Director: Jamie Dixon
MPAA Rating: R
Run Time: 120 Minutes
Purchase: Amazon
This product was provided to us by MVD for the purpose of this review. All opinions are our own.
By the late ’90s, CGI in film was quickly becoming commonplace as the technology was rapidly advancing and costs were coming down. Jimmy Cameron’s Terminator 2 may have paved the way for CG in horror in 1991, but by the latter part of the decade, genre directors seemed to want to throw in as many fancy visual effects as they could. 1998’s Shadowbuilder, directed by Jamie Dixon, is the best example of this, utilizing more than 200 shots of CG.
Now on Blu-ray in high definition for the first time ever thanks to the MVD Rewind Collection, the film is based on a short story by Bram Stoker and stars Michael Rooker as a badass priest, one who is sporting dual handguns and is sent on a mission from God to expel a demon brought back to our world by a devil cult for some reason.
This demon, a shadowbuilder, can only lurk in the darkness and is harmed by light, But with every soul he consumes, his power grows, allowing him to conjure demon dogs and all sorts of nasty supernatural abilities, ensuring that the priest and the hapless victims of a small town have their work cut out for them defeating this guy.
To make matters worse, the shadowbuilder sets his sights on a young boy whose soul is that of a saint. If he sacrifices this child, a doorway to hell will open, and the world will be plunged into chaos and evil.
The priest and boy aren’t alone in their fight, however, as a dreadlocked Tony Todd is there to aid them as Covey, the town kook who coincidentally loves bright lights, as is the boy’s aunt, played by Leslie Hope, and the rugged sheriff, played by Shawn Thompson.
The shadowbuilder himself is a cross between The Wishmaster and the creature from Jeepers Creepers, a towering, silhouetted figure that’s completely drenched in black with CG accents, making him look eerily gooey. He has the ability to turn into a shadow, which employs some pretty impressive effects for the time, as he envelopes himself into his unfortunate victims.
The film’s color palette is designed to accentuate the use of shadow, with every night time scene carrying a blue tint, a slightly off putting aesthetic that feels very reminiscent of the time. The high-definition presentation on the Blu-ray doesn’t do the visuals any favors either. There are noticeably grainy artifacts, especially in the scenes featuring prominent darkness, of which there are many. Still, it’s not horrible, and I consider it a small miracle that a relatively unknown horror film like this is getting any kind of HD treatment at all.
More surprising is the bevy of bonus content held within the disc. There’s an audio commentary track from director Jamie Dixon, a making-of featurette, a featurette on the visual effects, an interview with actor Kevin Zegers, the trailer, and a collectible poster.
There’s a special kind of cheesiness to ’90s horror, and Shadowbuilder is a prime example. It’s not necessarily a good film, but it’s an entertaining showcase of how visual effects were in a rapid state of progress during that time. The Blu-ray, despite a subpar transfer, has a robust set of supplements and is a solid addition to any ’90s horror aficionado’s collection.
