Chupacabra Territory [Blu-ray]

Author: Sarah Nicklin

Binding: blu_ray

Format: NTSC

Release Date: 11-04-2017

Details: Review

Chupacabra Territory Blu-ray Review by Blu-ray.com Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson
Director Matthew McWilliams's feature debut Chupacabra Territory adds a fresh perspective and some new material to a subgenre that seems to have reached its limit. On the surface, this latest found-footage film categorically appears to exhaust all of the clichés and trappings of its ilk. It follows four college-age campers who are investigating the urban legend of a mythic creature known as the chupacabra (or chupa, as the they call it). The story brings in an authoritative ranger (Elliot Book) who may act as the foil for them carrying on with their search. He essentially orders them to stay out of the marked Chupacabra Territory throughout North Pinewood Forest.
McWilliams's work features a lot of shaky handheld camerawork as the foursome begins a long trek into the woods. While these are familiar tropes, Chupacabra Territory spreads the journey across two days instead of a single evening. Its first act contains a considerable amount of screen time set during the daytime, which is a welcome change. The cinematography captures some of the gorgeous wilderness, foliage, and rivers located in Lake Hughes, California where the film was shot.
The audience is introduced to zoologist student Amber (Sarah Nicklin), her possible boyfriend Joe (Michael Reed), and their skeptical friend, Morgan (Alex Hayek). Amber believes in the legend of the chupacabra (or goat sucker) and carries along an occultist's notebook with sketches. Amber and Joe engage in friendly banter about the prospect of encountering a chupa while Morgan is along for the ride and the chance to drink lots of beer. The casting of Alex Hayek gives the movie an unassuming presence that it needs. Hayek is funny, self-deprecating, and unpredictable. He looks and performs much like a younger version of Leo Rossi. Indeed, Hayek exhibits some of the same character actor traits that Rossi shows as the paramedic Budd in Halloween II (1981). (Horror films need these type of off-beat characters.)
Chupacabra Territory makes its Blu-ray debut worldwide courtesy of indie video label Maltauro Entertainment. (In the UK, where it's known as Lair of the Beast, the movie is available on DVD only.) All of the found-footage is presented in the aspect ratio of 1.78:1 on a BD-25.
For a very low budgeted title, Chupacabra Territory looks stunning in high-definition. It is also surprising that authoring and compression are so good on this disc. Some indie labels produce cheaply made discs that are rife with artifacts and pixelation but this BD contains no such anomalies. The video streams carry the solid average bitrate of 25191 kbps. Day scenes are extremely bright, which sometime make skin tones appear soft and pale. McWilliams mixes in cue cards, police crime scene photographs, and local news station footage with pseudo graphic bars at the bottom. (See Screenshots 11-14.) There are various moments in which the GoPro cameras buffer, jitter, display transmission lines, etc. but these are all part of the movie's intended realism. Though not on the same plateau as The Blair Witch Project, Chupacabra Territory infuses some needed life into the fairly crowded found-footage subgenre. Maltauro Entertainment delivers a top-notch transfer but could have added a couple optional sound tracks. Bonus materials are of the EPK type and a commentary track by McWilliams would have been appreciated. In addition to other found-footage titles, Chupacabra Territory should also appeal to fans of Stephen Herek's Critters (1986). Please note that McWilliams's work is also available on FlixFling and is forthcoming on iTunes, Amazon Instant Video & Cable VOD platforms. Maltauro Entertainment has assembled a pretty good package that comes RECOMMENDED. --Blu-ray.com

EAN: 0606345071653

Package Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches

Languages: English