Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		2.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.0

Plague Town Blu-ray Movie Review

A chilling atmosphere brings this intriguing Horror picture to life.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 2, 2009

Your imagination just has a way of going to some dark places.

Who would have thought that a review of Plague Town would start thusly with a quote from Seabiscuit: "Sometimes when the little guy, he doesn't know he's the little guy, he can do great big things." Indeed, the makers of Plague Town have bested many of the multitudes of big budget, big studio Horror pictures of recent vintage. Though certainly not to be confused for a picture with any sort of budget or flashy production values, Plague Town gets down to the nitty-gritty of Horror filmmaking and, despite a plethora of obstacles that would otherwise cripple most other pictures, the film excels because of its foundation in the essence of Horror, never forgetting the core principles that make for a chilling, disturbing, and magnetic Horror movie.

Yup, they're dead!

A quintet of travelers find themselves roaming the Irish countryside on a quest to become a more tightly-knit family, but things begin to go wrong when they accidentally miss the last bus back to civilization. When one of the group, Molly, (Josslyn DeCrosta), catches a glimpse of a strange, horrifying figure that none of the others witnessed, tensions slowly but surely begin to rise. As day turns to night, they stumble upon an old car with French markings and choose to use it as cover from the coming night. As darkness descends, strange, scary, horrific noises fill the night sky, perhaps human and perhaps not, but distinctly odd and eerie. As they are apt to do, the group separates, some investigating the sound and others remaining in the car. As the night drags on, blood spills across the countryside as the family fall victim to terribly disfigured children with an appetite for violence and seemingly normal adults in search of warm, healthy bodies with which to try and cure that which plagues the town.

Plague Town begins with a bang, showcasing a tense, disturbing, and curiously engaging sequence that features the delivery of a baby and the murder of a priest who would see the obviously-deformed-but-never-seen baby killed. The film jumps straight into dark and discomforting territory, the sequence not only establishing the mood of the picture but engaging audiences to the point where the forgettable performances by the lead actors may be forgiven in exchange for the promise of further chills. Fortunately, Plague Town continues to deliver after a somewhat dull and ordinary character introduction and plot set-up. Nothing to be seen in the rest of the movie quite lives up to the first scene, but the violence, atmosphere, and oddities to be found throughout the picture manage to intrigue and satiate the appetite for Horror that offers an abundance of gore, a chilling atmosphere, and a decent story line. Other than its atmosphere, the film's primary asset stems from its macabre nature; the sight of a pair of giggling girls dancing about a decapitated body, for instance, engenders in the viewer an odd fascination of both amusement and disturbance. The violence throughout appears bluntly and grotesquely, the film never shying away from blood and gore, though much of it is slightly obscured underneath the film's dark veneer and nighttime setting.

Plague Town overcomes plenty of obstacles along the way, namely a small budget, a mediocre script (albeit in support of a good and technically well-executed idea), and poor acting. Nevertheless, there is a charm to the film's meagerness. Its ability to overcome and outclass bigger productions certainly impresses, the technical shortcomings never eliminated but certainly obscured to a point where they rarely detract from the picture. Perhaps the worst offense comes from the quintet of primary characters, every one of them a thinly-developed stereotype. The script never establishes them as the sort of characters that audiences may emotionally invest in. Both the fault of mediocre scriptwriting and generally subpar acting, the characters become little more than fodder, but the film nevertheless keeps things interesting as they find themselves in odd and disturbing situations and at the hands of a group of people that would see them not only killed but, in some cases, slowly and sadistically so. The secret of the plot never seems in much question, and the few revelations never really surprise, nor does the identity of the last person standing.

Plague Town Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Plague Town infects Blu-ray with a lackluster 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer. During the brighter scenes of the film, which encapsulate no more than several minutes of screen time, the image reveals adequate details. The grassy Irish fields don't necessarily look bad, but the transfer doesn't reveal each blade of grass as an individual, nor do they appear as a single green blob. Colors are drab and lifeless, too, the same grasses not at all vibrant, but then again the film takes on a rather dark tone in even the brighter scenes where colors appear washed out as if filtered through a dark lens. Once the darkness dominates the film, details and colors both generally vanish, much of the image taking on a dark blue, brown, and gray tone. The scenes are adequately lit to reveal flesh tones that, in context, appear about as stable and natural as one might expect. Blacks, however, sometimes appear bright and slightly gray, though occasionally the darker, truer black backgrounds swallow the scenery. The transfer also sees some slight contrast wavering and banding. Some grain is visible through most of the film, and the occasional white speckle crops up throughout. Though not a particularly handsome transfer, this one does capture the drab look of the film effectively enough.

Plague Town Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Plague Town debuts on Blu-ray with a lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack. The most noticeable aspect of the track is the nice low end that tends to rattle the floorboards in several scenes throughout, coming both from music and sound effects. Countering the lows are a series of creepy, well-rendered highs, the sensation of screams off in the distance, sometimes encircling the listener and reinforcing the frightening atmosphere the film so masterfully creates. In support, subtle ambience spreads across the front; for example, a chilling wind blows throughout the soundstage. Some popular music in the film, a dance beat in chapter three, for example, features a crisp, satisfying delivery of the upbeat notes. However, some sound effects seem slightly detached from the image, lending to them an artificial tone. Dialogue, though generally fine, occasionally plays as slightly muffled. An all around solid track, this one isn't of reference-grade but it suits the atmosphere of the film nicely.

Plague Town Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Plague Town creeps onto Blu-ray with a nice selection of extras. First is a commentary track with Director David Gregory and Producer Derek Curl. They discuss casting the film, shooting locations and the abuse they took in the filming of particular scenes, the weather during the shoot, the graphic gore and some of the effects shots, and plenty of other tidbits. The track takes on an engaging tone, the participants happily reminiscing and speaking even on some of the minutia of the film that brings both the track and the film together nicely. This is a recommended listen. A Visit to 'Plague Town' (480p, 28:35) is a solid making-of piece that features cast and crew interviews and delves into the plot, shooting the film, creating the look of the film, the camaraderie of the cast, the gore and effects, and plenty more. The Sounds of 'Plague Town' (480p, 16:09) examines the creation of the film's atmospheric score and unique sound effects. Also included is Scathed (480p, 40:45), one of Director Gregory's student films. Rounding out this supplemental package is the film's trailer (480p, 2:17).

Plague Town Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Though by no means a perfect picture, Plague Town represents a breath of fresh air in a genre quickly becoming stale under the deluge of commercially-oriented, teen-friendly pictures packed with tripe clichés and watered-down stories. Plague Town takes the opposite approach, the film bound not by studio politics or even its small budget, but only by the limits of the creative imaginations behind the film. In the end, and despite some problems, the film works thanks to a good story and better filmmaking, the movie effortlessly pulling in the audience and never letting go, even when the plot and ending become obvious. Dark Sky's Blu-ray release delivers an adequate presentation of the film. Though the 1080p transfer doesn't glisten and glimmer, it offers up a suitable viewing experience that befits the film's modest origins. On the other hand, the soundtrack impresses and the included supplements are of good quality and quantity. Recommended for Horror fans looking for something different.