Feast of Amrita Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Feast of Amrita Blu-ray Movie Review

Feast of Amrita is a prequel horror film spin-off of Aragne: Sign of Vermilion. The feature-film is considered a short- feature work (at 48 minutes length) and was released in Japanese cinemas on May 26^th, 2023. The film was licensed for home media and streaming release on HIDIVE by distributor Sentai Filmworks.

Tamahi (Maaya Uchida), Aki (Mamiko Noto), and Yū (MoeMi) go on a journey never to be forgotten by the trio of girls. The girls go on a simple trip only to find themselves immersed in a land of horror and torment. After seeing a lone woman falling out of the sky, the girls realize the woman was falling by a scary looking and desolate apartment complex.

The apartment complex was closed down. As it turns out, the apartment complex is known as a “Carabi-Yau” – in other words, a scary place where people disappear – never to return. The location is one of terror. People go and they don’t come back. It is a fight to survive.

As the girls enter the scary looking apartment complex, it becomes their own fight to survive inside it. Now they face demonic enemies that can absorb their own memories, take the memories for their own, and steal possession of the mind. Can the girls escape horrific deaths and return to their ordinary lives? Or could it already be too late – the second the trio entered the complex of horrors?

The animation is by Saku Sakamoto (Aragne: Sign of Vermilion). The animation is far better than expected for a smaller budget production that uses a lot of CG elements. The animation style is compelling, blending a fantasy element into the art style. The animation creates an almost eerie, hypnotic quality that is hard to shake. The frenzied style is sometimes chaotic and the animation relies heavily on some abstract design elements to enhance the background animation and add something new to the table.

The character designs by Saku Sakamoto are well-done and blend in well with the animation. Sakamoto certainly does a solid job handling multiple animation duties by providing the character designs. These designs aim for a somewhat more realistic style which is an interesting contrast to the experimental animation style in the design attributes – both from the landscapes of the buildings to the terror sequences.

The score composed by Saku Sakamoto (Aragne: Sign of Vermilion) is solid, too. Once again, Sakamoto proves himself to be a wizard and multi-hyphenated artist working in multiple arenas on the project. Effective and eerie music adds to the style of the production. The score is a solid attribute for the storytelling and it certainly helps create more unease for the horror elements. 

Written and directed by Saku Sakamoto (Mattsu to Yanma to Moburi-san 2, Calabi-Yau no Sukima), Feast of Amrita is a worthwhile and experimental horror film. The horror film might be on the shorter side but it does have a compelling style. Feast of Amrita is a fun experience and even at a brisk 48 minutes the film feels well-rounded enough with regards to the concept.

At the same time, don’t anticipate any real character development or depth – the film is about the concept and provides entertaining thrills – but it’s also fairly routine in other respects. The script isn’t the best but it does satisfy with some decent elements. Feast of Amrita is well-directed and although the film isn’t as scary as some horror films it creates a solid enough sense of dread and terror for the genre.

The terror aspect is certainly something that could have been better overall, though. I never felt scared during Feast of Amrita. The film didn’t grab me in a truly frightening manner. The best horror films creep under your skin and make you feel uneasy for hours. (I remember after my first viewing of The Exorcist, I stayed up all night long and wondered if I could ever sleep again. A terrifying masterpiece of horror.) Despite the lackluster scares, Feast of Amrita is a decent production and one that will have some fans.

Feast of Amrita Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Sentai Filmworks, Feast of Amrita is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 widescreen. The high-definition video presentation looks crisp and detailed. The background animation is clearly well- defined and has an abundance of detail. The presentation is well encoded with good clarity for the intricacies of the animation. The horror scenes have a lot of experimental visuals and the encoding capably showcases them without compression issues.

One of the strengths of the Blu-ray disc format is the superior video quality. Streaming video services tend to have lower picture-quality compared to physical media. Blu-ray can provide a more consistent presentation. The release has better encoding and there aren't as many variables. One of the things of issue with streaming is the variances one can experience due to router speeds, internet speeds, and bandwidth. Some households have capable equipment to yield better results but others do not – especially in rural areas. In addition to this issue, some family members might be using their wi-fi collection for streaming video games or playing music while another family member is on Netflix. Streaming quality can fluctuate even more a family member hopping on a different platform. An example of the superiority of physical media for film presentation.

Feast of Amrita Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound (with English subtitles).  The release preserves the sound design by Yuji Tan. The lossless Japanese audio track is crystal clear. Dialogue is well reproduced. The soundtrack is well detailed and the surrounds are well engaged. Outstanding clarity and engaging sound effects. The sound design by Tan is surprisingly good. An impressive soundstage with the surrounds actively used in several compelling sequences, with an emphasis on sound effects well-suited for the horror genre. The English subtitles are well done and are free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors.

Unfortunately, the release does not have an English dubbed option. The lack of an English dubbed option is something that might deter some from a purchase. It is quite unfortunate as there is a certain segment of the market that would have surely liked the release to include an English language version. The only option is the original Japanese language version. On the bright side, purists will appreciate having such a nice option for the original version.

The Blu-ray features quality lossless encoding and this is one of the best strengths of the physical media format. Audiophiles will be especially appreciative of the lossless quality provided by the format. Streaming video services only provide lossy (non-lossless) audio encoding. The difference on this particular title was especially noteworthy and engaging. The lossless audio made a nice difference and made the soundstage even more engaging and immersive sounding.

Feast of Amrita Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Movie Trailer (HD, 2:21)

Unfortunately, the Blu-ray is close to barebones and doesn't have much to offer. The movie trailer is the only on-disc supplement. I would have liked to see the release offer a more well-rounded supplemental package. The release certainly could have benefited by included an audio commentary, a behind-the-scenes documentary, featurettes, cast/crew interviews, photo galleries, and more. The packaging isn't much to write home about either. The package doesn't include a slipcover or any additional pack-in bonuses – such as art cards, booklets, or other collectables.

Feast of Amrita Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Feast of Amrita is an engaging short-form horror feature. The production has compelling animation and a haunting sense of scenery. The visuals make the filmmaking a lot more interesting – with some strong creative imagery by jack of all trades Saku Sakamoto. Saku Sakamoto handles the animation, the music, the character designs, the screenplay, and the direction. I was impressed by how decent the horror film was with one individual doing so many of the creative tasks.

The Blu-ray release provides a quality high-definition presentation and an immersive lossless audio presentation. Unfortunately, the release has a lackluster supplemental package. The film also is presented with only a Japanese language audio option. It is quite unfortunate that there is no English dubbed option on the release. Even though Feast of Amrita isn't a grand-slam, it has some compelling aspects. Recommended.