Cold Creek Manor (DVD)

Cold Creek Manor got drilled by the critics upon its theatrical release, I even gave it a "C" but what makes a bad theatrical release does not always make a bad buy as far as DVDs are concerned.

With the invention of DVDs audiences are able to get a better look into the making of movies and this is one of the best DVDs I have seen that has been able to do just that.

While not particularly loaded with special features the features of this disc are well worth the view, whether you liked the movie or not.

Most often times Deleted Scenes and Alternate Endings on DVDs are not worth the time, but with Cold Creek Manor the scenes are valuable and in some cases may have even helped the movie if they had not been dropped. The one scene that stood out in my mind was the Alternate Ending, which is in fact an "alternate".

Most often an alternate ending seems to be more of a different camera angle rather than an altogether alternate ending. While the original ending is quick and to the point it also leads the audience to believe there may be reason to believe a sequel may be on the horizon, but the "alternate" ending makes a lot of what is seen throughout the film more important. This alternate gives reasoning to Cooper Tilson's (Quaid) nonstop filming and interest in creating a documentary of the house as well as gives the audience a happy ending in which the family turns out alright without the impression that there may be a sequel.

Another great featurette is the "Rules of the Genre" Featurette. This segment of the disc describes the process of creating and filming a thriller and while it may not have necessarily worked with this film it is still interesting to see what is taken into consideration in making a suspenseful movie.

Along the same lines Mike Figgis has a feature-length commentary, which is actually quite dry, but to his credit he is quite serious about this film and giving insight to his film and what steps he took to convey his vision. Unfortunately his serious nature makes for a rather boring commentary and offers not much more than what you could have gotten from watching the "Rules of the Genre" Featurette and "Cooper's Documentary."

Overall it is no big secret that Cold Creek Manor is not the greatest film, but for those interested in the genre this may be a good buy and for those that enjoyed the film it is one you should at least rent.