Hollywood can be a very restrictive place where only a lucky few get the opportunity to make anything that the world may see, let alone something that you feel represents your creative ambition. Many people toil away for years without ever getting their break, but there are individuals who will not let their creativity be stifled. This is the case for the Adams family, an artistic bunch who write, direct, produce, shoot, score and star in their own independent productions. John Adams, Toby Poser and their daughters Zelda and Lulu have been making films together since 2013 after witnessing a dearth of opportunities when trying to work within the studio system. The Adams family has carved out a nice little corner for themselves in the world of independent cinema, and their output has only grown stronger with the more experience they have gained. Arrow Video has brought together two of their works in a limited edition package; the chilling The Deeper You Dig is the main course, while the hour-long The Hatred offers up a tense frontier revenge tale. Read on to learn more about what the Adams family have offered up.
The Deeper You Dig takes place in a small upstate New York town and focuses on a mother and daughter; Ivy (Toby Poser), a tarot-reading psychic who is a single mom to Echo (Zelda Adams), a 14-year-old goth-inspired teenager. The pair live down the road from Kurt (John Adams), a newcomer to town who is fixing up an older house to sell. One night, Kurt is heading home from the local bar where he narrowly misses hitting some deer, but still ends up striking something in the road. That tragically turns out to be Echo, who is out after dark sledding against her mother’s orders. Kurt does not appear to be a malicious man, but he does make some unfathomable decisions that make the whole situation that much worse. He is haunted by what he has done, but he finds it surprisingly easy to cover up the deed. Ivy is distraught after Echo does not return home, but a subsequent search does not turn up any leads. The police seemingly want to dismiss it as a probable runaway, and they definitely do not want to take Ivy seriously when she claims Echo has been attempting to communicate to her from beyond to reveal the identity of her killer.
As Ivy receives vague signs from her dearly departed daughter, Kurt is living out something similar to an amplified version of The Tell-Tale Heart, as the ghost of Echo manifests around him to eat away at his conscience. Echo seemingly delights in mentally torturing her killer, and things gradually get worse for Kurt as the movie develops. The movie features some nightmarish, dreamy sequences that have some truly disturbing images. As mentioned, the movie is a low-budget labor of love, but it is executed on the level of a better funded production. The Deeper You Dig has some truly striking visuals that rival some of the stark majesty I witnessed in this year’s Gretel and Hansel. The lived-in believability of the performers give the story an even greater sense of poignancy and heart-wrenching horror. The paths of these two characters eventually converge in a tension-filled manner that pays off everything that has been set up throughout. This narrative expertly plays with the concept of dread, parsing out these little moments that get under your skin in the best way. Those who love a well-done ghost story with an artistically violent kick will delight in the treasures of The Deeper You Dig.
Also included in this package is The Hatred, a historical frontier tale set in the late 1800s about a newly orphaned girl (Zelda Adams) who conjures a recently executed soldier (John Adams) back from the dead to enact some violent retribution. As with The Deeper You Dig, this film offers up a good deal of violent and disturbing images, but it does not quite hit the highs of the main feature. The main issue that I feel holds this film back is the near-constant narration from the Zelda Adams character. Some narration can do wonders, but you almost feel like you are being told a campfire story throughout. The imagery is so gorgeous at points that you wish Adams would embrace film for the visual medium that it is. At only an hour in length, the story is effectively concise and pretty compelling. This family has a great knack for creating a lot from nothing at all, and both of these tales are very much worth your time.
Video Quality
These films debut on Blu-Ray with a 1080p presentation in 1.78:1 from a high definition master that mostly captures them well. With this being an independent affair, it is quite impressive how sleek the films are, even with the occasional variances in aesthetics from different cameras. The projects have a very muted color palette that was never going to make this a disc you show off, but there is a great amount of detail and clarity. There is slight banding in certain shots, but it is not pervasive throughout. For stories that often rely on darkness to build tension, it is important to have deep black levels, which this thankfully does. Objects hold up pretty well in the shadows and retain their depth. The CGI is really well executed considering the limited budget they had to pull it off. The bright whites of the wintery landscape border on blooming without inching quite into that territory. Overall, this is a really solid disc that showcases the work well.
Audio Quality
Arrow Video delivers these new Blu-Ray discs with a LPCM 2.0 track that gives nice life to the productions. The dialogue holds up quite nicely, coming though clearly without being stepped on by the score or sound effects. The environmental effects are delineated nicely with some steady gusts of wind and various animal noises on display. This movie thrives when it is spotlighting the vastness of the area. The movie is accompanied by brash choices in music that are rendered well here. This is a track that represents the film in a very satisfying way. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are provided on this disc.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Toby Poser and John Adams provide a pretty entertaining and informative commentary track in which they discuss the origins of the film, details from shooting, their friends that appeared in the film, embarrassing their daughter at school and more. The family handled nearly every aspect of the film, and it is really fascinating to hear from filmmakers who work that way.
- At Home with the Adams Family: A 50-minute interview with John Adams, Toby Poser and Zelda Adams in which they answer a wide-range of questions including how they got started in filmmaking, why they wanted to make this story, how they achieved certain shots in the film, the themes of the film and more. These three have a clear passion for making movies and an immense love for one another. The trio analyze pretty much every part of the movie you would ever want to know about.
- It’s In The Blood: A 26-minute visual essay by Anton Bitel that tackles the themes of family in horror films. The piece touches on the horror genre at large while eventually narrowing down to the Adams family filmography, and ultimately to how these themes are tackled in The Deeper You Dig. It is so interesting to have the film broken down in such a scholarly way, and it is very much worth your time.
- Special Effects Breakdown: A 12-minute piece with special visual and makeup effects artist Trey Lindsay in which he provides narration of the creative process for select shots from the film. There are many secrets revealed that make the film seem even more impressive, as the special effects shots were so well integrated.
- FrightFest TV Interview: An 8-minute interview with the Adams family at the 2019 iteration of FrightFest conducted by Michael Munser. The trio cover some of the same ground as other supplements, but there are still a few new pieces of information.
- Hellbender Music Videos: Two music videos from the Zelda Adams-fronted band totaling nearly five minutes. The songs are ethereal and pretty enjoyable.
- Kid Kalifornia Music Videos: Three music videos from the John Adams-fronted band totaling nearly eight minutes that are as artfully directed as the feature films. The music is not too bad either.
- Theatrical Trailer: A two-minute trailer that is quite unsettling and effective in making you want to watch the film.
- Image Gallery: A collection of images from the production of the film.
Final Thoughts
The Deeper You Dig is a very effective microbudget thriller that offers some seriously engaging moments that should please horror fans. Those who appreciate their horror more psychological will find a lot to love here, but others may find these works to be a bit too slow in pace for comfort. Arrow Video has delivered a stacked Blu-Ray release with a strong A/V presentation and some really incredible special features. The inclusion of The Hatred in this package sweetens the deal even more. This family has proven that they can work really well outside of the system, and they should be rewarded for such work by setting your sights on the fruits of their labor. Recommended
The Deeper You Dig 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: Arrow Video 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.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
