Nightlight
(2015/Lionsgate DVD)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: C Film: D
Horror
film or study on teen suicide? You can decide when you pop in
Nightlight
(2015), the new found footage yarn co-directed by Scott Beck and
Bryan Woods. Geared towards teens, the film's plot is paper thin but
with a cast of unknowns and some clever marketing, this flop can
hopefully generate some dollars from Red Box.
Five
friends go into a mysterious forest for a fun night of flashlight
games, but their night in the woods turns into a deadly experience
when they disturb a demonic presence that has a long history of
troubled young people contemplating suicide. The deeper in the
woods, they go the creepier things get - especially when they come
across a church (that looks way too much like a set), and doors start
slamming behind them on their own. Let's not forget the evil dogs
and levitating bodies thrown in for attempted scares! All in all, if
you've never seen The
Blair Witch Project,
then you might not pick up on how many of its plot devices are ripped
off here.
The
film stars Shelby Young, Chloe Bridges, Carter Jenkins, Mitch Hewer,
and Taylor Murphy - a cast of unknowns that try hard to amp up the
scares but just don't pull it off. I am even a huge fan of the
demonic/woods possession-type films and just couldn't connect with
this one. As it is known, found footage is mostly a miss unless
executed in a way is truly original and helps tell the story instead
of feeling like a crutch to the story.
The
anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1, RED ONE-shot image and lossy Dolby
Digital sound are poor and degraded to be so, so this plays as well
as it is ever going to in this format; doubting a Blu-ray could
improve performance any. Extras include an Audio Commentary with the
Directors/Writers, Behind the Scenes, Deleted Scenes and an Alternate
Ending with Optional Commentary.
-
James Harland Lockhart V
www.facebook.com/jhl5films
