Baphomet Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		2.5

Baphomet Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 13, 2021

Part of my misspent youth included working on an eventually abandoned Master's thesis which was going to be about some peculiarities shared between two men who considered themselves mortal enemies, the legendary Irish poet William Butler Yeats and the English occultist Aleister Crowley. Some may know that Yeats and Crowley were co-initiates in a so-called "secret society" called The Golden Dawn, initially mixing together about as well as oil and water and then becoming even more estranged, but they also shared some curious similarities, including each having wives who supposedly dabbled in "automatic writing" (Yeats' A Vision and Crowley's Book of the Law were supposedly "delivered" via that method). If A Vision in particular overtly points to Yeats' interest in "hidden mysteries" and metaphysical organizing principles, his writing, while at least alluding to some of these concepts, tended to be wrapped up in relatively traditional Irish lore and legend. Crowley, who famously was branded "the wickedest man in the world" and who tended to be considerably more esoteric and kind of ironically ecumenical in his approach, co-opted all sorts of traditions and terminologies from various cultures. In that regard, it's perhaps notable that the use of the term Baphomet has tended to become associated at least as much with Crowley, who utilized it in a variety of his "magickal" writings, as it is with the Knights Templar, a previous "secret society" of sorts who were ostensibly "put out of business" for worshipping the decidedly demonic figure.

If Baphomet had attempted to elucidate some of that history within the guise of offering an "origin story" for its titular creature, it might have been more distinctive than this pretty rote feature, one which offers a Satanic cult attempting to gain ownership of some property in Northern California (watch out Esalen, you have competition!). The land belongs to the Richardson family, who have no intentions of selling, which is when all (yes, you guessed it) hell breaks loose, though it takes the unassuming Richardsons a little while to figure out their string of bad luck isn't entirely (or even a little) random. They finally reach out to purveyors of "good magic" to overcome their tribulations, but not before copious blood and guts have been spilled.

With a premise this basic, Baphomet is not exactly a model of narrative complexity, but for those wanting a pretty quick watch (the film clocks in at basically an hour and change) with some occasionally gruesome imagery, not to mention a nude woman or two, it will probably suffice perfectly well. You have to give writer and director Matthan Harris some kind of props for working a number of gonzo elements, including a shark attack (!), into the story, and some may be intrigued by the inclusion of Dani Filth in the cast, though he's not given a wealth of screen time. The film has decent production values, though some of the performances can come off as unintentionally comical at times. Again, while not trafficking in anything very unusual, Fabio Amurri's score also provides some effective moments.

Baphomet Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Baphomet is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Cleopatra Entertainment with an MPEG-2 encoded 1080p transfer in 2.37:1. Cleopatra frankly continues to baffle me with its Blu-ray releases, offering older codecs and lossy audio, but within that context, Baphomet typically looks decently sharp and well detailed. (The MPEG-2 aspect is actually kind of odd, since the boot up logo is encoded via the more contemporary AVC.) The film's black levels are generally consistent, with a few milky moments the exception rather than the rule. Detail levels are also generally very good, with some understandable downturns in moments like the "Zoom" like interchanges with the character played by Dani Filth. Some of the nighttime material and/or dimly lit interior scenes have commendable delineation of tones, though crush can occasionally occur. Practical effects are actually quite good, including some gruesome makeup, but the CGI, while brief, can look kind of hazy and not very well detailed. My score is 3.75.

Baphomet Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Why, Cleopatra, why? For a label with at least a fair amount of "street cred" in music circles, it continues to completely confound me that Cleopatra offers only lossy audio on its Blu-ray releases. Once again there are Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 tracks on this disc, and, as with the video element, within that context things sound fine. The surround track significantly opens up the soundstage both in terms of some hoary startle effects, and the aforementioned score, as well as providing good accounts of well placed ambient environmental sounds in the many outdoor scenes. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. No subtitles are available on this release.

Baphomet Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Deleted & Extended Scenes (HD; 13:17)


• Outtakes (HD; 6:43)


• Dani Filth Backstage Interview (HD; 9:10)


• Teaser Trailer (HD; 1:07 plus 00:10 separately authored Cleopatra masthead)


• Tank featuring Dani Filth "Shellshock" Music Video (HD; 2:50)


• Behind the Scenes Pictures (HD; 2:46)


• Character Art by Jason Millet (HD; 1:57)


• Storyboards by Jason Millet (HD; 10:23)

Additionally, a number of trailers for other releases from Cleopatra Entertainment are also included under a separate menu listing.

Baphomet Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In one of those weird "synchronicities" that seem to crop up regularly in my life, I've recently gone down the streaming rabbit hole of a series called Escape to the Chateau DIY, and one of the French castles regularly featured on the show dates back to the 12th century and ownership by the Knights Templar. I've been wondering throughout my binging if the current (and presumed non-Knights Templar) owner, a really funny and resourceful woman named Fiona Jones, is going to talk about anything going "bump in the night" in the bowels of the structure, which might indicate Baphomet has been hiding out for untold centuries. With such a redolent title, I really wish Baphomet could have exploited the fascinating history of the "character" more than it does. That said, the film has a few decent scares, though it's far from innovative. Cleopatra continues to release Blu-rays with older codecs and lossy audio, but within those contexts things look and sound at least decent, and this release has some enjoyable supplements as well, for those who are considering a purchase.