Borley Rectory Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Borley Rectory Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 1, 2019

Ashley Thorpe's "Borley Rectory" (2017) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Nucleus Films. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers; multiple audio commentaries; cast and crew interviews; featurettes; and a lot more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The scary place

Do you believe in ghosts? If you don’t and you justify your dismissal with the simple fact that you are a rational person, I have another question for you. What makes you a rational person? Do you believe only in what you see, or is your rationality defined by some unique validation process that allows your mind to register the real? If it is the former then you probably do not believe that most of the world that you live in exists. A silly exaggeration? Well, there is an excellent chance that you have not visited the Great Pyramids of Giza, so how do you know that they are in fact real? You rely on other people’s photographs and descriptions to support your ‘rational’ belief that they exist. If you utilize some unique validation process that defines your rationality, what makes it unique? Whatever the process is, it almost certainly incorporates factual evidence supplied by someone else. In other words, your rationality is shaped up by plenty that is not part of your reality. You choose to trust that something is as described and exists and then your mind registers it the right way.

In the grand scheme of things, however, it is actually irrelevant whether you consider yourself a rational person or not. Here’s a good example that will help you understand why. Pick the most outrageous episode of the popular TV show David Blaine: Real or Magic?, get comfortable, and start viewing it. Now, I don’t want you to pay attention to the tricks that Blaine does. Instead, I want you to focus on the people around him. When Blaine explains to them the magic that they are about to witness, what is the one thing they usually have in common? Their skepticism. Initially, they are all skeptics because they are all ‘rational’ people. They doubt Blaine and many often declare that the magic that has been described to them is impossible. But when Blaine does his tricks before their eyes the impossible suddenly becomes possible, and in this exact moment their ‘rationality’ evaporates. It does not matter if Blaine’s trick is real or not, what does is that in that moment the minds of these people register the tricks as the real thing. The magic did happen, they saw it, and now they are believers. This is what always separates the real from the unreal -- the registration process. If the mind can register the unreal the right way, you’ve got yourself something very real.

The official subject of Ashley Thorpe’s Borley Rectory is the history of ‘the most haunted house in England', which apparently was stuck in the director’s mind for years, but what the film actually does quite well while going through various famous stories about the spooky place is highlight how over time the registration process that I described above was used to validate the existence of ghosts. Indeed, at the core of the film are the findings of the paranormal investigator Harry Price (played by Jonathan Rigby) who back in the late 1920s started digging deep into the stories to separate the fake from the real but while trying to remain rational in his notes merged the two and then essentially legitimized the existence of ghosts. What does this mean exactly? Well, there are some pretty wild events from these stories that are described in ways that actually strip them of their irrationality, so at a particular moment they become quite easy for the mind to register as rational. My point is this: Just like in Blaine’s show in Thorpe’s film the mind is tricked to register plenty that clearly isn’t real the right way, and the meaningful details that are supposed to matter and help you, the viewer, judge their authenticity become irrelevant. In other words, while Borley Rectory is supposed to be something of a credible eye-opener on the issue of ghosts and a spooky place that for decades might have been one of their favorite hangouts, it is actually a cunning pseudo-documentary that, much like Blaine, is really after your mind.

The visual appearance of the film reminds of Guy Maddin’s work, though much of the animated material adds a contemporary edge that is common for digital projects that are done on a budget. Julian Sands narrates it.

Borley Rectory Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Borley Rectory arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Nucleus Films.

The film uses a lot of animated material and there are plenty of digital enhancements that give it a very specific 'dated' appearance, so its stylization makes it a bit difficult to evaluate the technical presentation. Nevertheless, it is obvious that the basic qualities of the transfer are solid. I could not see any encoding anomalies either -- despite the massive amount of bonus features -- but even if there were any the stylization would likely make them impossible to spot. So, as far as I am concerned there is nothing here that could potentially spoil your viewing of the film. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Borley Rectory Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio has a very important role to play throughout the entire film and the lossless 5.1 track does not disappoint. The random noises and effects that are used to enhance the creepy atmosphere are very easy to identity but balance remains excellent. There are no encoding anomalies to report.

Borley Rectory Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailers - in English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Trailer - original festival trailer. (2 min, 1080p).
  2. Teaser One - (1 min, 1080p)
  3. Teaser Two - (1 min, 1080p).

• Short Films - three short films from director Ashley Thorpe. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Scayrecrow (2008). Color. (13 min, 1080p).
  2. Hairy Hands (2010). Color. (14 min, 1080p)
  3. Screaming Skull (2008). Color. (11 min, 1080p).

• Ultrasound of a Haunting - this exclusive featurette focuses on the production history and style of Borley Rectory as well as the popular stories and myths that inspired it. Included in it are clips from interviews with director/writer Ashley Thorpe, composer Mick Grierson, and actors Ed Berry and Nicholas Vince, amongst others. In English, not subtitled. (75 min, 1080p).

• Haunted Generation - in this program, Christopher Maynard, author of The World of the Unknown: Ghosts' Usborne Philosophy, Anna Howorth (Usborne Publishing), and Reece Shearsmith (Usbourne book fan) have a lot to say about 'legit' and 'semi-legit' ghost stories from across the United Kingdom, with an emphasis on the Borley Rectory and its history. In English, not subtitled. (32 min, 1080p).

• Night Visions - presented here is a Q&A session with director Ashley Thorpe that was filmed after a screening of his film at the Night Visions Festival in Helsinki, Finland. In English, not subtitled. (24 min, 1080p).

• Celluloid Screams - this is another Q&A session with director Ashley Thorpe with more information about the conception and final version of Borley Rectory. It was filmed in Sheffield on October 20, 2017. In English, not subtitled. (33 min, 1080p).

• At the Mercy of Ghosts - presented here is a filmed conversation between award-winning British screenwriter and author Stephen Volk and director Ashley Thorpe. The main subject is British haunting and ghosts. In English, not subtitled. (28 min, 1080p).

• History of Borley Rectory - in this program focuses on the enduring appeal of ghost stories as well as their origin(s). Included in it are clips from interviews with author and historical researcher Stewart Evans discusses as well as authors Eddie Brazil and Paul Adams (The Borley Rectory Companion). In English, not subtitled. (28 min, 1080p).

• Q&A at the British Library - presented here is a Q&A session with actors Reece Shearsmith and Jonathan Rigby that was held at the British Library. In English, not subtitled. (17 min, 1080p).

• GrimFest Interview - presented here is a filmed Q&A session with Ashley Thorpe and actors Claire Louise Amias and Jonathan Rigby, and producer Tom Atkinson. The session was shot at GrimmFest. In English, not subtitled. (12 min, 1080p).

• Anatomy of a Scene - this featurette takes a closer look at the animating of Borley Rectory. It features comments by Ashley Thorpe and has an interview with animator Kevin Double (Double Farley Creative). In English, not subtitled. (11 min, 1080p).

• Conjuring the Spirits - in this featurette, Robert Thorpe. father of director Ashley Thorpe and furniture restorer, explains how some of the unique period details in Borley Rectory were created. In English, not subtitled. (12 min, 1080p).

• Martian Lighthouse - in this piece, director Ashley Thorpe discusses Harry Price's work, while Jonathan Rigby reads excerpts from the investigator's novel The Search for Truth. In English, not subtitled. (11 min, 1080p).

• Gallery - a collection of production and behind-the-scenes stills. With music. (7 min, 1080p).

• Audio Commentaries -
  
  1. Commentary One: Featuring Ashley Thorpe and Kevin Lyons.
  2. Commentary Two: Featuring Johnny Mains.

Borley Rectory Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Are ghosts real? As far as I am concerned ghosts are as real as you allow them to be. If you let them find a comfy place in your head, then yes, they can very much be part of the same world you live in. The rest is just noise and colorful chatter, quite literary, and I tend to avoid both. Director Ashley Thorpe and a whole bunch of other smart people that made Borley Rectory and contributed to this recent release from Nucleus Films, however, disagree and they offer plenty of material that supposedly supports their take on the matter. I remain a skeptic, but I had a pretty good time viewing Borley Rectory and hearing different deconstructions of popular myths about ghosts from the other side of the Atlantic. RECOMMENDED.