The Long Dark Trail – Cleopatra Entertainment (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 2022
Directors: Kevin Ignatius, Nick Psinakis
Writers: Kevin Ignatius, Nick Psinakis
Cast: Trina Campbell, Brady O'Donnell, Carter O'Donnell, Nick Psinakis, Michael Thyer

Release Date: February 21st, 2023
Approximate Running Time: 78 Minutes 30 seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 English, LPCM Stereo English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $19.95

"Two impoverished teenage brothers who flee home after finally fighting back against their physically abusive father. Hoping to find and reunite with their estranged mother, they embark on a dangerous journey to a cursed forest in Northwestern Pennsylvania, not aware that she has become a disciple of a violent and sadistic cult that dwells there." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.75/5

The Long Dark Trail comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 17.4 GB

Feature: 14 GB

The source used for this transfer looks clean and is in good shape. Colors and flesh tones look correct, and the image generally looks crisp. Black levels are not convincing, and there are some mild compression-related issues.

Audio: 4/5 (Dolby Digital 5.1 English), 3.5/5 (LPCM Stereo English)

This release comes with two audio options, a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix in English and a LPCM stereo mix in English. The Dolby Digital 5.1 track sounds very good. Dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Though the LPCM stereo track sounds clear and balanced, the dialog has a weird echo effect to it that is not present on the Dolby Digital 5.1 track. Included are removable English SDH subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a slideshow with music from the film playing in the background, a trailer for The Long Dark Trail (2 minutes 3 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), behind the scenes bloopers (3 minutes 47 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette titled Artist R.L. Black (1 minute 39 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), and six unrelated trailers for films also released by Cleopatra Entertainment.

Summary:

Though there are horror elements in The Long Dark Trail, it is best described as a melodrama about a dysfunctional family. The narrative revolves around two brothers who live in poverty with their abusive father. Wanting to reunite with their estranged mother, the two brothers flee their abusive father and go on a journey looking for their mother.

After a strong opening that sets the tone, in this opening setup, the two brothers subdue their abusive father so they can get away from him. The narrative is slow-burning until the boys reunite with their mother. Unfortunately for the two boys, they flee one hell only to end up in another. Also, this section where the two boys reunite with their mother is the closest that The Long Dark Trail comes to being a horror film.

From a production standpoint, The Long Dark Trail is a film that does a great job maximizing its limited resources. It is a film that relies heavily on atmosphere, and it does a good job creating a foreboding mood. Another strength is the use of remote wilderness locations. That said, if there is one area where The Long Dark Trail does not come out ahead, it would be the performances, which are best described as serviceable. Though there are some interesting ideas at play in The Long Dark Trail, the result is a film where the sum of the parts doesn’t add up.

Cleopatra Entertainment gives The Long Dark Trail a strong audio/video presentation.

Written by Michael Den Boer