Wildling Blu Ray Review (Scream Factory/IFC Midnight)

Wildling is a 2018 horror film co-written & directed by Fritz Böhm (Ein Brudermord & Mondmann). It was shot in 23 days/nights & featured 50 to 65 different set ups each day/night. The movie had around 350 visual effect shots. It was produced by Maven Pictures (U.S.) in co-production with Arri Media (German), Film i Väst, Filmgate Films (both Swedish) & in association with IM Global plus Night Fox Entertainment. Anna (played by: Bel Powley from M.I.High, Informer, The Diary of a Teenage Girl, & Carrie Pilby) has spent most of her life in the care of a mysterious man she refers to as “Daddy” (played by: Brad Dourif from Child’s Play/Chucky franchise,The Exorcist III, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Alien: Resurrection, & Deadwood) who keeps her locked in his attic out of fear of a child-eating monster called the Wildling that roams the woods.

‘Daddy’ starts giving her injections in her stomach to treat her ‘illness’ when Anna reaches puberty, She has her severe side effects that cause ‘Daddy’ to attempt suicide by shooting himself in the head. Anna is rescued by Sheriff Ellen Cooper (played by: Liv Tyler from The Strangers, Empire Records, The Incredible Hulk, Heavy, & The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) & she moves in with her. Ellen’s younger brother Ray (played by: Collin Kelly-Sordelet from The Path & Radium Girls) lives with them. She starts to form a bond with him. A mysterious Wolfman (played by: James LeGros from Drugstore Cowboy, Point Break, Phantasm II, & Zodiac) tells Anna about her family history & what really happened to them. Anna is confused with her new feelings & reactions to her body. She doesn’t know if she can control what’s insider her anymore. ‘Daddy’ is back & he’s trying to stop her transformation before it’s too late for everyone!!!!

Wildling is a small independent feature with a strong cast. Bel Powley gives a powerful performance as the confused lead Anna that’s going through some major changes in her life. Brad Dourif elevates every scene that he’s in & plays a villain that thinks that he is doing everything right to make the world a safer place from this unknown beast. Liv Tyler was also really good as the cop that’s trying to a save a girl from a life of horror. James LeGros shows up in a great cameo here, I wish his character had a bigger role in this. As far as acting goes, this is one of the better independent horrors in recent years. Wildling started off a little slow but it had some nice character development & it really picked up towards the end! It built up the suspense & it had you ready for some chaos! It had awesome special effects by Gotham FX, it made you wait for them also but it was worth it. I liked that this was more thought provoking, character study, & saved the best for the 2nd half so you could digest the material more before it actually hit. Hopefully, we will see more of this Wildling universe in the future. RECOMMENDED for werewolf & independent horror fans!!!!

Let’s talk about the high definition presentation & special features from Scream Factory / IFC Midnight! This 1080p (2.39:1) transfer looks really good on blu ray. The overall visual style for this is a little darker but it works for this setting & atmosphere. The English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is very clean & it has a nice boost to it during the suspenseful moments. It also has English SDH & Spanish subtitles. “Deleted Scenes” is almost 6 minutes. It has a few more character development scenes. “Outtakes” is a little over 4 minutes. It shows the cast messing up their lines & having fun while making this. I wasn’t expecting something like this on here but it’s fun to watch. It also has a “Theatrical Trailer”. It comes with a slipcover, it’s available everywhere right now. If you are into the werewolf sub genre or independent horror then you should add this to either your watch list or collection soon, check it out!!!!