‘The Long Dark Trail’ Blu-ray Review – Psycho Cult Horror Film Should Be A Road Less Traveled

Drawing comparisons to STAND BY ME meets MIDSOMMAR, THE LONG DARK TRAIL tells the story of two impoverished teenage brothers who flee home after finally fighting back against their physically abusive father. Hoping to find and reunite with their estranged mother, they embark on a dangerous journey to a cursed forest in Northwestern Pennsylvania, not aware that she has become a disciple of a violent and sadistic cult that dwells there.

For thoughts on The Long Dark Trail, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/EZXKpYBBKKY?t=2696]

Video Quality

The Long Dark Trail makes its Blu-Ray debut with a solid 1080p video presentation that showcases these rural locations well. This is a film that takes place primarily in nature, and it holds up fairly well both in the brighter moments and the darker environments. Black levels deliver a good amount of depth, but there are traces of banding in certain moments. There are some lovely colors within the natural world, but the color grading of the film suppresses some of the color saturation. The presentation shows off an impressive amount of depth as our characters trek throughout the woods. The makeup effects along with the fabrics of clothing provide crystal clear textural details. The skin tones are natural with a tremendous amount of detail present in close-ups. There are a few small areas where this disc could be improved, but overall this Blu-Ray provides a nice experience. 

Audio Quality

Cleopatra Entertainment gives this Blu-Ray disc a Dolby Digital 5.1 lossy audio track instead of a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track. While far from a disaster, it is always disappointing to know this track could likely provide greater response with a lossless track. The film also comes with a pretty solid LPCM 2.0 track. Dialogue comes through as clearly as the source will allow without being overshadowed by any competing sounds. Environmental sounds of the world emanate from the surround speakers in noticeable ways. There are some intriguing ambient details when traveling through the woods which enrich the situation. The music chosen to accompany this journey provides a decent atmosphere that is balanced well with good fidelity. There are very few intensive moments in the narrative, but the texture is present when needed. The audio track accomplishes the base level 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 subtitles. 

Special Features

• Bloopers – Behind The Scenes: A four-minute collection of ruined takes, goofing around, forgotten lines and more. 

• Artist R.L. Black Featurette: A minute-and-a-half piece in which the creative team discusses their work with a local graphic artist/illustrator who created artistic pieces to accompany the film. 

• Slideshow: A two-and-a-half minute collection of stills from the production of the film are provided here. 

• Trailers: This disc provides a two-minute trailer for The Long Dark Trail. There are also trailers provided for other Cleopatra Entertainment titles including The Ghosts of Monday, Frost, AK Tolstoy’s A Taste Of Blood, Escape from Area 51, Baphomet and Scavenger. 

Final Thoughts

The Long Dark Trail is not independent horror filmmaking at its best. While we appreciate the effort it takes to get a group of people together to create anything, simply completing something is not reason enough to recommend it. The script for this one is pretty aimless without a good sense of building dread for the first two acts of the film, and once we get to the final act the resolution feels rather perfunctory. On top of this, most of the performances on display here are not to the level that feel acceptable for something intended for a wide audience. With so much great, low-budget horror coming out every month, there is no real reason to seek this one out. Cleopatra Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray featuring a pretty decent A/V presentation and a few brief special features. 

The Long Dark Trail will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD on February 21, 2023. 

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

Disclaimer: Cleopatra Entertainment 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.