Much of the film is set at night which can cause problems with transfers produced with little care. Fortunately that’s not the case here. Colours are defined and clear. It should be noted that there are a small number of shots which seem very slightly grainy but other than that the picture is perfect.

I watched the film with the Dolby Digital 5.1 track selected (as I don’t have DTS facilities). There is subtle use of surround throughout the film but it’s essentially the orchestral score which dominates the rear speakers. This is very effective throughout the film and represents a real achievement for a low budget production. Having said that, the rear channels are used well to create atmosphere in establishing shots. There are also a number of occasions where the surround is used to enhance the picture, such as at 61:50 to assist with the misdirection of The Boy.

A single subtitle option is available, an English Hard of Hearing track.

‘Movie’ Audio Commentary by Director Sheldon Wilson and Producer John Tarver: I watched most of the film again twice – once for each commentary – and whilst all contributors are certainly enthusiastic about the film, this one did seem a little dry. I think I’m influenced by the sound of people’s voices and, like some college lecturers I can remember, theirs just didn’t have the ability to hold my attention. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing though and if you’re keen to learn how to make a low budget film work then you could do a lot worse with 93 minutes of your time. It should also be noted that there is a loss of sound for a few seconds approximately 30 minutes into the track, although that doesn’t really distract from the flow of comments.

‘Sound’ Commentary by Director Sheldon Wilson, Composer Steve London and Sound Designer Richie Nieto: Again, this is a fairly slow but sometimes informative chat track which, in case you haven’t guessed already, concentrates on the sound design and score of the film. As would be expected, the group talk about very little else although many of the comments are anecdotal rather than purely technical talk. This is a track for those with an interest in this particular area of film making rather than simply the curious. Again, I noticed a loss of sound for a few seconds approximately 42 minutes into the track. If the disc was rated 12 or below I would have suspected a censorship issue but since it’s an 18, that can’t be the case.

The Making Of Shallow Ground featurette (30:32): This is a fairly informative piece that is full of contributions from the cast and crew. It covers almost every aspect of the production and reveals just how low budget productions actually work, such as actors who defer their payments and days which end with the producer wondering whether the crew will ever turn up again! There is also insight into the special FX including how to cope with buckets full of blood and how to get it to flow in any direction, on demand. The only disappointment for me is that it didn’t cover the release of the film and the award at the Dead By Dawn Festival, especially since this is used to promote the film on the DVD packaging.

Trailer (2:50): This is a typical horror trailer that dwells on the gore and set pieces of the film. It also includes some spoilers so wait until you’ve seen the film before watching it.

Film Notes: Three pages of text which feel like a standard press kit since it includes an extended synopsis, review and very short details on the cast and crew.

Easter Egg: A very brief (1:30) featurette which shows how the disc menus were produced is available by going to the Extras menu, pressing Left to highlight the footprint and pressing Enter.