Blackout Blu Ray Review (Dark Sky Films)

Blackout is a 2023 werewolf film co-written, produced, edited, and directed by Larry Fessenden (Habit, Wendigo, ABCs of Death 2, Fear Itself, Depraved, No Telling, and The Last Winter). It was produced by J. Christian Ingvordsen (Mob War, Huntress, Hangmen, Model Behavior, Cyber Vengeance, The Outfit, Airboss franchise, and Blue Vengeance). Painter Charley Barrett (played by: Alex Hurt from Bonding, Minyan, Cash Out, Foxhole, Super Pumped, and Billions) is convinced that he is a werewolf but he can’t remember what happens sometimes because of his blackouts. He keeps seeing the stories and evidence of brutal crimes taking place at night where people are being ripped apart. His guilt is driving him crazy because he feels responsible for this madness and murder. The whole town which includes Kate (played by: Barbara Crampton from Re-Animator, From Beyond, You’re Next, Castle Freak, Body Double, and Chopping Mall), Jack (played by: Marshall Bell from A Nightmare on Elm Street 2, Starship Troopers, Stand by Me, Total Recall, and Airheads), Tom (played by: James Le Gros from Phantasm II, Point Break, Drugstore Cowboy, Zodiac, and Near Dark), Bob (played by: Kevin Corrigan from The Departed, True Romance, Goodfellas, and Pineapple Express), and Sharon (played by: Addison Timlin from Derailed, Odd Thomas, Stand up Guys, Californication, and That Awkward Moment) is in fear from this unstoppable monster. Is it really him? or Is it all in his head???? Blackout is a independent horror film from veteran director Larry Fessenden. It plays with the main character not knowing if he’s the one responsible for the bloody massacres in his small community. He keeps losing control of himself and he wakes up not knowing what happened the night before. Blackout is a little slow at times but it does have some solid character development. Alex Hurt as Charley Barrett is a good lead in this. He’s trying to clean up the corruption from his town and he wants to redeem his father’s shady past. Marshall Bell as Jack Hammond is a great villain in Blackout. He’s power hungry and he’s changing everything for his own greed. There’s nothing likeable about the self appointed dirty Mayor. I like how it kinda distracts you from the actual monster. It’s a smaller role but his character is very important. I was very impressed with all the familiar faces that show up in Blackout. The rest of the supporting cast includes Barbara Crampton, James Le Gros, Kevin Corrigan, Addison Timlin, Joseph Castillo-Midyett (Fear the Walking Dead), Ella Rae Peck (The Call), Rigo Garay (Crumb Catcher), John Speredakos (The House of the Devil), Jeremy Holm (The Ranger), Marc Senter (The Lost), Joe Swanberg (You’re Next), Michael Buscemi (BlacKkKlansman), Cody Kostro (The Shed), J. Christian Ingvordsen (Search and Destroy), Clay von Carlowitz (Return to Return to Nuke ‘Em High), Motell Gyn Foster (Wu-Tang: An American Saga), and Asta Paredes (Return to Nuke ‘Em High). It has a good amount of violence and gore. The practical fx are really good, I wish it had more in it to be honest. The artsy transformations are very unique especially when it comes to this sub-genre. I just wish Blackout had better pacing. It’s more of a drama and investigation piece than werewolf so it drags a little bit. It should be about 15 minutes shorter. Regardless, it still delivers on what you would expect from this type of film but it’s spread out. Visually, Blackout is great but it’s definitely something different when it comes to werewolf cinema. Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Dark Sky Films! This 1080p (1.85:1) unrated transfer is fantastic especially for being such a low budget feature. The special fx really shine here. Larry Fessenden always has a killer visual style to his work. It has a few different audio options which includes English: Dolby Digital 5.1 and English: Dolby Digital 2.0 tracks on the disc. The audio is excellent for this independent production. All of the dialogue is crisp, the ripping is elevated, and the music has a great boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles. It has an “Audio Commentary” with director Larry Fessenden. He chats about the artwork in this. He brings up the classic Universal monsters as an influence. He talks about the cast, characters, and story for this. He breaks down Blackout scene by scene. He always drops plenty of behind the scenes information and stories on his commentaries.It has the almost 77 minute “BLACKOUT Behind the Scenes”. This is a full length making of look for Blackout. It has interviews with the cast and crew. They show their appreciation for the independent film maker. It focuses on the artwork and special fx. It has all kinds of footage from the set. You get to see Larry Fessenden in his element here. It has the almost 6 minute “Larry Fessenden’s Monsterverse”. This is pretty cool. It has some of the best scenes together with some other monster footage from the director. It has the almost 4 minute “Monster Mash Photoshoot Timelapse” with Beck Underwood. It’s from October 2022. It’s a behind the scenes look into some of the special fx for Blackout. It has some footage from the promotional shoot in this. It has the almost 26 minute “BLACKOUT Audio Drama”. It’s a quick reading from a podcast. It’s an interesting different take on the story. It has a “Teaser” and a “Trailer”. It comes with a slipcover, different artwork underneath, and 12 page illustrated booklet. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!