‘Cradle of Fear’ Blu-ray Review (Unearthed Films)
Stars: Dani Filth, Emily Booth, Stuart Laing, Edmund Dehn, Eileen Daly, Rebecca Eden, Louie Brownsell, David McEwan | Written and Directed by Alex Chandon
When it comes to killer thrillers, films like Psycho, The Silence of the Lambs, and Se7en immediately spring to mind. These are the kinds of films that take us on a dark, unsettling ride – one we’re happy to experience from the safety of our own sofa, but would never want to live through in real life.
Back in 2001, Alex Chandon wrote and directed the direct-to-video horror-thriller Cradle of Fear. Drawing inspiration from the anthology films of the 1970s, the movie unfolds across four distinct segments. It’s hard to believe, but the film is now 25 years old. To mark the occasion, Unearthed Films has given Cradle of Fear a brand-new Blu-ray release.
Notorious child murderer Kemper is hellbent on exacting his revenge on the people who put him away, and from his padded room in the local asylum, he commands ‘The Man’ to slaughter the families of those responsible. Detective Nielson, who’d had his own unpleasant run-in with Kemper, is faced with an increasingly large pile of mutilated bodies and tries to make some sense of the savagery.
Cradle of Fear delivers impressively gory effects, but it struggles to build any real suspense. Each segment makes it clear what’s going to happen to its victims, leaving little room for tension or emotional investment in the characters. At just over two hours, the runtime also feels excessive, with the film dragging in places as a result. That said, for fans of extreme, blood-soaked horror, this will likely be a wildly entertaining ride.
Unearthed Films has transferred Cradle of Fear to Blu-ray in 1080p, presented in a 1.66:1 aspect ratio. The audio track is an English PCM 2.0. There is also the option for English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing. The film’s transfer is good – there are no signs of digital artefacts or audio anomalies. Like all Unearthed Films Blu-rays, they have included a good number of bonus features, and for this release, I think they went above and beyond – with TWO discs packed with extras, including:
Special Features:
DISC ONE – FEATURE & EXTRAS
- Some Making of Cradle of Fear
- The Special German DVD Making of Thing Something For Cradle of Fear
- Important Words
- Behind the Scenes Gallery
- Trailers
DISC TWO – SHORT FILM COLLECTION & EXTRAS
- Alex Chandon’s Shorts Collection, including:
- Chainsaw Scumf***
- Bad Manor
- Bad Karma
- Drillbit
- Night Pastor
- Bulls**t News
- Film Extremes 3 Promo
- Borderline
- Shorts Behind the Scenes Gallery
- Trailers
As you can see, Unearthed Films has really gone all out for this release, importing the making-of featurette from the German DVD along with a selection of Alex Chandon’s short films. For fans of gory horror, this is an easy must-have addition to the collection. That said, it’s very much aimed at that specific audience – casual viewers will likely find themselves completely put off by the sheer level of gore on display.
**** 4/5
If you would like to add Cradle of Fear to your collection, head over to Amazon and pre-order your copy today.
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