Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

The Leech Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 5, 2022

There have been on occasion uproars from certain elements in society who feel absolutely certain that this or that Supreme Court Justice should recuse him- or herself from some upcoming case, because of some connection or perceived bias which would preclude that person from making a disinterested decision. In that regard, it might be salient of me to note (no pun intended, considering what I'm about to say) that my non-reviewing life has been filled with several rather long tenures as Music Director for any number of churches (and synagogues, for that matter). I also have a somewhat jaded opinion about so-called "holiday music", and in fact my Christmas card one year had a reprint of a June Cleaver type housewife on the front, in a dress (and apron, of course), and who was literally clutching her pearls and screaming in horror about something (one assumes waxy yellow build up or some similar problem afflicting midcentury women). When you opened the card, in a bright festive font, "No more Christmas music" was festooned across the interior. So with that in mind, the following summary and reaction may indicate why a recusal on my part might have been argued for. The Leech, despite its ooey gooey title, is in fact a kinda sorta "Christmas movie," albeit probably more in the vein (again, no pun intended) of Silent Night, Deadly Night than It's a Wonderful Life.

Another possible point of connection between my personal history and some plot aspects of The Leech is the inarguable fact that "organized religion" has experienced a rather dramatic falling off in terms of people actually regularly attending church. One large congregation I worked for for well over a decade actually had a drawn out "discernment" process involving all sorts of "experts" trying to figure out why new congregants weren't arriving in droves, something that was especially concerning as the older congregants were dying in droves. Father David (Graham Skipper) seems to be the priest of just such a facility, and in fact while it's initially revealed that his fire and brimstone sermon was delivered to only a handful of attendees, even those people may have been a delusional hallucination the good (?) Father is experiencing.

One person who is seemingly not a hallucination is a homeless dude named Terry (Jeremy Gardner), whom Father David finds napping on a pew as he's getting ready to close up "shop" one day. A series of interstitial vignettes provides a bit of background information, but suffice it to say that Terry has been kicked out of his house by his girlfriend, and with Christmas-y winter weather in abundance, Father David like any good Christian offers Terry a warm shelter for the evening. Also suffice it to say that turns out to be a perhaps devastatingly boneheaded decision.

Part of what suffuses The Leech and gives it such a nightmarish quality is the viewer is never quite sure whether what's happening is in fact happening or is simply the product of Father David's increasingly addled mind. In that regard, it may or may not be Terry's girlfriend Lexi (Taylor Zaudtke) who shows up in Father David's confessional and states she's about to have an abortion because the father is a "lost cause". Father David counsels her to at least try a reconciliation, so when Lexi shows up at Father David's home to assume quasi-tenancy with Terry, you might argue that Father David has wittingly or unwittingly sown the seeds for his own destruction.

What ensues becomes increasingly gonzo, with an already out of control Terry (and to a certain extent, Lexi) perhaps "inspiring" Father David to cast fears of sin aside and go for the hellbound gusto. The film ultimately gives way to a Grand Guignol third act which may slightly defuse its black comedic aspects simply because it's so dark (is physical abuse of women something to be "toyed" with?). But The Leech may be the near perfect "holiday" entertainment for those who are "in league" with that aforementioned June Cleaver type and want to escape from anything and/or everything "Christmas".

The Leech Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Leech is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.40:1. Arrow's insert booklet really doesn't offer much in the way of technical information about the transfer, to wit:

The Leech is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 [sic] with 5.1 and 2.0 stereo sound. The high definition master was provided by Soul Reaper, LLC.

The IMDb also doesn't offer a ton of information, but the closing credits roll offer a helpful Red logo, and I'm assuming things were finished at 2K (if anyone has authoritative data to the contrary, let me know and I'll happily update things here). I've long been on record as personally preferring Red captures to Arri Alexa captures, but kind of in a flip side to some of my comments in Amsterdam Blu-ray review (an Arri Alexa capture), this presentation probably can't help but encounter fine detail obstacles simply because so much of it is so dark, as can probably easily be gleaned from even a cursory glance at the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review. When things cut away from the murky interiors, as in a brief look at a family bible (see screenshot 2) or a stained glass window in Father David's church (see screenshot 6), the palette pops nicely and detail levels are generally excellent. And in fact I'd even argue that they're perhaps surprisingly very good throughout much of the film which can be swathed (perhaps swaddled is a better term, given the Christmastide setting) in darkness. Reds are especially impressive throughout. There are some stylistic quirks as Father David goes increasingly off the deep end, and there is a brief vignette toward the end of the film that looks like it's been intentionally distressed (see screenshot 17), leading to even further hurdles in the fine detail department. My score is 4.25.

The Leech Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Leech offers DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 audio options. You might think that a low budget "three hander" that takes place largely indoors wouldn't offer a ton of opportunity for immersion, but along with Father David's visual hallucinations, he seems to be prone to auditory imaginings as well, and those whispering voices can provide some spooky undercurrent to the story. Even some of the close quarters scenes inside Father David's house provide at least occasional directionality. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Leech Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction by Director Eric Pennycoff (HD; 00:10) is accessible under the Play Menu and is authored to proceed to the main feature.


• Introduction by Actor Graham Skipper (HD; 00:12) is accessible under the Play Menu and is authored to proceed to the main feature.


• Director and Producer Commentary


• Chattanooga Live Commentary with Cast and Director


• Chattanooga Q & A with Cast and Director (HD; 33:59) is a Zoom thing from the 2022 Chattanooga Film Festival.


• Parasites in the Oven (HD; 25:41) is an interesting visual essay by Anton Bitel that has an almost comical number of additional titles, and which is also stuffed full of references to other films.


• The Voice of Reason (HD; 14:23) is an interview with Eric Pennycoff and Graham Skipper.


• FrightFest Introduction and Q & A (HD; 18:43) are culled from the film's international premiere in August 2022 at FrightFest.


• The Making of The Leech (HD; 14:37) offers a glut of behind the scenes footage.


• Rigo's Music Video (HD; 1:20) is called "Sword Swingers", supposedly "dropped" by Crucified Minds Records.


• Early Short Films

  Unfortunate (HD; 10:24)

  
  

  The Pod (HD; 11:03)

  
  

  Phase II (HD; 4:14)

• Trailer (HD; 1:12)

Additionally, Arrow provides an insert booklet with an essay by Julieann Stipidis, and packaging features a slipcover.

The Leech Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I don't think there's any better label than Arrow for its curation of emerging talents in the horror genre in particular. The Leech is another really interesting film that admittedly won't be to everyone's taste, but which is often bizarrely comic and horrifying in tandem. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplements very appealing. With caveats noted (do not come to this film expecting a Hallmark Christmas special), Recommended.