Bethany Blu Ray Review (Uncork’D Entertainment)

Bethany is a 2017 supernatural horror film co-written, produced, and directed by James Cullen Bressack (Theatre of the Deranged franchise, Virus of the Dead, Survive the Game, Beyond the Law, Fortress, Darkness of Man, and Deadly Reunion). It was co-written and produced by Zack Ward (Circus Kane, Restoration, The Terror of Hallow’s Eve, The Keepers of the 5 Kingdoms, and If Looks Could Kill). It was produced by Shannen Doherty (Off the Map, Shannen Says, Suite 7, and Another Day). It grossed $31,442 worldwide at the box office during it’s very limited theatrical run. Claire Mason (played by: Stefanie Estes from Legion, Boy Makes Girl, Disaster L.A., and Lion-Girl) inherits her old home where she grew up. All of the abusive and traumatic memories of her mother Susan Penicule (played by: Shannen Doherty from Heathers, Mallrats, Beverly Hills 90210, Charmed, and North Shore) come back and it bringa pure hell to the house. Her husband Aaron (played by: Zack Ward from A Christmas Story, Freddy vs. Jason, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Almost Famous, and Transformers) and friend Dr. Paul Brown (played by: Tom Green from Road Trip, Freddy Got Fingered, Charlie’s Angels, Superstar, and Stealing Harvard) try to help her with all these deadly issues. Claire most deal with her own living nightmare as she’s haunted by her imaginary friend Bethany (played by: Anna Harr from Hot Seat, The Curse of Sleeping Beauty, Krampus: Origins, and Darkness of Man) from her childhood with deadly results!!!! Bethany is a low budget supernatural horror production that is mainly a jump scare type of feature. I was hoping for some crazy gore and maybe some sleaze but it’s pretty tame for the most part. Director James Cullen Bressack started out doing horror films like Bethany early in his career. These days he’s behind the camera doing action movies with some of the biggest stars from the past. This is one of his better efforts from the sub-genre. Stefanie Estes is solid as the lead Claire Mason. She gets unexpected visitor from the past that really messes with her current life. Zack Ward is good as her husband Aaron Mason. He co-written and produced this as well. It’s good to see him back doing some horror. Tom Green actually plays a more serious and dramatic role here as Dr. Paul Brown. Shannen Doherty is the cold and controlling mother that torments her daughter’s thoughts as she goes back to her childhood home. It’s a different type of character for the veteran actress. Bethany has some known names from previous bigger projects and that’s honestly what got my attention for this one. The rest of the supporting cast includes Anna Harr, Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp franchise), Leon Russom (True Grit), Kevin Porter (Dodgeball), Keith Jardine (Inherent Vice), and Aramis Sartorio (Shakespeare’s Sh*tstorm). Bethany has a creepy atmosphere and there’s some tense thrilling moments in this. It has a good twist to it. It does drag at times and flow could be a little better but besides that I enjoyed it. Bethany has some excellent production design and special fx. I thought it was solid but it definitely had more potential to it. If you are into jump scares and supernatural horror, check it out on Tubi sometime!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Uncork’D Entertainment! This 1080p (1:85.1) transfer looks way better than expected especially for having a much smaller budget. It has slick cinematography, production design, special fx, and some nice locations that shine here. It has a few different audio options which includes English: Dolby Digital 5.1 and English: 2.0 tracks on the disc. The audio is really good especially during the more suspenseful scenes in Bethany. All of the dialogue is crystal clear, the supernatural elements are elevated, and the music has a huge boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles. It has an “Audio Commentary” with director James Cullen Bressack and lead actor Zack Ward. They point out some easter eggs. They chat about the cast, characters, story, shots, and so much other stuff from Bethany. They tell some behind the scenes stories and drop plenty of inside information. It’s very scene specific. They have good chemistry together here and it’s an interesting track. It has 13 minutes of “Behind the Scenes”. It has interviews with the cast and crew. They were given a multiple picture deal and they worked on two different projects at the same time. They were given preferred concepts and ideas for this so they went with it. It has various behind the scenes footage and it even has some goofs from the set thrown in there. It has almost 50 minutes of “On Set Interviews” with Jarrett First, James Cullen Bressack, Zack Ward, Joshua Lou Friedman, and Marcus Friend. They chat about their jobs on the production. They talk about their experiences and process on the movie. It has a variety of “Trailers”. This is a M.O.D (BD-R) home video release. It’s available everywhere right now including MovieZyng.com, CHECK IT OUT!!!!