Robert Eggersis frequently cited as one of the best young directors working today, and this year’sThe Northmanseemed to solidify that sentiment. However, contrary to popular belief, Eggers didn’t just burst onto the scene with 2015’sThe Witch; he had been working in costume design and the art department of numerous short films for years before that feature-length directorial debut.
YellowBrickRoad, the very first feature film that Eggers worked on, is getting a 10th anniversary Blu-ray release Aug. 9th. On top of being a genuinelydisturbing cult classic filmwith a young Cassidy Freeman (Longmire, The Righteous Gemstones, The Forever Purge), the movie also introduced the world to some of Eggers' earliest designs and costume work, which have become legendary for their authenticity and meticulous attention to detail. The Blu-ray provides behind-the-scenes footage of Eggers, 26 at the time, working diligently but joyfully on the film. It’s a culturally significant document of a great artist’s development, and MovieWeb has an exclusive clip.
Robert Eggers Walks the YellowBrickRoad
The clip is part of Lightyear Entertainment’s extensive supplemental features in their Updated Special Edition ofYellowBrickRoad, which includes two behind-the-scenes featurettes,Practical Blood FX on an Indie BudgetandWalking the YellowBrickRoad, as well as new interviews with writer/directors Andy Mitton (We Go On, The Harbinger) and Jesse Holland (The Crooked Man), who also provide a director’s commentary. Cassidy Freeman and her brother Clark (who worked together here as actors and executive producers) are also interviewed, as well as producer Eric Hungerford.
Related:Why Nosferatu Should Be Robert Eggers' Next Film
YellowBrickRoadtakes place along the mountainous trails surrounding the small town of Friar, New Hampshire, where a group of filmmakers, historians, and psychologists are investigating a Roanoke-type disappearance. In 1940, the town’s residents mysteriously vanished after a screening ofThe Wizard of Ozand never returned, withonly one survivor emergingfrom the wilderness. Now, the researchers believe they’ve found the exact route the townsfolk traveled and embark on an expedition into the New England woods to discover the truth.
Woefully underrated upon release,YellowBrickRoadhas since developed a cult following as a tremendously unique and terrifying movie that builds immense amounts of dread until one of the most unanticipated endings in horror movie history. AsDread Centralwrites, it’s “A deeply unsettling, well-crafted experience that makes for one of the best independent horror films of the past several years.” One popular Reddit post is titled, “After hundreds of horror films,YellowBrickRoadis the first film to make me feel genuine fear.”
YellowBrickRoadincorporates many of the elements from the so-called’elevated horror' movementwhich, not so coincidentally, was partially inaugurated by Eggers' filmThe Witch. One can definitely see aspects of the atmospheric, mind-bending horror Eggers would use in that film andThe Lighthouse, as well as the kind of slow-burn terror Ari Aster perfected inHereditaryandMidsommar. In a way, this special edition details howYellowBrickRoadbecame a precursor to the high-art horror of recent years, especially byshowcasing Robert Eggers' styleand behind-the-scenes efforts.
Lightyear Entertainment has digitally restoredYellowBrickRoadin high definition, so every drop of blood pops in this Blu-ray, which also sounds incredible; the foley work is immersive and impressive in the film, and this reissue highlights its wonderful sound design.YellowBrickRoadis available on Blu-ray Aug. 9th, as well as on DVD and digital.
