Death and destruction reign down on a horror film’s cast and crew when murderous characters from the movie come alive. An indie film director schemes with his shady producer to make their recently completed movie a hit with the help of a mysterious artificial intelligence file. He invites his cast and crew to his house, but what begins as a celebratory screening of the final cut quickly turns to a bloodbath when the movie characters – including a sword-wielding, violence-loving Celtic knight – come alive and begin to exact their revenge on the innocents. This violent and gruesome meta horror film was directed by Hernan Findling (Impossible Crimes, 2019).

For thoughts on Virtual Reality, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

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Video Quality

Virtual Reality debuts on Blu-Ray with a 1080p presentation in 1.85:1 from a high definition master that captures the intended aesthetic incredibly well. With this being an independent affair, there is not a lot of visual ambition, but the feature looks good even with the occasional variances in aesthetics from the different locations. The project has a reserved color palette that is deep without popping off the screen.

The transfer does show off a great amount of detail and clarity. There is slight banding in certain shots, but it is not pervasive throughout. Black levels hold up nicely as they appear more inky than milky. Objects hold up well enough in the shadows and retain their depth. The special effects are really well executed considering the limited budget they had to pull it off. Highlights are well maintained without ever coming close to blooming. Overall, this is a really solid disc that showcases the work well.

Audio Quality

Artsploitation and Kino Lorber deliver this new Blu-Ray disc with both a DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio track in the original Spanish that gives nice life to the production. The dialogue holds up well, coming though clearly without being stepped on by the music or sound effects. The environmental effects are delineated nicely with some unsettling sounds of violence and menace on display. This movie is best when it is having fun with its sound design. The music maintains a strong fidelity and comes through the room with purpose. This is a track that represents the film in a very satisfying way. Optional English subtitles are provided on this disc.

Special Features

Trailer: The minute-and-a-half long trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

Virtual Reality has a decent enough concept, but once you start going even a bit beneath the surface the film quickly falls apart. The internal logic is shaky, the pacing is interminable and the performances leave a lot to be desired. The film feels like it thinks it is doing something clever, but in the end it all feels kind of pointless. Kino Lorber and Artsploitation Films have released a Blu-Ray featuring a terrific A/V presentation but not much in the way of special features. This one is not recommended even for hardcore horror fans.

Virtual Reality is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.

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

Disclaimer: Kino Lorber and Artsploitation Films 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.