Moon Garden Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Moon Garden Blu-ray Movie Review

The next generation of dark fantasy filmmakers are on the rise...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown March 18, 2024

For those who love unearthing a diamond in the rough, who enjoy low-budget experimental filmmaking, or those who simply like watching an artist weave wonders in spite of whatever limitations stand in his or her way, may I present Moon Garden, a beautiful and haunting corner of writer/director Ryan Stevens Harris's imagination. Casting his own daughter in the role of a girl lost in a dark fantasy world that exists just behind her unconscious mind, Harris draws upon influences as far and wide as Terry Gilliam and Guillermo del Toro to create something uniquely his. It's not a perfect film by any means -- it certainly shows its low-budget constraints on more than one occasion -- but at its bleakest, blackest edges is a film of true artistry, craft, wizardry and spectacle; an unnerving fairy tale that (much as I'm not a fan of most remakes) deserves a properly funded redux, given Harris were afforded more to work with while retaining the absolute freedom on display here.

When an accident leaves a little girl named Emma (seven-year-old Haven Lee Harris) in a coma and her parents (Augie Duke and Brionne Davis) desperately praying for her recovery at her bedside, a dark, vast world of dreams and nightmares reveals itself. Awakening in a strange forest, Emma is confronted with a variety of creatures -- some friendly like the pale undead Musician (Phillip E. Walker), some mysterious like the Surgeon (Phillip E. Walker), some terrifying and sinister as Teeth (Morgana Ignis, as a faceless monster hunting the young girl) -- as she attempts to escape this realm of the dead. Utilizing all manner of practical effects, director Ryan Stevens Harris could easily be accused of traumatizing his daughter. Her performance, after all, is perhaps a bit too convincing, especially when the girl is left trembling in the face of all sorts of horrors. But the result is an at-times startlingly lovely slice of the macabre that, at its best, plays like a feature-length version of the Pale Man sequence in Pan's Labyrinth. With music by Michael Deragon, the film also stars Maria Olsen, Timothy Lee DePriest and Rachael Wagner.

Moon Garden has most often been compared to Phil Tippett's Mad God, although that's a terribly misleading comparison that I can't quite understand. Tippett's opus is dark fantasy, sure, but it's also wildly demented, hyperviolent and so, so, sooo cynical (mind you, in all the right ways), not to mention it's almost entirely comprised of stop-motion animation. Moon Garden, by contrast, employs only a touch of stop-motion trickery among its practical fx, but offers a far more hopeful and uplifting story, where a dramatic ascent of survival and escape -- not a perilous descent toward eminent death -- is the path our weary traveler follows. Only in still shots do the two offer even a passing resemblance, as Harris's film feels more personal in its tale and performances than Tippett's Mad God, which is more personal in its craft and style. Harris's cast of characters create the most surreal aspects of Moon Garden, visually and otherwise, with zombies, humanoid reapers and angels standing in for more inhuman beasties. Whether they're constructs of little Emma's unconscious imagination or visions of all too real forces of nature is irrelevant. Each creature is real to her, and in turn, to us.

Which brings me to young Haven Lee Harris. I wish I could say Moon Garden rises and falls with some other element, but it's really the director's elemetary-school-aged daughter that holds the film in her hands. And how do you criticize a seven-year-old? I mean, come on. For the most part, Harris the younger is outstanding. Watching her cry and cower is devastating, and wholly convincing. Still, there are a few too many times you can feel Harris the elder manipulating shots and stitching together pieces of performance; almost puppeting the girl as only a parent can. I struggle to criticize him on this point as well. I'd be calling him the monster had he subjected his daughter to anything less than a safe, soothing shooting environment (or at least as much of one as dear dad could supply). No, the simple fact of the matter is that Moon Garden is too scary and ambitious an art project for any seven-year-old to shoulder, and your milage with the film will hinge on how much you can suspend disbelief and follow little Harris into a hell manufactured for her behind-the-scenes comfort. I found myself distracted too often to fully immerse into every shadow and horror. You may have an easier time. Either way, there's something to Moon Garden. Imperfect as it is, it's far more engrossing than most of the paint-by-numbers schlock that passes for dark fantasy horror these days.

Moon Garden Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Harris does his best to loose himself from his low-budget chains but struggles to make Moon Garden look as polished or as capable as a big-screen dark fantasy. Even so, Oscilloscope's 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer honors every intention faithfully with bold, colorful punch and dark, nightmarish ease. The film's palette is bursting with primary power, from splashy reds to golden ambers to icy blues, and with the richest of inky blacks framing each one. Delineation takes a hit and slight crush is evident, but the result is a striking image with life-giving hues overcoming the darkness. Overall detail was quite surprising and revealing too, with sharp edge definition and nicely resolved textures. The nature of Harris's 35mm filmmaking leads to some inconsistencies and dips in clarity, but only insofar as the photography is responsible. Moreover, artifacting and banding are kept to a minimum, and grain remains consistent, well-preserved and unobtrusive throughout.

Moon Garden Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Regardless of whether you choose the film's original stereo track (LPCM 2.0) or Oscilloscope's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround mix, you'll be treated to strong sonics and proficient sound design that only contribute to the film's loftier qualities. Dialogue is clean and clear on the whole, with capable prioritization. Little Harris's voice is sometimes overwhelmed by music, sound effects and general chaos, but rarely to the track's detriment. Likewise, rear speaker activity (when listening to the 5.1 mix, of course) is lively and assertive, allowing the fantasy realm to believably inhabit your home theater. Directionality is fairly precise, pans are smooth, and the soundfield is quite immersive. LFE output is aggressive and powerful too, lending welcome weight and heft to the score, moments where the real and dream worlds collide, and to the chase sequences anytime the relentless Teeth beastie appears. Budgetary constraints are still apparent from time to time -- particularly as some voices have clearly been re-recorded post-filming -- but any shortcomings are easy to shrug off.

Moon Garden Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There are two big supplemental boons to Oscilloscope's Blu-ray release: a 40-minute 1080p "Making of Moon Garden" production mini-doc, with all the details and insight needed to satisfy a fan (the only downside being that it isn't longer or paired with an audio commentary), and Harris's beautiful original short film "Every Dream Is a Child with Teeth" (HD, 12 minutes), which also stars his daughter. Rounding out the disc is the film's theatrical trailer.

Moon Garden Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As truly independent dark fantasies go, Moon Garden is quite a feat of filmmaking. Casting your seven-year-old daughter in the lead role is a risk and a half, but seeing her talent at such a young age is the mark of a true artist. With the world she inhabits and the characters she encounters offering being so diverse and imaginative, it only elevates the whole endeavor, making for a truly wondrous trek into the unknown. Is it a great film? Eh, that's up for debate. It is a great film, though, considering all its challenges and obstacles, most of which it overcomes nimbly and with notable flair. Oscilloscope's Blu-ray release honors Harris's directorial efforts with a striking video presentation, solid duo of uncompressed 2.0 and lossless 5.1 tracks, and a decent pair of special features. I would have loved a fuller supplemental package, particularly one that devoted hours to the film's fx and world building, but I'm sure Harris's small crew had bigger fish to fry than always holding a behind-the-scenes camera. This one comes recommended.