Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

The Deeper You Dig Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 28, 2020

There’s a famous song called What a Difference a Day Made that will probably be instantly recognized from its mere title by fans of artists as disparate as Dinah Washington and Jamie Cullum. Some viewers may want to slightly alter that title to read “what a difference a ‘d’ makes” when watching the two films aggregated in this release, since both The Deeper You Dig and The Hatred are products of a husband, wife and daughter(s) team known collectively as The Adams Family, which will of course evoke instant recognition of another kind, namely of Charles Addams’ inimitable comic panels, which then famously gave birth to The Addams Family on television and then all of the feature films which followed it (decades later, it should be noted, which is itself testament to how enduringly popular Addams’ creations have been). John Adams, Toby Poser and their daughters Zelda and Lulu have been making films together since 2013’s Rumblestrips, a film which was sparked at least in part (according to some supplements included in this set) by Poser’s dissatisfaction with the waning of roles being offered to her as she approached the age of 40. This particular Adams family has continued to produce a regular supply of indie fare in the intervening years, including Knuckle Jack, The Shoot and Halfway to Zen. The Adams basically do everything on their films, sharing acting, writing, cinematography, editing, scoring (and one assumes craft services) credits in various ways across their productions. The Deeper You Dig only features Adams, Poser and younger daughter Zelda in both acting and production roles, while The Hatred features John Adams working under the pseudonym John Law, with both Zelda and Lulu on screen and behind the scenes in various capacities, without any overt assistance from Poser.

Note: It's impossible to discuss The Deeper You Dig without overtly mentioning one major plot point which, while not really a spoiler (since the entire film hinges on it), might be best experienced without foreknowledge. Therefore, it's advisable to proceed with caution vis a vis the following comments.

Ivy (Toby Poser) and Echo (Zelda Adams) are a mother and daughter living in remote upstate New York, where their paths casually cross with a man named Kurt (John Adams) who is rehabilitating a nearby home (as the Adams get into in some of the supplements, part of the genesis of the film came from the simple fact that John Adams was in fact rehabilitating this home and once it was stripped down to its studs, he realized what a cool location it would be for a ghost story). Unfortunately those paths cross again in a more tragic manner when Kurt, driving home in a snowstorm after probably having had too much to drink, runs over Echo, who is out sledding at nighttime against the express wishes of her mother. Kurt picks up what he assumes is a corpse and drags it home, where to his horror he discovers that Echo is alive, if barely. Suffice it to say in one of those examples of inexplicable bad behavior that often shows up in horror films, he takes things into his own hands (in more ways than one), and finishes the job he began with his truck earlier.

Kurt attempts to bury the evidence on his property, but the already spooky house he's rehabbing becomes decidedly more spooky when it is "visited" by Echo (ultimately in increasing signs of decomposition). Meanwhile, Ivy is frantically searching for her missing daughter, along with the occasional help from some local police. Unsurprisingly, Ivy and Kurt end up meeting during Ivy's sharing of "have you seen this girl?" posters she's distributing. Ivy's interest in the occult and spiritualism has convinced her Echo is already dead, and as she begins attempting to scry what happened to her daughter, she's led inexorably to an already haunted Kurt.

The Deeper You Dig is often bracingly stylized, including a couple of dream and/or hallucination sequences that are remarkably imaginative. The film does have a number of rather disturbing images, including quite a few animal corpses, for those who are bothered by such things, but what it really excels in is a feeling of dread mixed with an undeniable melancholy brought about by the underlying emotions engendered by the fate suffered by Echo. The film builds to a suitably gruesome climax which then gives way to a neat little "sting". While The Deeper You Dig may traffic in a few horror clichés, it's often rather audacious in its own subversive way, and lovers of independent cinema may want to check it out even if they're not particularly drawn to the horror idiom.

Note: This Limited Edition contains a bonus Blu-ray disc featuring The Hatred. More information is available in our The Hatred Blu-ray review.

The Deeper You Dig Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Deeper You Dig is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains the following pretty generic information on the transfers of both films in this set:

The Deeper You Dig and The Hatred are presented in their original 1.78:1 aspect ratio with 2.0 stereo sound. The High Definition masters were provided by Wonder Wheel Productions.

While the IMDb doesn't offer any technical data points on the shoot, this interview with Toby Poser discloses that the film was captured with Canon 5D and 6D cameras. There are some differences noticeable between various moments that are perhaps due at least in part to different camera models, with some of the snowbound outdoor material looking a bit more digital and kind of overly sharpened at times. On the whole, though, this presentation offers great detail levels and some surprisingly well executed CGI considering what was probably a miniscule budget. There are several stylistic quirks on display, including some close-ups that are slightly out of focus and some other more intentionally out there imagery where contrast can be pushed and whites come close to blooming. Some minor banding is noticeable is some scenes, as in a sequence where Kurt points a flashlight directly at the camera.

The Deeper You Dig Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Deeper You Dig features an LPCM 2.0 track that offers some nice renderings of ambient environmental sounds courtesy of the many outdoor scenes. The film doesn't really rely on traditional startle effects, though there are some fun effects when Kurt shoots at either inanimate objects or "reanimated" objects (meaning visions of Echo). The score includes some interesting choices, and sounds fine throughout. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly without any problems. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Deeper You Dig Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Toby Poser and John Adams


• At Home with the Adams Family (1080p; 49:48) is a fun and often funny piece that has Toby, John and Zelda facing the camera and answering questions about them and the production (which are on Tarot cards). This is worth the price of admission for a great moment early on when Toby says she and John share a bed and Zelda reacts hilariously like a typical horrified teenager.


• It's in the Blood (1080p; 26:21) is a visual essay by Anton Bitel that ultimately gets to The Deeper You Dig and other films in the Adams' filmography after some introductory comments about a variety of other horror films featuring families as focal characters.


• Special Effects Breakdown (1080p; 12:24) features narration by special visual and make up effects artist Trey Lindsay covering a number of shots and/or sequences. Some of the digital compositing he did sounds rather ambitious for such a modestly budgeted film.


• FrightFest TV Interview (1080p; 8:10) features Toby Poser, Zelda Adams and John Adams interviewed by Michael Munser.


• Hellbender Music Videos

  Black Sky (1080p; 2:25)

  
  

  Falling in Love (1080p; 1:49)

• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2:15)


• Image Gallery (1080p; 1:10)

Additionally this release comes with Arrow's typically well appointed insert booklet, a reversible sleeve, and a double sided fold out poster.

The Deeper You Dig Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Deeper You Dig has some really arresting imagery, and there are a couple of breathtaking edits as well. The underlying premise of the film is definitely fun and creepy and should be enjoyed by horror fans, even if the film occasionally gives into some of the more "traditionalist" impulses it seems to be willfully avoiding most of the time. For such a modestly budgeted film, the production is well wrought, and technical merits on this Blu- ray are generally solid. The supplementary package is typically excellent as per Arrow's standard operating procedure. Recommended.