THE BORDERLANDS (2013)
Limited Edition Blu-ray
Label: Second Sight Films
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Cert. 15
Duration: 92 Minutes 38 Seconds
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1)
Director: Elliot Goldner
Cast: Robin Hill, Gordon Kennedy, Luke Neal, Aidan McArdle
When supernatural happenings are reported to have happened at a thirteenth century church in rural Devon by it's priest Father Crellick (Luke Neal, Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi) the Vatican dispatch a small team of investigators to prove or disprove a supposed "miracle" briefly caught on video; we have the cynical Vatican investigator Deacon (Gordon Kennedy, TVs Robin Hood), snooty supervisor Relator General Mark Amidon (Aidan McArdle) and tech specialist Gray (Robin Hill, Kill List) who is there to capture the entire investigation on audio/video. Arriving the set about trying to detect any trickery, developing a theory that Crellick may be trying to drum up new life for his dwindling congregation with what he deems to be a miracle. Setting up their equipment they begin their investigation, they begin hearing a unexplained scratching, thumps and the eerie sound of a crying baby, none of which they can easily source. Having found no proof of tampering on the part of the priest they continue to scout the church proof of what it that is happening, all the while Deacon and Gray discuss their faith or lack thereof, with the latter being a skeptic, and the former being someone who has seen a thing or two during his time with Vatican.
What they ultimately discover is more disturbing than they could ever have imagined, and I will say that it caught me off guard as well. I won't spoil it other than to say that The Borderlands is a pretty terrific found-footage flick that is top-notch, especially for one that came so late in the game, by 2013 I think the found-footage cycle had largely run it's course, but then comes this religious-themed folk-horror entry, which by and large came and went without a lot of fanfare, but it has since gone onto to garner a lot of notice, making several Top 10 Found-Footage Movies lists from folks I respect. This was a first-time watch for me, and it won me over quite handily. The idea of Vatican investigators looking into supernatural activity is nothing new under the sun, but it's quite well written and staged, they handle it quite well, with a deft execution that doesn't come off as standard found-footage fare. We have a quietly sinister village with increasingly hostile locals, stories of Deacon's involvement in a previous investigation in Brazil that ended with seven dead priests including one who cut out his own eyes, and of course a thousand year-old church which is a creepy character unto itself, as well as a labyrinthine systems of caves below the church that hide a millennia-old evil that threatens to consume all three men.
I also love how unsure I was about what was happening here, so many flick are easy to pin down, but here it could be anything; this has ghost-hunting vibes, it could be demons, it could be human trickery, it could be an ancient pagan evil, it's all just up in the air, and by the time you realize what's happening, it's already lured you, and the characters, into its depths, you're caught. A terrifically eerie and chilling found-footage entry that offers superior chills and suspense, with a wild finale that had me on the edge of my seat.
Audio/Video: The Borderlands (2013) arrives on region-free Blu-ray from Second Sight Film sin 1080p HD framed in 1.85:1 widescreen. It looks solid, the found-footage aesthetic is achieved with traditional digital filming techniques that are manipulated to appear to show footage shot from wall-mounted and mobile ear-mounted surveillance camera installed around the apartment the Vatican crew are staying in as well as the church, with some occasional digital compression, interference or glitches popping up for the sake of authenticity. It generally looks quite strong with excellent color reproduction, black levels are pleasing but are occasionally weak, which I would attribute to intentionally created found-footage limitations.
Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround with optional English subtitles, and it's a banger. As thi sis presented as a collection of footage edited together from the files of the Vatican we do not have a score, staying true to the tenant of found-footage, but we do get get a very active and eerie surround sound mix that throws you right into the center of the action. There are sounds of a screaming sheep, disembodied voices, creepy knocks and scratches in the church, as well as the sounds of a baby crying, some of it really got under my skin while i was watching it.
Second Sight Films offer a terrific selection of extras, starting off with a new Audio commentary by actors Robin Hill and Gordon Kennedy, producer Jennifer Handorf and special effects designer Dan Martin, a wonderfully chatty affair with plenty of fun anecdotes about the making of the low-budget found footage flick. Many of the same anecdotes are retold in the individual interviews also on the disc. We also get the 30-min Dressed the Part: a new interview with Robin Hill and Gordon Kennedy; these two have such a fun rapport with one another, both synopsize the film, talk about their characters and the dynamic between the pair, while Kennedy talks about previous films he made with Ben Wheatley (KIll List), doing both editing and acting. They also get into how the found-footage aesthetic work in the storys favor, their characters dynamics, some of the technical aspect of the filming, shooting in actual caves and the church, and telling a fun story of how the 1st Assistant on the film ended up marrying Margot Robie that same year after working with her on I, Tonya and he ended up producing Barbie! They also touch on how the film was received during its initial theatrical, and how it found its audience during the ensuing decade.
Next up is the 30-min Losing Faith: a new interview with Jennifer Handorf, who talks about how she got involved with the production through the now defunct Metrodome, describing found-footage as a difficult sub-genre, admitting that she often finds it distasteful, but found it a fun challenge, mentioning that after production had ended the financiers asked if they could somehow make it not found-footage! She also gets into how the found-footage fad had sort of passed by the time the film came out, so it was a bit of an albatross marketing it. She also gets into working with a first time director, how the film evolved during the writing and editing process, little easter eggs that call back to other films, including TV movie The Stone Tape (1972), and how the church was a character in the film, as were the man-made Chislehurst caves, which has been used for many things, from housing refugees during WWII, a Jiminy Hendrix concert and a filming location for Inseminoid! Its was a labyrinthine cave system, and indeed some of the crew did lose resort way inside of them. She also talks about the marketing campaign, the original title, and how it was retitled Final Prayer in the U.S..
In the 16-min Monster Goo: a new interview with Dan Martin, who went onto work on Broadcast Intrusion Signal, Censor, , Possessor, and Infinity Pool and talks about the different components of slimes used in films, demonstrating Ultra Slime, methicellite, J-Lube, potassium sorbate, and tricks like adding wool to effect drip, hang and hold, and noting that "mouth-safe" is not the same as "edible", before getting into his contributions to the film including the worm valve, the burning sheep, the falling crucifix gag, dead babies, and the cemetery headstone, and some gore-gags he wished he could have done for the film if it weren't for time and budget constraints.
The extras are buttoned-up with a 30-min Archive Featurette: Behind the Scenes that features archival interviews with director Jennifer Handorf, Director Elliot Goldner, actors Robin Hill and Gordon Kennedy. Interestingly it is the only extras featuring director Goldner, not sure why he is not present on the newly produced extras,perhaps a scheduling issue prevented it, but it is a bummer.
This is the Limited Edition Blu-ray release of the film, the single-disc Blu-ray release arrives in a black keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork housed inside a Rigid Slipcase, both featuring eerie artwork by artist Christopher Shy, who also did the excellent artwork for Second Sight's release of The Changeling. Also tucked away inside the slipbox is 70-Page Book with new essays by Tim Coleman, Martyn Conterio, Shellie McMurdo and Johnny Walker that explore found-footage frights and faith skepticism, behind-the-scenes images, and cast and crew information. We also get Six collectors' Art Cards featuring Christopher Shy's artwork and images from the film.
Special Features:
• New Audio commentary by actors Robin Hill and Gordon Kennedy, producer Jennifer Handorf and special effects designer Dan Martin
• Dressed the Part: a new interview with Robin Hill and Gordon Kennedy (30:02)
• Losing Faith: a new interview with Jennifer Handorf (30:11)
• Monster Goo: a new interview with Dan Martin (15:41)
• Archive featurette: Behind the Scenes (31.38)
Limited Edition Contents
• Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Christopher Shy
• 70-page book with new essays by Tim Coleman, Martyn Conterio, Shellie McMurdo and Johnny
Walker
• Six collectors' Art Cards
Screenshots from the Second Sight Films Blu-ray:
