‘Starve Acre’ Blu-Ray Review – Grief Facilitates Psychological Unraveling In Eerie Folk Horror Tale

Based on the bestselling novel. Richard and Juliette’s idyllic family life is thrown into turmoil when their son starts acting strangely. At Starve Acre, their remote family home, Richard obsessively buries himself in exploring a folkloric myth that the ancient tree on their land is imbued with supernatural powers. After an unexpected discovery, the couple unwittingly allow dark and sinister forces into their home, awakening an evil rooted in the countryside that offers a disturbing possibility of reconnection between them.

For in-depth thoughts on Starve Acre, please see my colleague Cameron Ritter’s review from its original theatrical release here. 

Video Quality

Starve Acre makes its Blu-Ray debut with a fetching 1080p video presentation that showcases the rustic cinematography well. The natural shooting locations provide exquisitely clear and distinct textural details. The image has a welcome natural quality about it with a lush color palette radiating off the screen. The film deploys some complex colors in the expanses of nature which delivers a very stark image. Black levels exhibit miniscule signs of banding in some of the darkest moments, but primarily they maintain their depth. The flesh tones are natural with a startling amount of detail present in close-ups. Some key shots are intentionally hazy to replicate the point of view of our grieving characters. The presentation shows off a notable amount of depth while traversing the land. This Blu-Ray is an idyllic representation of this movie that should more than please fans. 

Audio Quality

Brainstorm Media gives this Blu-Ray a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that handily executes all of the sonic details. Dialogue always comes through clearly without being overshadowed by any competing sounds. The evocative score is capably balanced while maintaining its fidelity. Bombastic moments are not a prominent part of this track, but certain developments deliver some nice texture to the proceedings. The nimble and effective sound design blooms with careful finessing of the surround speakers. Environmental sounds of the world engage them in a very enveloping manner. When the characters are moving across the plains, some distinct ambient details flesh out the setting. The audio track provides a fantastic experience full of peculiarities that bring this narrative to life exactly as intended. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided. 

Special Features

• Audio Commentary: Director Daniel Kokotajlo, production designer Francesca Massariol and sound designer Ben Baird provide an informative commentary track in which they discuss the movie and production in depth. The trio discusses incorporating folklore into the narrative, the collaborative nature of the set, the camera movements, the shooting locations, and more. 

• Interviews: There is an impressive selection of interviews provided in which the subjects discuss their involvement in the movie, memorable moments during the production, challenges faced along the way, and more. 

• • Writer/Director Daniel Kokotajlo (16:55)

• • Producer Emma Duffy (13:16)

• • Actor Matt Smith (3:24)

• • Actress Morfydd Clark (7:55)

• • Actress Erin Richards (6:27)

• • Actor Sean Gilder (6:18)

• • “Hare Team” aka Special Effects Team (19:27)

• Behind The Scenes Footage: A five-minute selection of fly-on-the-wall footage captured during the production. 

• Original Trailer (2:07)

• Booklet: A multi-page booklet featuring the essay “The English Folk Horror Tradition and Starve Acre” from film historian Kim Newman is provided here. This piece gives a well-rounded analysis of the themes and plot developments of the film and how it relates to folk horror at large which strengthens your appreciation overall.  

Final Thoughts

Starve Acre is an effective dose of folk horror that ratchets up the atmospheric discomfort while allowing the crushing thematic developments to swallow you up. The performances from Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark are impeccable as they balance grief with a psychological unraveling in a believable manner. Audiences will need a bit of patience as this one unfurls, but those who sync up with this one will be duly rewarded. Brainstorm Media has released a Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation and a sterling assortment of special features. We cannot wait to see what else the label has in store. Recommended 

Starve Acre is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome. 

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

Disclaimer: Brainstorm Media and OCN Distribution have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.