Blood Creek [DVD] [2009]

Joel Schumacher's exercise in occult Nazi horror has been given a simple presentation on this DVD from Lions Gate Films. Blood Creek has been given a widescreen transfer to disc, letterboxed at 2.35:1 on conventional televisions and enhanced for anamorphic playback on 16:9 monitors. The desaturated color schemes and sharp focus of Darko Suvak's cinematography come across accurately on this release, but it also reinforces the film's dim and shadowy look, and it might have helped to brighten the image just a bit for home video. The audio is mastered in Dolby Digital 5.1, and the surround mix is lively and realistic. The dialogue is in English (with a few moments in German), and the disc includes optional English and Spanish subtitles but no additional spoken language options. As a bonus, this edition includes an optional commentary track from director Schumacher, who discusses his cast, the historical basis behind the story, and the practicalities of shooting a film in Romania. The only other additional material on this release is a collection of trailers for other Lions Gate releases. horror fans interested in the film will get a watchable transfer in this release, but anyone hoping for a deluxe edition with lots of extras (or even a trailer) will have to wait.