Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		1.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Seventh Moon Blu-ray Movie Review

Amy Smart VS. The Undead...What's not to like?

Reviewed by Dustin Somner October 8, 2009

Ghost House Underground is a production company established by Sam Raimi (director of Evil Dead, Drag Me to Hell, The Spiderman Trilogy and many more) and Rob Tapert (producing partner on most Sam Raimi films) to help promote independent horror films from up-and-coming directors in the genre. Established in 2007, the label has released a total of eight films up through September of 2009, averaging four horror releases per year. For 2009, the prolific filmmaking duo hand-selected four new entries that mark the production company’s initial foray into the Blu-ray format. Not that I’m going in any specific order, but the third film I’ve chosen from the series is an intense edge-of-your-seat thrill ride that proves style over substance can be a winning formula. Seventh Moon may not be a glossy production, but if The Blair Witch Project taught us anything, it’s that we no longer need a high body count and gore to generate a terrifying experience.

Not a good time to get your car stuck in the mud.

On the full moon of the seventh lunar month, the gates of hell open and the spirits of the dead are freed to roam among the living.

-Chinese myth

Set in the present day, newlyweds Melissa (Amy Smart) and Yul (Tim Chiou) embark on a honeymoon trip to China, hoping to soak up some culture in Yul’s birthplace. During their initial day in the city-center, they down countless shots of cheap alcohol and take in a local festival marking the seventh moon. Intoxicated on life and alcohol, they eventually return to their local guide (Dennis Chan), who promises to take them out to an attraction that most young couples find worthwhile. Not knowing any better, the two drunken Americans soon find themselves passed out in the back of the car as they make their way deeper and deeper into the countryside of China. As darkness descends, their guide is forced to pull over and ask for directions (claiming he doesn’t know the roads as well as he thought). When he doesn’t return, the newlyweds begin to worry about the safety of their chauffeur and decide to make their way into the village to search for him. What they find instead, is a group of terrifying white skinned creatures that seem hell-bent on killing anything that lives. Running for their lives in a foreign land, the couple must depend on each other if they hope to make it through the night alive.

I’ll admit I was a little worried as the opening sequence played out. The combination of documentary style camerawork and sketchy acting gave me the initial impression that this would be another piece of shoddy amateur filmmaking with little entertainment value (after all, I recently finished reviewing an awful film called Offspring from the same studio). However, by the time the first undead creature appeared as a silhouette in the road, I knew this had potential. The creatures themselves remind me of the cave-dwellers in The Descent, with their creepy body movements and pale skin. Throughout the first half of the runtime, we’re given either a brief glimpse of the creatures, or extended shots that remain out of focus. This creates a wonderful effect that I wish more filmmakers in the horror genre would utilize. Not knowing what you’re facing keeps the tension high and gives us something to look forward to. If you show the antagonist in the first few minutes of a horror film, you’ve already lost your primary element of suspense, which means you have to switch gears into a lame gore fest that rarely generates much excitement. By the time we get a good look at the creatures in Seventh Moon, the film switches gears from chase scenes to a rescue attempt. This allows the tension to remain intact even after we’ve seen what we’re dealing with (and trust me, they’re pretty creepy dudes).

Unfortunately, I can’t gush about the strengths in the film without mentioning the weaknesses as well. As much as I like the use of the Chinese mythology in a horror storyline, the rest of the plot is thin and full of gaping holes. It’s difficult to address the holes without giving away the plot of the film, but there’s a fifteen minute stretch following the car onslaught, where a series of events seem completely out of place. This section is never adequately explained, leaving the viewer in a state of confusion that nearly destroys all of the positive tension from the first half of the film. I can’t say more without treading into spoiler territory, but I’d assume most viewers will know what I’m talking about after sitting through Seventh Moon.

I typically can’t stand choppy editing and shaky camerawork, but I’ll admit it adds to the suspense in this film. I’m probably one of the few people that didn’t find Blair Witch Project very scary, so it’s nice to see the filmmakers stay away from an all-out documentary style. It’s one thing to use gritty footage that places the viewer in the heart of the action, and something entirely different to have characters speaking into the camera and such. Having said all of that, there’s a definite potential for some viewers to feel a slight tinge of motion-sickness while watching the film. I never experienced a nausea reaction during Cloverfield and didn’t have any issues with Seventh Moon, but that doesn’t mean I speak for the general population.

Seventh Moon Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in 1080p utilizing the AVC codec (at an average bitrate of 18Mbps) Seventh Moon has a dismal visual presentation, but it's difficult to differentiate between deficiencies in the source material and the transfer itself. Shot using hand-held video cameras, the gritty style of the cinematography is almost neasea-inducing, as the camerawork constantly sways and bobs all over the place. Add in a heavy dose of film grain, a propensity for ill-defined facial close-ups, and a lack of focus when the undead creatures appear, and this is obviously not a film that was ever meant to look pretty. As if that weren't bad enough, black levels appear weak during a large portion of the runtime, and contrast struggles to differentiate between various shades in the picture. Naturally, this lead to a loss of shadow detail, making it difficult to tell if there's something lurking in the background. Despite my overall disappointment in the picture quality of this release, this is most likely an accurate representation of the source material, which only demonstrates fleeting moments of high-definition clarity. I've certainly seen worse on Blu-ray, but Seventh Moon just earned a spot near the bottom.

Seventh Moon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Now this is what a horror film should sound like. Presented in DTS HD-MA 5.1, Seventh Moon has a subtle audio track that relies heavily on things that go bump in the night. Whether it's the snap of a twig or the sound of approaching footsteps, the audio presentation does an excellent job of separating each minor element to draw the viewer into the young couple's plight. You'll feel as if you're running side by side with Melissa and Yul, or sitting in the car as the undead monsters rain their fists down around you. Equally impressive is the incorporation of music, which remains light and airy aside from several punctuated moments when the action really picks up. In the same vein, I enjoyed the musical numbers immensely, since they really add to the sense of dread that permeates the film. The dialogue on the audio track is also decent, demonstrating a nice balance with the rest of the elements in the mix (though there are still several moments when it seems a little less pronounced or flat). Those random moments could be a result of microphone placement during the recording of the dialogue, so I'm not entirely sure this is a deficiency in the audio replication on the disc.

To summarize, I was pleasantly surprised with the strengths in the audio experience, which surpass the expectations I'd typically have for a low-budget film with a documentary style.

Seventh Moon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Ghosts of Hong Kong: The Making of Seventh Moon (1080i, PCM 2.0, 11:45 min): Lacking narration, this supplement contains clips of the crew working on costumes, sets, fight choreography, and various other aspects of the production.

The Pale Figures (1080i, PCM 2.0, 5:20 min): Narrated by Ed Sanchez, this extra focuses on the creation of the ghostly figures, and the make-up/costume work required in generating the spooky monsters.

Mysteries of the Seventh Lunar Month (1080i, PCM 2.0, 7:38 min): This brief retro film looks and sounds like something you'd see in your high school biology class. It details the mythology behind the "hungry ghosts" depicted in the film.

Rounding out the extras, there's a standard definition trailer for Seventh Moon, a video collection promoting the Ghost House film series (standard definition), theatrical trailers for other Lionsgate releases, and an audio commentary with Ed Sanchez (writer/director) and Amy Smart (actress playing Melissa). The commentary track focuses heavily on their experiences during the film shoot and the various tricks Sanchez used to create the effects he was going for.

Seventh Moon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Despite my enjoyment of the film, I'm having a rough time deciding whether it's a worthy recommendation on the Blu-ray format. On the one hand, you have a suspenseful film that's easy to recommend for a single viewing. But on the other hand, the sketchy visual presentation and several glaring plot holes will definitely become more noticeable on multiple viewings. As such, I'd give this an easy recommendation as a rental, but suggest you hold off on a purchase until the price is right.