Gothic horror tales were very much in demand back in 60s and 70s. The horror genre more or less went away from the gothic horror to more of the slasher horror. Depending on your taste that could be a good or a bad thing.
In 2021 Mark O'Brien wrote, directed and starred in a gothic horror tale complete with the eerie black and white noir feel. The film was entitled The Righteous and it is now come to home video thanks to the good folks at Arrow Video.
The film follows Frederick Mason (Henry Czerny, Mission Impossible, Clear and Present Danger), a former priest and his wife Ethel (Mimi Kuzyk, Steel, Deadly Voltage), who are grieving the loss of their adopted daughter. While the couple struggle to heal and move on from the tragedy, suddenly a stranger named Aaron (Mark O’Brien, Ready or Not, Blue Bayou) appears and has a disturbing plan of his own.
The Righteous is a mysterious and brooding slow burn horror film. It would have fit perfectly in the 60s. The screenplay is a well written piece and the acting is pretty good. Mark O'Brien really uses the black and white palette to bring a real noir feel to this film and it works very well.
The Righteous makes it debuts on Arrow Video Blu-ray the film is transferred in 1080p in 2.39:1 aspect ratio. The soundtrack is a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. There is also the option for English subtitles of the deaf and hard of hearing. You can expect that the picture is going to look and sound tremendous as this is a new film.
Arrow Video added some very great bonus features to this Blu-ray set. Take a look at what is included on this disc.
* Brand new audio commentary by writer, director and actor Mark O'Brien and editor Spencer Jones
* Cast and crew interviews with writer/director/actor Mark O'Brien, producer Mark O'Neill, actors Henry Czerny, Mimi Kuzyk, and Kate Corbett, editor Spencer Jones, cinematographer Scott McClellan, and production designer Jason Clarke
* Roundtable discussion with Mark O'Brien and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett and Chad Villella of Radio Silence
* Stage Presentation and Q&A with Mark O'Brien and Henry Czerny from the World Premiere at Fantasia International Film Festival 2021
* Grimmfest 2021 live-streamed Q&A with Mark O'Brien
* Original soundtrack
* Image gallery, accompanied by the film's original score by Andrew Staniland
* Reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by Grant Boland and Oink Creative
The Righteous is a very strong directorial debut for Mark O'Brien. He really took the small budget and made the most of it. I can only imagine how his films will be once he gets a few films under his belt. Fans of the old slow burn horror films are going to love this film. But just be aware it takes a bit to settle into the story, but it will be worth it.
If you would like a copy of this amazing new Blu-ray from Arrow Video head over to Amazon and order your copy today. Fans of gothic horror are going to be in 7th heaven with this one.
Out of 4 film reels (4 being the best) Arrow Video's Blu-ray release of The Righteous receives...
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