Blumhouse of Horrors: 10 Movie Collection - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Blumhouse of Horrors: 10 Movie Collection



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


WARNING: THE SCORES ABOVE ARE A COMBINED SCORE FROM ALL 10 FILMS, THE INDIVIDUAL SCORES ARE CONTAINED BELOW IN THE INDIVIDUAL SECTIONS OF THE REVIEW

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Movie
Universal has recently released a whole SLEW of 10 packs, and while I only reviewed this set today, it was because we are in the midst of the greatest month of the year. The month when terror and horror are at the forefront of our minds. A time when us horror hounds come out of the wood works and howl at the moon, and look for great deals on some grungy little horror flicks for Halloween. Luckily for us, the set is priced right, and it includes a whole treasure trove of guilty pleasures, with some great ones mixed in, and of course the downright awful (what horror binge is complete without the awful ones)

The Purge:
Of all of the 10 films in this pack I’ve reviewed all of them but this one over the years, and it wasn’t by accident either. Our very out Todd Anderson actually reviewed this when it came out back in 2013 instead of myself, which caused me to buy the Blu-ray myself and sit on it for a binge night when the sequel came out. Being that I hadn’t actually written a review on it I had to sit down and give this one a spin in the old disc player again, and was reminded of how much I loved it. It’s not nearly as action filled as the 2nd and 3rd film, nor as politically preachy as the 4th one, but instead straddles the line a bit by make a biting socially poignant film in the guise of a vicious bloody thriller.

The year is 2022 and the world of modern America has drastically changed for the better. The economy is at all all time high, with the general populace generally loving their standard of living due to the new government dubbed “The New Founding Fathers”. However, this new found prosperity is based upon the principals of a new law that has been in effect since they gained powered. A law that states that one night a year all crime is legal. That means the fire departments, police departments, and all law enforcement variants shut down and allow the populace to rape, murder, pillage, and do WHATEVER they want for 24 hours in hopes of “purging” the pent up violent urges that they suppress.

The politicians and the rich of course have the means to protect themselves (don’t they always?), but the masses are forced to barricade themselves in and grab whatever weapons they can in order to last the night. Thus comes our latest purge night. This time the tides get to be turned when our film’s “hero”, one Mr. James Sandin (Ethan Hawke), comes home to get ready for the purge. He’s made his wealth off of the purge, selling high tech alarm systems for people to survive the night, and has it down to a science. His mansion in a wealthy neighborhood is locked down tighter than a drum, and his wife (played by Lena Headey) and 2 children are ready for it. They have a nice dinner, have a discussion about what they’re going to do, and then lock down the mansion.

However, things get ugly when the youngest son, Charlie (Max Burkholder) notices a homeless man out front begging for asylum and disarms the security system to let him him. Unfortunately for the Sandin family, a roving band of purge participants who had been stalking the homeless man are less than pleased with their prey being out of their week. Threatening to tear down the mansion if James doesn’t let the man out for them to kill, the group unleashes hell against the family house, turning it into a bloodbath of epic proportions.

James DeMonaco has has been highly criticized by The Purge series over the years, but I tend to really like them all (except for the God awful 4th film). He tries to put in some social commentary with this first film, but really just makes it a bloody and super violent thriller with some social underpinnings. It’s not like the 2nd and 3rd film where they’re near action movies with socio-political subtexts in big bright letters. Instead it’s more intimate, and much more horrifying to watch. The gore and violence of the later films is almost comical, while here’s its gut turning and nasty. That being said, It’s also my favorite of the batch as Ethan Hawk and Lena Headey do a great job of playing the terrified home owners, and the super violence is spot on perfect for the type of exploitation film that The Purge is really at heart.

Ouija:
Everyone remembers that old Ouija board sold at Toys-R-Us right? At least it was back in the days when I was a youngster. Good conservative parents warned their children to never play with them and the rest of us rolled our eyes and giggled at the thought of actually contacting the dead. What better way to resurrect that relic than to make a horror movie about it? Or, in this case, a BAD horror movie about a Ouija board. Now don’t get me wrong, if you’re a horror fanatic like me then you have to put up with bad horror on a daily basis. It’s almost a staple of the genre, and actually part of the charm. I mean, how many movies in the slasher genre are actually GOOD movies? However, we still have a blast with them. Same with just about any of the subsets in horror, but unfortunately Ouija falls into that category that no horror movie fan wants a movie to fall into. The so bad, that even its own badness isn’t endearing any more.

Debbie (Shelley Hennig) and Laine (Olivia Cooke) grew up together playing that silly game when they were children and now it looks like it’s come back to haunt them. After playing with a Ouija board found in her house, Debbie ends up committing suicide (or at least that’s what everyone is led to believe) much to the chagrin of Laine. Overcome with grief, Laine decides to use the Ouija board in Debbie’s house to try and contact her dead spirit in an effort to say goodbye. With the help of her friends, Sarah (Ana Coto), Trevor (Daren Kagasoff), Isabelle (Bianca A. Santos), and Pete (Douglas Smith), she makes contact with a spirit who claims she’s Debbie. Not long after that weird things start happening and friends start dying. Realizing that maybe Debbie wasn’t the one they were talking to, the group discovers that there was a murder committed in the house long ago. A young mother killed her daughter there and the evil that haunts that house today stemmed from that incident. Intent on fixing the issue, Laine tries her hardest to destroy the connection between the spirit world and the living only to find out that things aren’t exactly as they seem. Bodies are still dropping like flies and soon enough Laine may be the only one left alive. If even that.

Ouija commits several fatal flaws that really killed it for me. I enjoy horror movies, and even bad ones are a blast in the right context, but Ouija commits seppuku on itself from the first 15 minutes. The scares are 99% jump scares, but not only jump scares, but jump scares telegraphed so badly that no one can even be startled by them. Not only that, but the script is so poorly written that every move in the entire movie seems straight from the supernatural horror playbook. Dumb teenagers who look WAAAAAY too good to be actual teenagers end up unlocking an evil that plagues them. They do their best to do so but end up getting killed in the process. The remaining hero somehow manages to outwit the spirit and put the genie into the bottle……or did they? Oi vey, by the 10 minute mark I was visibly wincing, and by the 30 minute mark I was feeling punished. By the time the movie ended I was gasping for air and wondering how I got through it without throwing the remote through the screen.

Acting wise, it really wasn’t much better than the script. Every character in the movie acted as flat as a board, and even though the plot SERIOUSLY resembles “Drag me to Hell”, the level of acting and direction was nowhere near that level of fun. Had it not taken itself so seriously the movie had some potential to be more fun that it was, but with the dead pan serious tone it took there wasn’t much to be had. Olivia Cooke is the ONLY bright spot in the film, as she is simply fantastic in “Bates Motel”, but you can really tell this one was just a paycheck for even her, and her limited effort really didn’t help a whole lot.

The Boy Next Door:
I haven’t laughed this hard in a long time. By the end of The Boy Next Door I was having a hard time recovering, with aching sides and an eyeful of tears. The only problem is, the movie isn’t a comedy. Based off the old 1980s and 1990s “crazy person stalks their jilted lover” movies where one person has a moment of weakness, becomes intimate with a gorgeous/handsome stranger and then the whole situation spirals violently out of control and everyone realizes said handsome/gorgeous stranger is actually a psycho. There, end of story, I’ve pretty much told you the whole scenario right there. Directed by Rob Cohen, of such wonderful fame as “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” and “xXx : State of the Union”, comes a delightfully cheesy and schlocky little thriller that would be a complete and utter blast if it wasn’t hampered by some of the worst dialog and writing I have heard in a decent budgeted theatrical release.

Claire Peterson (Jennifer Lopez) is recovering with her son, Kevin (Ian Nelson), after a rough breakup wither her cheating husband, Garrett (John Corbett). She’s frustrated, lonely, and after some time feels as if she would be better off with her husband, who seems to be making a real effort at changing his ways. A monkey wrench gets thrown into the situation in the form of a handsome high school senior (actually almost 20 years old for some reason) in the form of Ryan Guzman with all his six packs and incredible physique to boot. Noah (Guzman) is here in town to take care of his great uncle during a recent surgery and his charm wins over just about everyone he comes in contact with. At first it’s simple things, like Noah giving Kevin a hand with manual labor type things (something Kevin isn’t exactly adept at) and soon enough he’s helping out around the house. There’s an obvious attraction between Claire and Noah, one which no one would ever broach normally, but soon enough temptation comes along and Claire falls right into it.

Realizing her stupid mistake, Claire tries to tell Noah it was a mistake, that she wants to make it work with her separated husband and that he should back off, but little does she know that Noah is a powder keg ready to explode. Noah’s simple adoration soon turns into a wild obsession with Claire that spirals out of control into a mess that looks like cleaning up will ruin more than a few lives. Noah stalks Claire mercilessly, refusing to give her a moment’s peace, driving a wedge between her and Kevin and between Kevin and Garrett in a frantic attempt to keep what he believes is rightfully his. Soon it becomes clear that there is more to Noah than just a disturbed teenager, as Claire digs up more information about his past than makes her comfortable, such information that will lead to a brutal conclusion that will change their lives in a big way.

I saw the trailer months ago and dove on the chance to watch The Boy Next Door. I love these horribly schlocky obsession thrillers as I grew up watching Michael Douglass and others star in them for decades. They aren’t exactly high art, but then again they were never intended to be that way. The claustrophobic feeling of being stalked by someone so close to you is electrifying and creates for a tense watch. “The Boy Next Door” shows many of those same traits. Noah is a hunk of a guy, and J-Lo is the vulnerable woman (who looks incredible for her age I might add) and Rob Cohen is perfect with spreading cheese around with a knife in such a way that you can’t help but giggle and love every bite. On one hand I got exactly that. The plot is predictable, the outcome even more so, with an ending confrontation that satisfied every banal desire for revenge on the crazed psychopath that you could ever desire. However, the horrific writing just dropped the experience down to a level that even I couldn’t enjoy. I alternated either laughing hysterically at the unintentional comedy unraveling before my very eyes, or holding my head in my hands and screaming “make it stop! Make it STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP”!

I’m honestly conflicted on the movie. On one hand, I really enjoyed the recycled plots, the totally predictable ending and the cookie cutter characters because that’s exactly what I was expecting from the film. It’s like going into a meal knowing that you’re eating Mac N’ cheese. It’s cheap, it’s unhealthy for you, but it’s a comfort food that just satisfies. Even if you pay for it with a sick stomach from too much white pasta and chemicals that tries pass itself off as “cheese” sauce. The same is true with The Boy Next Door. I loved the obviously clichéd ending and the over the top acting, but at the same time I’m honestly flabbergasted at the horrible writing and dialog. This is something that I would have expected from a cheap DTV parody film like Transmorphers or something from Ewe Boll, not a blockbuster release. It’s mildly entertaining, but the bad parts are so bad that I honestly can’t decide whether I should re-watch my copy or burn it with fire.

Unfriended:
Ok, so now that we’ve had found footage films, ghost films, a book about a Ouija board, we now have a brand new form of horror. The “Cyber” horror. Shot for literally ONE million dollars, we have a movie that’s literally one big giant skype chat. We get to see Facebook, Instagram, some YouTube and the revolving skype instant video messages, but other than that, it’s us LITERALLY looking at the main character’s computer screen for 87 minutes. Yes, you got that right, we are seeing typing, YouTube, pixelated skype calls that look like they were using DSL from the 90’s and nothing else. Now, the concept is unique, I’ll give them that, but unfortunately Unfriended can’t get over the fact that it’s not even remotely scary and that the generic “ghost revenge” plot doesn’t exactly lend itself towards excellence. I jumped once or twice at the end, but that was only a quick startle due to the standard level jump scares employed.

High school students Blair (Shelley Hennig) and Mitch (Moses Storm) are doing a little flirtsy flirtsy skyping when they are interrupted by a group call from three other friends, Jess (Renee Olstead), Adam (Will Peltz) and Ken (Jacob Wysocki). However, an unknown party is attached to the call and no matter what they try the caller just can’t be disconnected. Thinking it’s a glitch, the 5 friends just continue on with their conversation. That is until the “glitch” starts typing to them. Sending them links of a dead girl who committed suicide last year, the unknown party starts to terrorize the kids. AS you would expect, the teens try to disconnect the party from the chat, but weird things start happening, as soon as they think they have the out, something hinky happens on the computer and boom, this third party is back again.

As if things couldn’t get worse, one of their friends keels over dead at the computer after disobeying a command from the intruder. Now if that doesn’t get a normal person’s attention, I don’t get what will. Then the movie pretty much progresses into a horrific tale of “never have I ever” where the losers of the game end up dying. One by one the group learns some pretty nasty secrets about each other, and they ALL lead back to this girl, Laura Barns. Someone made a cruddy comment about her, someone told her via a fake account to kill herself, etc. etc. etc. With the body count piling up, Blair does everything she possibly can to stop the carnage before it’s too late. Unless it already IS too late.

]I’m really not sure where to begin. The entire movie screamed train wreck from the trailer, and the film itself isn’t too far off from that result. There’s nothing original in the screenplay, the acting is minimal, as pretty much all you see is some pixelated and low speed internet pictures as the moving visuals, and the voices is where all the “acting” comes from. The scares are nonexistent with my only feelings of “heart leaping” coming from the final jump scare at the end. Not to mention that I could see the ending coming from a mile away. I mean, seriously? The ghost revenge story is about as by the books as you can get. A nasty spirit comes back to haunt the people who ended her life and she metes out some just desserts by the end of the movie. Not much more you can do with that. The only disappointing thing is that you don’t really SEE the kills, which is usually most of the appeal of a horror flick like this. You get a glimpse of the action as the skype video flickers a quick image here or there, but with $1 million for the whole enchilada there’s not much they could do.

I will admit to being impressed with the premise. The whole idea of someone torturing another person through the internet is kind of a long time internet joke. That tongue in cheek wink wink combined with the terror of a horror movie is kind of cool, and for the budget they had, the powers that be certainly tried their hardest. Unfortunately there’s not a whole lot to do with that concept and even at 87 minutes the story feels stretched waaaaaaaaaaaaay past its limits.

The Visit:
I have to say, I actually like several of M. Night Shamalamadingdong’s movies. He had great success back in his early film making career and put out some really fun thrillers. “Signs” and “The 6th Sense” were huge hits and I REALLY REALLY love “Unbreakable”. It’s (in my opinion) one of the greatest superhero movies ever made and exquisitely crafted. However, his later movies have really spiraled off the deep end. Somehow the man still gets funding for movies, no matter how badly he dive bombs, and once “After Earth” literally tanked so badly that even Will Smith had to wince at the crash landing, we actually thought that M. Night Shamalamadingdong would never actually get funding for another movie again. In fact we were ALMOST correct. The Visit was almost never made and was shot on a ridiculously shoe string budget of $5 million (and raked in over 10 times that amount domestically alone). After hearing of the stunning financial success the movie ended up being, I was really intrigued and wanted to see if the film maker with a twist had finally gotten back to his roots. My reaction on seeing was something like this “what the….I mean, did I just…..are you kidding me!!!!??”.

The man with an obvious twist is back, and this time it’s with much lower budgeted horror film that takes us back to his roots of creepy movies with a weird twist at the end. Becca (Olivia DeJonge) and Tyler (Ed Oxenbould) have never met their grandparents. Mommy dearest (Kathryn Hahn) had left them at the tender age of 19 and never looked back. However, times have changed and they finally reached out to her and asked to be a part of their grandchildren’s life. Mommy dearest has apparently acquiesced and is sending off Becca and Tyler to spend a weekend at the old folk’s farm out in Pennsylvania. The children are themselves a bit odd, as Tyler is an aspiring rap star (there are several cringe worthy freestyle moments in the film that will put your teeth on edge) and Becca is trying to make this entire experience a documentary. Thus we see over 50% of the film through the lens of a camera within the movie.

Once the pair get to their destination they are met by Nana (Deanna Dunagan) and Poppop (Peter McRobbie) where they are whisked away to their parent’s family home. Things seem ok at first. Nana cooks great food and they are having a grand old time in the sticks (well as grand a time as they can have with no Wi-Fi). However, it doesn’t take long before things turn strange fast. Poppop has an old shed out back that he goes to mysteriously and NO ONE is allowed in the basement (due to mold supposedly). This is all chalked up to old people problems and soon the children just write it off. But not matter how hard they try, they can’t shake the fact that things aren’t NORMAL around the place. That’s when Becca and Tyler start investigating their grandparents, and start setting up cameras around the house to see what happens past bedtime, and what happens in the dead of night very well may be the secret they are looking for.

The Visit is just a plain bad movie from start to finish. M. Night Shamalamadingdong has made some weird movies in the past, but this one takes the cake. To be honest, it wasn’t even the most remote bit scary and the twist was seen a mile away. I didn’t even look for it to be honest, but by the time the second visitor came to the house I had it figured out completely, and guess what. I was definitely right. The scares are all your classic jump and tension scares, trying to get you to fear the grandparents, and then take a look back and say “well, was it REALLY scary, or was I imagining it”? By the time the actual twist happens I was staring at my watch wondering if it was over yet. Strangely enough, this isn’t your normal M. Night Shamalamadingdong twist, as he usually introduces the shocker right before the end. This time we get the “shocker” a good 20 minutes before the film wraps and he allows for a more sappy and intimate ending to actually take place, after all the mayhem has died down.

While I rag on many portions of the film, I will say this. I certainly enjoyed the performances of the grandparents. Both were creepy as all get out, despite the obvious plot twist and they interacted well with the limited environment they had at their disposal. Although, Becca and Tyler were written so atrociously that it almost balances out at the end. I mean, who had the bright idea to make Becca a verbose film maker and Tyler to be a white boy wannabe rapper? They were so grating that by the end of the film I was almost hoping the grandparents WERE evil so that they could eat the children and get it over with (there was even a Hansel and Gretel moment with the oven at one point in the film).

Split:
Whoaaaaaaaaaaaa. I feel weird saying this. M. Night Shamalamadingdong has made a good movie for once. I know, right!? Let that just sink in for a bit. I think the last film of his that was even remotely palatable was the much (and mis) maligned “Lady in the Water” back in 2006, with 2004’s “The Village” being his last highly lauded film. After that the director with a twist up his sleeve seemed destined to become a losing effort in the film world with flop after flop after flop. Last year’s “The Visit” was ALMOST enough to muster up a semblance of his old storytelling ability, but sadly it faltered BADLY. Well, after years of waiting, and a cynical nature that wondered if we would ever see another M. Night movie do decently at the box office, I’m happy to be proven wrong. Split is not just a decent film, but actually a very GOOD film from the disgraced director. There’s a few issues in the 3rd act, but those are very minor and don’t really detract from the overall story that has come before.

The trailer teased us with horror flick that dealt with multiple personalities and some hints at Shyamalan’s signature love of the supernatural under the surface. Right off the bat we know that James McAvoy is going to be the villain and we get to meet him right at the beginning of the film. Three girls, Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy), Claire (Haley Lu Richardson) and Marcia (Jessica Sula) are abducted from Claire’s father on the way to a birthday part by an evil looking Dr. Xavier. Waking up, the girls find themselves locked in a closed off room somewhere underground and no way out. The only hints they get are from Dennis (McAvoy), the man who has abducted them and refuses to let them out. The only thing is, Dennis is not the only one down there. There is also Patricia, and a young 9-year-old boy named Hedwig. The thing is, they all share the same body. The same body as Dennis.

Frantic to get out the girls realize that things are not as they seem. The different personalities of Dennis/Patricia/Hedwig are separate and completely isolated from each other, making escape a near impossibility. Outside of the room we’re let in to the little secrets of our mysterious villain. It seems that he is being treated by a Dr. Fletcher (Betty Buckley) for a dissociative disease known as DID. Under this condition the original patient, Kevin, has developed 23 distinct and individual identities that have taken over his body in his own coping mechanism. For years the good doctor has treated him and allowed the benign ones like Barry to come out to the surface. The only thing is, that equilibrium has been thrown out of whack due to Hedwig, who has the ability to force his personality out into the open and give control to anyone he wishes. Now Patricia and Dennis, the most cynical of the group, have been allowed free reign and they have a plan. A plan that the rest of the 23 personalities are terrified of. A plan that will bring forth a monster than NO ONE can control. A monster who will devour and tear away anything in his path.

M. Night Shyamalan has a propensity for making his supernatural films either horror or super-hero in nature, and in Split he kind of blends the two together. Much like most of his films, Split runs a fine line between teasing the viewers with hints of something more sinister and supernatural while allowing for the possibility of it being completely normal up until the very end of the film. The trailer alone spoils the fact that Kevin/Dennis/Patricia believe there is another personality that will allow him to turn into a monstrous beast, but we as the viewer are still guessing how much of that is really going to happen, and how much of that is just in his mind. Honestly, I’m not going to spoil it for you, but believe me, the twist master keeps the cards close enough to his chest to keep you guessing. What I would say is don’t watch listen to what is being said, but listen very carefully for what is NOT being said. Reading between the lines nets more than the simple smoke and mirrors of what is actually going on.

The premise of Split is quite good, but what makes the film truly marvelous is the casting choices. I have loved McAvoy for quite some time and find the man a fantastic actor when he’s given the right material (I was horrified to see what they did with him in “X-Men: Apocalypse), and his addition to the film is the single greatest part of the movie. The film is almost a 3 person act (with Claire and Marica taking up a goodly portion of the rest of the movie) and the two trapped people (one in his own mind, the other in a physical cage) play off each other incredibly well. McAvoy is simply brilliant as the tortured minds that his alter egos have made up. He can switch from Dennis to Patricia to Hedwig in the blink of an eye and you can visibly see the different personas shift. Each role is impeccably acted and each persona is completely believable. Anya is fantastic as well, and plays a much different role than her characters in “The VVitch” and “Morgan” (I almost didn’t recognize her with the gothic black hair). Had those two not been cast, I could see this being laughed out of the theater, but because of their chemistry and enthusiasm the movie actually plays off as believable.

For those of you who have watched M. Night Shyamalan’s films in the past, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Split is in a shared universe with one of his other films. I’m not going to let you know WHICH one of them it is, but let me say it is one of Shyamalan’s best movies and there are enough hints dropped along the way to figure out if you’re so inclined (the cameo at the end solidifies that little nugget).

Get Out:
Film Review Here

Happy Death Day:
Film Review Here

Truth or Dare:
Film Review Here

Ma:
Film Review Here



Rated PG by the MPAA (Rear Window, Vertigo) / Rated PG-13 by the MPAA (The Birds) / Rated R by the MPAA (Psycho)




Video:

The Purge:
As with most Universal horror movies, The Purge offers great video clarity to enjoy. The 2.39:1 framed AVC encode is spot on perfect almost, with great detail levels, despite being shot in a dark looking house 99% of the time. The daylight sequences have a sort of tan and parchment colored hue to them, while the indoor nighttime shots have a silvery gray tone that works for the night time. The colors found in the film are spot on and show great saturation levels, even thought the shadows and darkness tends to overwhelm the visual look of the film. Shadow detail is superb, and outside of some black crush, it’s a great looking disc.

Ouija:
Ouija may not be a great movie, but Universal did a great job with the Blu-ray. Presented in its original 2.40:1 aspect ratio in the AVC code on disc, the image looks spectacular. Like most horror movies this one is pretty much soaked in darkness and shadow. With that being said, the level of detail is simply stunning as there is ample opportunity to show of your home theater system on this one. Facial detail among the flickering candle light is excellent and there is more than enough details on the shadowing house itself, from the soft curtains in the background, to the edges and curves on the Ouija pointer itself. The blacks are inky and deep without obscuring the view and the movie looks razor sharp from beginning to end. There’s a few flickering of softness that occurred in the first half of the movie, but overall the image is nearly impeccable.

The Boy Next Door:
The Boy Next Door comes to Blu-ray, thanks to Universal Studios, with a simply fantastic looking 2.40:1 AVC encoded transfer. The movie is naturally warm with nice and natural colors that pop off the screen. It looks almost as if it was taken from a film source, even though it was actually shot digitally. The picture is devoid of any digital abnormalities and showcases some incredible looking detail, from Ryan Guzman’s chiseled abs and sweaty muscles to the intricate design work on some of J-Lo’s clothing. Contrast levels are well within reason and the inky blacks that dominate some of the “dark and stormy night” scenes look absolutely superb. I did notice the skin tones looked a tad warmish, but it's a very subtle ruddy look to it. A stellar transfer that is easily the best part of the whole movie.

Unfriended:
Universal’s 1.78:1 AVC encoded video encode is probably the only really GREAT thing about the movie. There’s not much that can go wrong here. We have a tone of time where the digitally shot film stares DIRECTLY at a computer monitor and the skype program that Blair is using on her Mac computer, thus not a whole lot that can go wrong. Consistent lighting, consistent focus and we have a recipe for excellence. Colors are crisp and clean, the contrast is perfectly balance and being that the movie is shot almost entirely in a dark room, exceptionally inky and deep black levels. There is some mild banding on the background of Blair’s computer, but if you look at the surrounding components it seems to be the source image that she’s using on her screen rather than an encode issue. The video chat the teens are using is full of pixilation, ghosting, and all sorts of other low bitrate video issues, but that is most CERTAINLY part of the charm of this type of film (although I haven’t seen video breakup that bad since the late 90’s when I had 1 mbps DSL). Great looking, but limited in scope, encode from Universal.

The Visit:
Being that the movie is kind of a movie within a movie, or shall I say half found footage and have normal film making, you can expect a nice and glossy looking digital image. Sometimes it looks a bit TOO glossy, but I rack that up to the digital cameras that Becca and Tyler were using to make their documentary. Both cameras look surprisingly similar, just with the hand held ones apparently giving a glossier look and higher frame rate applied to them. The fine detail is magnificent, with every little pore and wrinkle on the grandparent’s face visible, and every fleck of peeling paint on the old farm house laid bare for the world to see. Long shots look a hair breadth less finely detailed than the close ups, but the open farmland looks beautiful with luscious greens and wonderful golden colors of falling leaves. Blacks are great normally, but I DID notice a little bit of crush here and there, especially indoors and below ground where the shadows look a bit murky.

Split:
Split was shot digitally and given a 2K digital intermediary (it used the Arri Alexa cameras that capture at 2.8k, so a 4K master probably wouldn’t have done much) and the results are interestingly glossy and smooth. I’ve talked with a number of people in the industry and they all agree with me. The film would have fared better with a film source instead of a digital source, as the cramped and dim lighting of the underground lair would have looked substantially grittier and more “grimy” than the slightly overly glossy digital imagery. That’s not to say that it doesn’t look great. Far from that in fact. The digital shoot is clean and clear of most artifacts and besides some black crush doesn’t have any other major artifacting going on (no real issues with digital noise or banding) and the neutral colors display plenty of fine detail to the naked eye. Textrues are well defined (although sometimes a little smoothed in my opinion) and overall clarity is razor sharp.

Get Out:
Video Review Here

Happy Death Day:
Video Review Here

Truth or Dare:
Video Review Here

Ma:
Video Review Here


Audio:

The Purge:
The one thing that all of The Purge films have had in common is having a stunning sounding audio mix, and the first is one of the best. The track is quiet and submissive at first, but once the purge itself is underway the track roars off like a bat out of hell. The soundtrack is filled with pulse pounding, bass heavy, music that lights up all 6 channels with ease, and the sounds of chainsaws, weapons smashing and various violent outbursts really shake the sound stage. Dialog is warm and cleanly replicated, to the point where even simple whisperings in the dark can be heard with razor sharp clarity. Surrounds are wildly active with the cacophony of purge participants invading the house, and this is one of the better tracks for nuance as well. Those little scrapes and background sounds in the dark make for a mix that feels like you can leap out of your chair from sudden noises and feel as if someone is leaping out at you from any one direction depending on the time.

Ouija:
The 5.1 DTS-HD MA does a great job of adding a nice layer of tension and suspense to the film with a track that does a reasonably good job at the immersion level and adds some seriously nice LFE to the jump scares. The moment the gas stove came on in Debbie’s house my entire couch nearly lifted off the floor and set me back down. The dialog itself is quite excellent and seems solidly balanced with the rest of the ambient noises. My only real major complaint is that the surrounds felt a bit light. There was plenty of times where they made their presence known, but it lacked that level of sonic detail and finesse that really makes a horror track good. It’s a nice track and does a great job, almost on the level of a 4.5/5 rating, but there was this feeling that it was just “missing” something to push it into that tier.

The Boy Next Door:
The 5.1 DTS-HD MA track does a good job, but surprisingly doesn’t excel as much as I would have expected. The dialog centric track is a bit front heavy, but still crystal clear and well nuanced up there with the three mains. Surrounds are used mildly to enrich the experience with some subtle ambiance, but that sense of dread and submersion in suspense just isn’t there due to the mild usage of the surround channels. LFE is solid, but not powerful, as it adds a nice weighty feeling to some of the more intense encounters between Claire and Noah. Some gunshots and cracks of thunder set a nice “high end” for the movie, but there really isn’t a wild amount of power flowing through those veins. It’s good, very good in fact, just not as robust and exciting as the genre can deal out.

Unfriended:
The lone 5.1 DTS-HD MA audio track on the disc sounds almost as good as the video is great, but the nature of a very talky film limits the sound stage you can really hear out of the situation. Dialog is crisp and locked up at the front of the soundstage, and all vocals are clear as a bell (except for the garbled noises that are part of the effect of a skype video call that breaks up). The surrounds are used decently, but not a whole lot except for an ambient humming used for intensity. The LFE is rather sneaky here, with moments where it’s nonexistent and then that throbbing, pulsing sound starts building up to ear pressurizing levels. A good track, it does what it’s asked to, but the lack of dynamics in the track is mainly due to the whole “being on a computer” the entire movie scenario. Solid A-

The Visit:
True to the nature of the movie, the 5.1 DTS-HD MA track is uber creepy, with lots and lots of thick ambiance amongst the surrounds and a heavy bass track to accompany them. The dialog is always crisp and clean, locked up front and devoid of any anomalies that might hamper it. They can shift from a loud yell as Becca and Tyler are running from Nana, down to a whisper as the two of them huddle, scared in a dark basement. The surrounds get a hefty workout as you can hear the simplistic sounds of a window opening, or feet crunching on leaves underfoot, and then explode in a cacophony of action as the two run screaming towards the house. LFE is pounding and heavy, adding some power to the jump scares, as a door slams shut, or a heavy downbeat impacts in unison with the scary happening on screen.

Split:
The 5.1 DTS-HD MA track is more than capable of giving a chilling performance and makes for a wonderful auditory experience. The film shows plenty of depth with the score and the little individual sounds placed around the soundstage during the girl’s captivity, and the surrounds are never given anything but plenty of material to work with. You can hear the dripping of water in another room, or the scraping of feet along the floor as Claire tries to escape from the tunnel. Dialog is clean and clear, locked solidly up front in the center channel. The film has a wonderful “oppressive” atmosphere that fits in with the nature of the confinement, and the low end is given a brutal amount of power to pummel you with. Sometimes it feels a little harsh and overbearing, but it seems to have been done by design to give a visceral and impactful sensation to the watch. Top notch from beginning to end.

Get Out:
Audio Review Here

Happy Death Day:
Audio Review Here

Truth or Dare:
Audio Review Here

Ma:
Audio Review Here


Extras:

The Purge
• Redemption: Behind the Scenes Featurette

Ouija
• The Spirit Board: An Evolution
• Adapting the Fear
• Icon of the Unknown

The Boy Next Door
• The Making of The Boy Next Door
• Deleted Scenes
• Audio Commentary

Unfriended
•

The Visit
• The Making of The Visit
• Becca's Photos

Split
• Alternate Ending
• Deleted Scenes
• The Making of Split
• The Many Faces of James McAvoy
• maker's Eye: M. Night Shyamalan

Get Out
• Alternate Ending with Commentary by Writer/Director Jordan Peele
• Deleted Scenes with Commentary by Writer/Director Jordan Peele
• Unveiling the Horror of Get Out: Go behind-the-scenes for the making of Get Out
• Q&A Discussion with Writer/Director Jordan Peele and the Cast: Director/Writer Jordan Peele sits down with the cast to answer fan questions on the film hosted by Chance the Rapper.
• Feature Commentary with Writer/Director Jordan Peele

Happy Death Day
• Alternate Ending
• 3 Deleted Scenes
• Worst Birthday Ever
• Behind the Mask
• The Many Deaths of Tree

Truth or Dare
• Unrated Director's Cut Version
• Game On: The Making of Truth or Dare
• Directing the Deaths
• Feature Commentary with Co-Writer/Director Jeff Wadlow and Actress Lucy Hale

Ma
• Alternate Ending
• Deleted Scenes
• Creating Sue Ann
• Party at Ma's
• Theatrical Trailer

Final Score: ​

as with any 10 film collection, the Blumhouse of Horror: 10 Movie Collection is a mixed bag of films. Some are guilty pleasures, some should be burned at the stake, and several of them are really good (Split and Get Out are of course the best of the bunch), but if you’re in the mood for a ton of horror flicks for Halloween for a good price, then you could do much worse. All of the discs are the same discs included in the individual releases, just sans the DVD from the combo packs. All in all, a decent buy with great audio and video scores for just about all of them.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Various
Directed by: Various
Written by: Various
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 / 1.78:1 / 1.85:1
Audio: Various
Studio: Universal
Rated: PG-13 / R
Runtime: Various
Blu-ray Release Date: September 29th, 2020

Recommendation: Fun Grab


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[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I only saw one of the listed movies. I am curious, so will check them out once available on amazon prime/netflix.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Not a bad price for a 10-film collection... your conclusion in "The Visit"... LOL . Well said

 

[phillihp23]

I must say I enjoy your reviews...perhaps it’s the comedic manner in which you tell us ...how bad a movie sucks. Wonder if Shamalamdingalong has anymore films in the pipeline

 

[Michael Scott]

lol, sometimes that's the fun with bad horror movies. finding the most fun way of ragging on it without coming across as a petty jerk