Black Mass (2023/Cleopatra Blu-ray*)/The Convent 4K (2000/Synapse 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray*)/Prey (2024/Vertical Entertainment DVD)/Shadow Boxing (1979/88 Films Blu-ray/*all MVD)

4K Ultra HD Picture: A- Picture: B/B+/B-/B+ Sound: B/B/B-/B+ Extras: C-/B/D/C+ Films: C-/B-/C+/C+

Now for more chilling horror tales....

The Black Mass (2023) is an independent horror film directed by Devanny Pinn, and chronicles a 24-hour period in Florida in 1978 where a serial killer killed off a bunch of teens in a sorority house. While the low budget effort pulls off the period look well enough, there isn't much more that really drives the film or makes it stand out from others like it. The film is a very slow moving and starts out with the killer just creeping on these young women in broad daylight. He's basically Michael Myers without the mask. All in all, it feels a little low effort. The film isn't really shot or cut in a stylistic or original way, it plays out like a TV movie with a little more violence.

The film stars Nicky Whelan, Kathleen Kinmont, Jeremy London, Lisa Wilcox, Lew Temple, and Jennifer Wenger.

The Black Mass is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4 AVC codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and a lossless, English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit). The HD transfer is acceptable given the nature of the film and looks fine on Blu-ray.

Special Features : Trailer and an Image Slideshow.

The Convent (2000) gets a new 4K UHD release from Synapse films and boasts a beautiful transfer that really shines on disc. Directed by Mike Mendez (Satanic Hispanics), The Convent is a love letter to horror movies of the 80s / 90s especially films like Night of the Demons. Using a slasher story formula, a demented convent where a bloody massacre took place decades prior becomes a party spot for a group of sorority members who find themselves in the middle of demonic havoc and a satanic resurrection plot.

The film stars Joanna Canton, Richard Trapp, Renee Graham, Megahn Perry, Chaton Anderson, and Adrienne Barbeau.

The Convent is presented in 2160p Dolby Vision/HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition image, a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and an audio track in lossless, English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) sound. The film has been remastered in 4K Uncut and supervised by director Mike Mendez. The 5.1 stereo surround mix is from the original 16-track audio masters. Shot on film, the transfer looks very clean and certainly an improvement over prior releases. The colors really pop here, especially the black-light neon-type make-up used for the demons.

Special Features :

Cast and crew audio commentary, featuring director Mike Mendez

"Lords of Hell" audio commentary featuring Saul and Dickie-Boy

Video tour of both THE CONVENT and KILLERS film locations

Vintage "Making of" featurette

Vintage original studio Electronic Press Kit (EPK)

"It's Always Something with a Virgin" Liner notes booklet from Corey Danna

Deleted scene

Gore outtakes

Still gallery

Promotional trailers

and reversible cover art.

The Convent is a love letter to demonic / campy horror films of the past like Killer Party, Night of the Demons, Evil Dead, and others. A mix of horror and comedy, the film is great for late night horror fun, and the 4K UHD from Synapse is a strong achievement from the label which always put out a quality product.

Prey (2024), not to be confused with the Predator film by the same name, is a intense African set isolation piece starring a few recognizable (and underrated) faces in Ryan Phillippe, Emile Hirsch, and Mena Suvari.

Directed by Mukunda Michael Dewil, the film begins with Phillippe and Suvari who play a likable married couple working at a Christian missionary in Africa who are forced to leave by an extremist militant gang. They pay for a last minute private plane ride out of there, along with a few other strangers, and fly out with a rugged pilot played by Emile Hirsch. Due to a weight restraint and a bad storm, the plane crashes in the middle of a nowhere African wasteland. Those that make it alive out of the crash are picked off one by one by nature, animals, and even other humans. The film plays like a more dim reimagining of Walkabout where the power of faith intervenes at a crucial moment as the characters struggle to survive.

The three name actors all pull their weight here and are pretty good. Phillippe even goes as far as letting a real scorpion crawl all over his face and neck in one tense moment that is pretty impressive. A few weak visual effects aside, the film is effective for being on a lower budget. I also feel that the film is pretty realistic in its execution and there weren't moments where the stakes weren't hard to believe. The film studies man against man and man against nature in a thought provoking way.

Prey is presented here is presented in anamorphically enhanced, standard definition on DVD with a 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio and a lossy audio tracks in 2.0 Stereo and 5.1 Dolby Digital. I'm sure in a higher resolution some of the nice shots of Africa are more effective than here as compression issues are evident and inherent in the format.

No extras .

Prey isn't bad for what it is and features some decent cinematography and performances.

A Shaw Brothers film, The Shadow Boxing aka The Spiritual Boxer Part 2 (1979) gets a nice restoration and release on Blu-ray from 88 Films. Directed by Lau Kar-leung (Eight Diagram Pole Fighter) and starring Gordon Lui (Kill Bill), the unique martial arts comedy follows some strange undertakers who transport bodies using a form of magic that reanimates the dead and makes them hopping vampires obedient to their commands. However, one of the corpses doesn't do as its told and may not be dead, and a woman in disguise is also on their trail as they transport the dead across several lands. In addition to great fight choreography, the supernatural concept of this film elevates it a different way than other similar Shaw Brothers productions. The film is still rooted in comedy, and doesn't take itself too seriously at any moment.

The Shadow Boxing is presented in 1080p high definition on Blu-ray disc with an MPEG-4 AVC codec, a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and a lossless, Mandarin LPCM 2.0 Mono mix. This HD transfer is from the original camera negative and presents a clear sounding and looking presentation that falls in line with the other nice work that 88 Films has done as of late.

Special Features :

Slipcase with brand-new artwork by Mark Bell

4 x collectable artcards

Trailer

Stills Gallery

and a reversible sleeve featuring original Hong Kong poster artwork .

The Shadow Boxing has a nice release here from 88 Films and would recommend it if you are a Shaw Brothers fan.

- James Lockhart

https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/