Synopsis:

Even though The Shadows contains all the ingredients that one would expect from a horror film, like an abundance of atmosphere and creepy looking dead pirate. The way in which everything comes together never quite gels. First off the film’s pacing is way too slow and the long stretches in between scary moments are spent spewing forth banal dialog. Some other areas where things don’t quite work include the film’s lighting which at times becomes to obtrusive to what is going on onscreen. Also the acting is serviceable at best, with the only performance leaving any lasting impression being Elizabeth O’Brick’s performance in the role Catherine. While the majority of the characters in the film are merely glossed over and just exist to moves things along. At least the Catherine character is ‘slightly’ dimensional and her back-story plays an integral part in the story at hand. Another character of note is a mysterious Spanish woman who is somehow connected to the ghostly pirate that is stalking the five friends.

The DVD:

The Shadows is presented in an anamorphic widescreen that preserves the film’s original aspect ratio. The entire film takes place at night and the lighting in most scenes is minimal. That being said black levels generally look pretty good. There are a few dimly lit moments where the image is lacking detail. Colors, flesh tones look accurate and the image remains stable throughout.

This release comes with one audio option, a Dolby Digital stereo mix in English. Dialog is always clear and everything sounds balanced. There are no problems with background noise.

Extras for this release include a trailer for the film and a gag reel. Overall The Shadows gets a serviceable audio / video presentation.