The Following: The Complete First Season

"The Following" is an addictive crime thriller that blends procedural drama and the cinematic tension of a serial killer movie. Kevin Bacon shines as an alcoholic ex-FBI agent that's an expert on serial killer Joe Carroll (James Purefoy) who is slowly recruiting a cult of followers.

The Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo pack has a few interesting features. Given the mystery plot and the large number of characters the deleted scenes are actually entertaining. They offer occasional extra insight into characters or a flashback that makes for a greater understanding of the characters and plot. There is also commentary on the season finale and the pilot. The commentary on the pilot includes some intercuts of footage with Kevin Williamson giving more insight into the story.

There are a lot of behind-the-scenes featurettes. "The Thrill of Horror: The Creator Behind The Following" is an exploration of Kevin Williamson's fascination with the subject matter and the development of the series over time. "The Cult of Joe Carroll: Inside the Followers" focuses on the cadre of killers that comprises the cult including interviews with some of the cast members. The rest of the featurettes are short videos. "The Following Production Chronicles" is a string of vignettes from the production of each episode. "The Followers Den," "The Poe Mask," and "The Following: Free Megan" are short segments that were viral videos created for the series' promotion.

The layout of the Blu-ray menu is simple and static. It is set to music which is unnecessary and can be distracting. However, a nice feature is the icon that appears that makes it clear which episode you are watching. It's perfect for binge-viewing this short 15-episode season. However, the bonus features for the entire series are available for viewing on all the discs despite not being available, which is confusing and redundant.

"The Following" is an addictive series and the Blu-ray features only add to the value of the series.

"The Following: The Complete First Season"
Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy
$49.99
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