Rating summary

Movie		1.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		3.0

August Underground Blu-ray Movie Review

I tried. I really tried. I just can't...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown December 10, 2023

Look, no judgement. I mean it. I just can't bring myself to fully watch all three August Underground Trilogy films. They're disgusting, which doesn't make those who enjoy them disgusting. Simply... interesting folks. Don't get me wrong, I know these flicks are intentionally disgusting, not to mention gory, nauseating, offensive and distasteful for the sake of being, well, all the things even a horror junkie like me can't quite stomach. There are lines, and reviewing has allowed me to find mine. Your lines may be farther down the genre path. If so, ladies and gents, may I present the August Underground Trilogy in all its sick, twisted, low-budget indie glory. These are the Saw movies for a generation who thought, "meh, could be grosser." These are the Hostel flicks, for people who shrugged their shoulders and wished for something dirtier, grimier and more diseased. And I can't stress this enough: I think... no, I know that's the point. Director Fred Vogel wants to push you past what you thought you were capable of enjoying. And he does so to greater or lesser extents, depending on your appreciation of being pushed so far. So if you think you can watch this trilogy from start to bloody finish, more power to ya. I failed, by the films' implied challenge, and I'm not exactly sad I did. Good luck and God speed.

From director Fred Vogel: "It’s been too long and the fans are ravenous for the August Underground trilogy. A whole new generation of sickos are ready to experience August Underground. I’m stoked that ToeTag and Unearthed Films will be working together on these upcoming releases to give the fans what they want. I look forward to spreading the sickness with Unearthed Films… get ready.”

August Underground Synopsis: Imagine walking down the street and finding an unmarked VHS tape. Curiosity picqued, you take it home and pop it in. What starts off as two men screwing around with a video camera quickly transforms into an ultra-realistic torture sequence where the unidentified psychopaths tape their exploits as they torment and violate a woman tied to a chair. The sodomy of your morals continues throughout the entirety of the footage, while subtly revealing the killer’s shattered pasts via the interactions with the victims and each other. The most shockingly realistic portrait of a serial killer’s existence: 'August Underground'.

August Underground Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The first two August Underground Trilogy films are presented with 1.33:1 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfers. However, because each found footage-style production is meant to evoke lo-fi, standard definition VHS video, the results are as ugly as the content of the supposed tapes. The illusion is convincing, and the resulting presentations are intentionally horrible. Blocking, crush, stair-stepping, subpar clarity, lines rolling up and down the screen (just like an old, worn VHS tape would do)... it's a mess. Colors are vivid, and pop enough to make things queasier than they already would be otherwise, and black levels are deep-ish, though as flawed and inconsistent as everything else, including detail. In fact, there's just enough detail to be able to see what's happening, which more often than not, doesn't help with the nausea. Part of me became irritated with the VHS-style presentation; the other part of me was grateful I wasn't watching Vogel's serial killers film their crimes in crystal clear high definition.

August Underground Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

All three August Underground films feature a down-and-dirty, equally lo-fi LPCM 2.0 mix, again, designed from the ground up to sound like the audio you'd expect while watching a tattered VHS tape. Voices are intelligible enough to follow the, um, "plot" and conversations, but warped and warbled enough to top off the home cassette illusion. Likewise, effects and other elements are decidedly realistic, insofar as a poor camcorder microphone would capture each sound. It suits the films, sure. But it gets very old, very quickly. Particularly if you're watching the entire trilogy, back to back. Nearly five hours of torture, ugly VHS video and intentionally degraded audio? No thanks.

August Underground Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Four Audio Commentaries - A newly-recorded track between director Fred Vogel and Ultra-Violent Magazine's Art Ettinger, a solo track from Vogel, a third track with Vogel and actors Aaron and Ben LaBonte, and a final gimmick track with Vogel in character.

• Fred Vogel Video Introduction (HD/SD, 1 minute)

• Original Screener Version of the Film

• 10 Questions with Fred Vogel (HD/SD, 12 minutes)

• TOETAG Masterclass: From Storyboard to Screen (HD/SD, 7 minutes)

• Two Interviews with Vogel and Writer Mike Watt, by Dave Parker (HD/SD, 114 minutes)

• Revisiting Infamy: Severed Cinema Interviews Fred Vogel (HD/SD, 39 minutes)

• Hammer to the Head: A Closer Look at August Underground (HD/SD, 67 minutes)

• August Underground 'Too Real for Comfort': An Outsiders' Perspective (HD/SD, 102 minutes)

• Photo Gallery Slideshow (HD, 13 minutes)

August Underground Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I couldn't bear to watch the August Underground Trilogy films. Not because I would puke out my guts, although I doubt I'd be hungry anytime soon after, but because the trio are so vile, so unapologetically gratuitous and brutal that I had no desire to subject myself to the torture of others being believably tortured. You may love 'em. Like I said, no judgement. You'll just have to forgive my non-reviews. Unearthed Films brings each of the Trilogy to Blu-ray as they were meant to be seen and heard, which isn't saying a lot considering the lo-fi video and audio that involves. But it's faithful, so it's hard to get too upset. However, each release offers a massive collection of special features, which lend plenty of value to each purchase. The August Underground flicks aren't for me, but if you dig 'em, you'll certainly get your money's worth.