The Sand Blu Ray Review (Darkside Releasing)

The Sand is a 2015 horror film produced and directed by Isaac Gabaeff (The Art of Storytelling, Whiteboy, Skull, and The Hardboiled Way). It was written by Alex Greenfield (WWE, Nix, Abducted, Street Warrior, Meteor, and Lullaby) and Ben Powell (V/H/S, Satanic, Lullaby, and The Aggression Scale). It was produced by Jordan Rosner (The Mean One, Hellhound, Hex, Safe Space, and Isolation) and Gato Scatena (Alien Country, The Bad Sheppard, Expired, Hunter’s Moon, and Lady Psycho Killer). After an all-night epic beach party, a group of friends which includes Kaylee (played by: Brooke Butler from All Cheerleaders Die), Gilbert (played by: Cleo Berry from American Nightmare), Ronnie (played by: Cynthia Murell from Fuller House), Jonah (played by: Dean Geyer from Neighbours), Mitch (played by: Mitchel Musso from Pair of Kings), Chanda (played by: Meagan Holder from Monarch), Vance (played by: Hector David Jr. from the Power Rangers franchise), Julian (played by: Bryan Billy Boone from The Amazing Spider-Man), and Marsha (played by: Nikki Leigh from Unlucky Charms) awake to a torching sun. As they try to leave, they start dying right away. This carnivorous beach that devours anything with a heartbeat when it touches the sand. Will they be able to escape???? The Sand is very similar to 1980’s Blood Beach and it’s influence is all over this one. It damn near could be considered a loose remake of it to be honest. One of the writers worked for the WWF and WWE before he co-wrote this high concept horror feature. Isaac Gabaeff is behind the camera for this low budget monster movie. The main cast includes Brooke Butler, Cleo Berry, Cynthia Murell, Dean Geyer, Mitchel Musso, Meagan Holder, Hector David Jr., Bryan Billy Boone, and Nikki Leigh. The performances are way over the top but it’s goes with this ambitious horror project. Veteran actor Jamie Kennedy (Scream franchise, Malibu’s Most Wanted, Kickin’ It Old Skool, As Good as It Gets, Bowfinger, and Enemy of the State) shows up in a short cameo as a beach patrol officer that doesn’t believe the group when they claim that the beach is deadly and killing off people. This is a more of a serious role for him. The rest of the supporting cast includes Dana Abed (A Werewolf in England), Etalvia Cashin (Star Trek), Jennifer Churchich (Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood), and Michael Huntsman (Blood Surf). I appreciate The Sand for what it does despite it’s limited restrictions. This low budget production uses the main location like it’s one of the lead characters. It’s an anxiety filled atmosphere. It does have some solid tension, suspense, and thrills. The visual and special fx were very ambitious for such a small film. They try to work with what they got but some of it looks really bad to be honest. That’s why practical fx are much better for something like this instead of CGI. The Sand has plenty of gore and brutal moments. It doesn’t really drag much but I feel like this would have been better as a short rather than a full length feature. Some of the characters are unlikable so it’s much easier to watch them suffer. The Sand is fun and entertaining for the most part, it’s worth checking out at least once. It’s currently streaming on Tubi and Fawesome if you are curious about it!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Darkside Releasing! This 1080p (2.35:1) transfer is much better and a huge improvement compared to it’s original 2015 DVD home video release. This HD version kinda exposes how cheap some of the CGI looks during all it’s chaos. Besides that but it looks pretty good for what it is. It has a English: Dolby Digital 5.1 track on the disc. All of the dialogue is crystal clear, the tension is elevated, and the music has a killer boost to it. The only extras are a “Trailer” for The Sand and a variety of “Trailers”. It’s a professionally made on demand BD-R. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!!