The Gate
  • Teaser Trailer
  • Theatrical Trailer
  • TV Spot
  • Storyboard Gallery
  • Behind-the-Scenes Still Gallery

When best friends Glen (Stephen Dorff) and Terry (Louis Tripp) stumble across a mysterious crystalline rock in Glen’s backyard, they quickly dig up the newly sodden lawn searching for more precious stones. Instead, they unearth The Gate — an underground chamber of terrifying demonic evil. The teenagers soon understand what evil they’ve released as they are overcome with an assortment of horrific experiences. With fiendish followers invading suburbia, it’s now up to the kids to discover the secret that can lock The Gate forever . . . if it’s not too late.

If you’ve never seen The Gate, it’s now streaming on Prime Video and Tubi.

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