Founders Day Blu Ray Review (Dark Sky Films)

Founders Day is a 2023 slasher co-written, produced, edited, and directed by Erik Bloomquist (Ten Minutes to Midnight, Long Lost, Night at the Eagle Inn, She Came from the Woods, and Weekenders). It was co-written, edited, and produced by Carson Bloomquist (Ten Minutes to Midnight, Long Lost, Night at the Eagle Inn, She Came from the Woods, and Weekenders). A small town is living in fear after a variety of gruesome killings take place right before a heated mayoral election between Blair Gladwell (played by: Amy Hargreaves from Brainscan, Delirious, Homeland, 13 Reasons Why, and Blue Ruin) and Harold Faulkner (played by: Jayce Bartok from OZ, SubUrbia, The Cake Eaters, White Collar, Cop Out, School Ties, and Swing Kids). The locals which includes Allison Chambers (played by: Naomi Grace from NCIS), Adam Faulkner (played by: Devin Druid from 13 Reasons Why), Lilly Gladwell (played by: Emilia McCarthy from Skymed), Mr. Jackson (played by: William Russ from Boy Meets World, American History X, Wiseguy, Cruising, The Border, The Unholy, The Sopranos, and The Right Stuff), Melissa Faulkner (played by: Olivia Nikkanen from Supergirl), Oliver Hull (played by: Erik Bloomquist from High Heat), Commissioner Peterson (played by: Catherine Curtin from Orange Is the New Black, Stranger Things, Werewolves Within, and Homeland), and Deputy Miller (played by: Adam Weppler from Long Lost) are all getting paranoid. They realize anyone can be the vicious killer behind the mask. As the election gets closer, the bodies start to pile up. No one is safe, the residents start to turn on each other and the power is changing in this community. Who will be next???? Founders Day is a political slasher. You can see the Scream influence all over this one. Director Erik Bloomquist has done a few horror features in the past like Ten Minutes to Midnight, Night at the Eagle Inn, and She Came from the Woods but Founders Day is his best work so far. He kept busy on this independent production as director, actor, writer, editor, and producer. Founders Day plays it safe when it comes to the kills, they are more hard PG-13 territory rather than it’s R rating which I don’t understand because they didn’t take advantage of it. I personally think it would have been so much better if it was gorier and pushed the violence a little more. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not completely tame and still has a few brutal moments. Founders Day still has a solid body count for you slasher fans. There’s no nudity or sleaze in this either. The script takes local politics to the extreme and it turns into a killing spree plus it has some twists to it. The Founder has a great look, it’s a villain that has potential for future sequels. It has some suspenseful and tense situations which adds to it’s build up. Naomi Grace as Allison Chambers is a solid lead in this low budget slasher. Amy Hargreaves as Blair Gladwell is great as the ambitious politician that just wants to win no matter what. William Russ as Mr. Jackson steals the show in Founders Day. He’s that character that everyone likes but he’s kinda in the background when it comes to everything. The character actor gives one of his best performances in a long time here. The supporting cast includes Erik Bloomquist, Jayce Bartok, Devin Druid, Adam Weppler, Emilia McCarthy, Olivia Nikkanen, Catherine Curtin, Andrew Stewart-Jones (Gotham), Kate Edmonds (The Third Saturday in October), and Jack Lynch (Law and Order). Founders Day is still one of the better independent slashers in awhile. It’s very entertaining, thrilling, and lots of fun. I would like to see a sequel sometime, RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Dark Sky Films! This 1080p (2.39:1) transfer looks great on blu ray. It’s one of better visual low budget productions in a minute. It has a few different audio options which includes English: Dolby Digital 5.1 and English: Dolby Digital 2.0 on the disc. The audio is fantastic for this slasher. All of the dialogue is crisp, the killing is elevated, and the music has a nice boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles. It has an “Audio Commentary” with Erik Bloomquist, Carson Bloomquist, and Mike Magilnick. The crew chats about Founders Day. They talk about the production, the cast, and it’s concept. They share all kinds of information and stories about the slasher. They enjoy revisiting their horror feature, they take you through it all here. It has the almost 4 minute “Blair and Harold Visit DC: Interviews and Debate”. It has the political characters from Founders Day interacting with real people. It has the little over 14 minute “Timelapse Production Video”. It has the little over 17 minute “Behind the Scenes Gallery”. It has all kinds of behind the scenes footage in this. It has the under a minute “Regal Mystery Movie Intro” featuring a few cast members hyping up the film. It has the “Concept Trailer” with optional commentary. It has a different cast, the villain has another look here compared to the final version, and a slightly different plot. It has “Teaser” and “Theatrical Trailer” for Founders Day. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!