A Day of Judgment

Summary

Severin Films have always been diverse in their film output. While the overwhelming output of the label has been directed towards horror, action, and the obscure, they also have released studio films including The Stunt Man and Overboard. They also have plans to release the Mike Leigh film All Or Nothing. The label’s president David Gregory confirmed that if he personally loves a film and has a chance to release it on the label, he puts it out on the label. Their recent release of A Day of Judgment is another example of a film on the label that is not conveniently categorized. A Day of Judgment is technically a horror film but it is decidedly PG rated. The film deals with Christian themes and the characters in the film never curse onscreen, nor is there any sex or nudity. Even the violence in the film is for the most part very tame with the exception of one beheading. The Christian basis of the film and its chaste nature make it unique amongst horror film entries from the Eighties.

In the town of Gomor, sometime in the 1920s, the preacher of the town is facing a spiritual crisis. His flock has seemingly abandoned the church and their Christian faith. He decides that it is time to leave the Church and the town. On his way out of town on horse and buggy, he is almost hit by the car of an extremely angry townsperson. As he passes out of the town, he sees a man that resembles the grim reaper with a cloak and scythe entering the town. In the town, the citizens continue to sin profusely. A man seduces the wife of his boss. When the affair is uncovered, they fight and the boss dies in the altercation. A man working for his parents in a gas station has his parents sign away their livelihood and legal rights over to himself for his gain. A disgruntled alcoholic employee plans revenge on his boss and upon his wife who has given up on him. A greedy banker uses his influence to swindle a Mennonite farmer out of his land. An old woman tells lies about the children that pass by her house to the sheriff. She is worried that they might disrupt her flowers. When the sheriff disregards her stories, she plans to take revenge on the children herself. All of these stories come to conclusions before the climactic finale involving divine retribution for all the wicked actions of the townspeople.

A Day of Judgment is an interesting film and in some ways a difficult one to review. The film itself is decidedly okay. It is slower paced and the acting is spotty. The film was shot in North Carolina and stars largely nonactors. It is an interesting example of regional filmmaking that has a point of view that reflects the Bible Belt community where it was filmed. The film was written with the idea of being marketed towards church going film lovers. I will definitely give the film points for originality. The movie’s script is pretty engaging thanks to the amount of moral bankruptcy the film shows. The script manages to show many of the most egregious sins that human beings can partake in, while still remaining pious. Watching the film, it felt like A Day of Judgment would work much better if someone with deep pockets would remake the film with more professional actors. As it stands, A Day of Judgment is an interesting film due to its mixture of religious elements with elements of an Eighties slasher film, but the film is also not entirely effective due to some pacing issues and some weak acting. Kudos to Severin for reviving this extremely obscure film that was only available before this release on very hard to find VHS copies. I look forward to seeing what other horror fans make of the film. 

Video

Severin Films has done good work on this transfer in 1080p of A Day of Judgment in its original aspect ratio of 1.77:1 with an MPEG-4 AVC encode from a 2K scan of the interpositive. While Severin has put in their due diligence on this transfer and it is undoubtedly the best the film has ever looked, expectations should be kept within reason. This transfer reminded me of the recent work that Arrow did on the film Death Screams. Both films were shot in North Carolina on modest budgets and they both look similar in terms of their visual impact. Aside from the more interesting finale sequence which features some colorful lighting, this film is pretty flat. Fans of the film will be very excited to see the work that Severin put in, but the film still looks pretty visually underwhelming.

Audio

Similar to the video, Severin Films has done good work on cleaning up the DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono track for the film. The sound quality on the track is essentially reference quality, but this is not an extremely dynamic audio presentation. The track has been well mastered by Severin.

Supplements:

• The Atheist’s Sins: Interview with author of Stephen Thrower – the author of Nightmare USA talks in detail about Earl Owensby Studios, director Charles Reynolds, and the unique aspects of the film. Stephen Thrower is always a joy and his discussion is just as interesting as the movie itself.
• Tales of Judgment – this is a four minute snippet from a longer piece that will be featured on an upcoming release. Worth Keeter and Thom McIntyre are featured briefly.
• Trailer

Overall Scores:

Video – 3.5/5

Audio – 4/5

Supplements – 3/5

Overall – 3/5

A Day of Judgment is an interesting Christianity themed horror film from 1981. The script itself is pretty well written, but the acting and direction are only decent. The film has some pacing issues, but it is still an interesting piece of regional filmmaking that has some fairly wild ideas. While I did not love the movie, I appreciate that Severin Films would highlight this film and include an excellent interview with Stephen Thrower on the disc. Fans of the film will be extremely excited to have the film in high definition after decades of being relegated to VHS obscurity.