The clock is ticking for Matt, whose wife Claire is dying of a rare bone cancer. Having exhausted all traditional healthcare options, Matt refuses to give up hope, and in his desperation, seeks from a haggard man named Al. Al offers him to The Bag, an ancient relic possessed with dark magic that can heal the dying. The Bag demands a ritual: You must light a candle, pour the blood of the person whom you want it to affect in its mouth, and you must speak your intention only once. After the ritual is completed, there are three rules to follow: Don’t talk to it. Don’t look at it. Don’t touch it. The rules may sound simple enough, but as Matt furthers down the rabbit hole, his state of mind declines as Claire’s health improves. With nothing left to lose, and little standing in his way, Matt must bear the hardships of the next three days, no matter the terror The Bag imposes on his psyche.

For in-depth thoughts on Bag of Lies, please see my colleague Gaius Bolling’s review from its original theatrical release here.

Video Quality

Bag of Lies makes its Blu-Ray debut with a solid 1080p video presentation that showcases the limited locations well. The film takes place primarily in a nondescript apartment with a fair amount of footage at night or in shadowy spaces. Highlights do not exhibit any issues with clipping, and black levels mostly impress when it comes to depth with only intermittent traces of banding in certain moments. The film deploys decent colors within the reserved frame which are handled quite well. The presentation shows off an impressive amount of depth within the confined space. The grotesque makeup effects and the fabrics of clothing provide crystal clear textural details. There is room for improvement, but this Blu-Ray provides a pleasing experience at the end of the day.

Audio Quality

Epic Pictures continues to give their Blu-Ray releases a Dolby Digital 5.1 lossy audio track instead of a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track. While it does not ruin the experience, it is always disappointing to know this track could likely provide a more robust response with a lossless track. Environmental sounds of the apartment creep through the surround speakers in a way that enhances the experience. Some unnerving ambient details provide a good jolt in the low end. The score that accompanies this journey provides an uneven atmosphere that renders with straightforward fidelity. The kinetic moments grow with the narrative, and the texture is present when it makes sense. Dialogue comes through clearly without being overpowered by any competing sounds. The audio track accomplishes the basics of what you want it to, but it likely could have been a richer experience with a full lossless track. This disc provides English SDH and Spanish subtitles.

Special Features

Behind The Scenes Featurette: A three-minute look at the film featuring interviews with the cast and creative team.

Scoring Bag of Lies: A nearly 41-minute featurette that delves deep into the process of composer James Paul Bailey.

Trailers: This disc provides the minute-long trailer for Bag of Lies. There are also trailers provided for other Dread titles including Beezel, The Hangman, Double Blind, Satanic Hispanics, and The Jester.

Final Thoughts

Bag of Lies makes an admirable attempt at establishing a deep, emotional anchor at the center of this story, but the execution is a bit inconsistent. The script is a bit overwrought and blunt when it comes to the emotional manipulation, and the performers cannot find hidden nuances in the material. Brandi Botkin is the most impressive in her scenes, but the true emotionally demanding moments are not quite met elsewhere. Horror fiends are unlikely to be too kind to this one as it never gets particularly scary either. Outside of a few bright spots, this one does not do much. Epic Pictures has released a Blu-Ray featuring a decent A/V presentation and a couple of fine special features.

Bag of Lies is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Epic Pictures has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.