A classic British-found footage movie, The Borderlands, also known as The Last Prayer in the USA has a new remastered Blu-ray release from Second Sight.
A small team of Vatican investigators, which includes a technical there to set up and film everything, arrive at a remote church to investigate the building’s unusual goings on, but what they slowly discover is more disturbing than they could ever imagine.
Released in 2013 The Borderlands has slowly developed a cult following after a small cinema release and DVD sell-through. Set in rural Devon the film starts in a very leisurely manner with the two main characters, tech geek Gray (Robin Hill) and Deacon (Gordon Kennedy) setting up and bonding quickly.
The chemistry between these two is what makes the first part very enjoyable with witty banter and sharp dialogue. One is a sceptic priest and the other a non-believer but open-minded about the situation, especially after he sees a video of what happened in the church during a christening.
Things start to get serious when the vicar at the church starts to act strange and after Deacon visits the church late at night on his own, he believes things are not as they seem. Deacon is a man on the edge after a similar incident happened in Brazil when several people died.
This is a slow burner but the last 20 minutes is when it starts to get terrifying, building to a shocking and disturbing climax, anybody with an ounce of claustrophobia you have been warned.
While those who have seen many found footage movies will see a lot of familiar tropes, it is done in a way which is different and you can feel the tension building throughout although you’re not 100% sure why.
The new Blu-ray from Second Sight has a crisp and good image, plenty of grain but still keeping plenty of detail. The surround audio track adds to it with good use of silent moments.
Extras are interesting and you get –
- New audio commentary by Actors Robin Hill and Gordon Kennedy, Producer Jennifer Handorf, and Special Effects Designer Dan Martin
- Dressed the Part: a new fun interview with Robin Hill and Gordon Kennedy
- Losing Faith: A New Interview with Jennifer Handorf
- Monster Goo: A new interview with Dan Martin
- Archive featurette: Behind the Scenes
A good scary haunting story, which may not be for some, but those that stick with it will find a terrifying and enjoyable horror.
Two Blu-ray releases are available, a limited collectors edition and a standard edition.
FILM – 8 / PICTURE – 8 / AUDIO – 9 / EXTRAS – 7
CLICK HERE TO ORDER THE LIMITED EDITION
CLICK HERE TO ORDER STANDARD EDITION
