Under the Bed Blu-ray Review

"Under the Bed" is presented on Blu-ray with a 1080p, AVC/MPEG-4 transfer in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The cinematography by Joseph White, utilizing the Red digital system, lends the film a clean, sharp, and detailed image. The encode showcases deep blacks, proper contrast levels, and largely avoids issues like aliasing, noise, or interference. However, some faint signs of compression, banding/false contouring, and minor artifacts do appear, mainly in darker scenes and shadows. Despite these occasional imperfections, the overall clarity is impressive, highlighting distinct details in faces, clothing, and backgrounds.

The film has a cool and bluish color palette for most of its runtime, aligning well with its horror genre origins. Whites are overexposed due to an intentionally desaturated and blown-out visual style that gives the movie a somewhat flat appearance. A notable exception occurs during a major sequence near the end where the color scheme shifts to more posterized effects, achieved through deliberate post-production choices. Shadow delineation remains strong, keeping in line with the high-end digital capture that emphasizes depth in many scenes.

Overall, the Blu-ray transfer of "Under the Bed" is surprisingly professional for a low-budget feature. While occasional anomalies are present, they do not detract significantly from the viewing experience. The film's distinct visual aesthetic is well-served by the solid transfer, making it a commendable presentation for horror enthusiasts and cinephiles alike.

The audio presentation of the Blu-ray for "Under the Bed" is equipped with a lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, delivering a dynamic and immersive sonic environment. The track utilizes the full speaker array effectively, generating atmospheric sounds that often rattle appliances and present haunting whispers, positioning the viewer in a landscape filled with suspense and eerie disturbances. This is particularly notable during sequences involving alternate dimensions, where wind and ghostly sounds envelop the listener entirely. Dialogue remains consistently clear, though it occasionally peaks during intense shouting matches.

The film score, composed by Ryan Dodson, complements the unsettling ambiance with its dramatic and spine-tingling cues. The mix achieves a foreboding atmosphere through directional effects such as whispering hazards and naturally panned sounds like bicycles swooping from left to right. However, while the more pronounced 'boo' scares and aggressive music cues are executed with ample force and deep bass, they can sometimes feel slightly unbalanced, potentially disrupting the overall coherence of the soundstage. Optional English SDH subtitles are also available, further enhancing accessibility without detracting from the audio experience.

In summary, although "Under the Bed" may fall short in other aspects of filmmaking, its DTS-HD MA 5.1 track provides a competently produced auditory experience that seeks to elevate the film's scare tactics through a carefully engineered soundscape. While the louder moments may occasionally lack finesse, the overall mix succeeds in crafting an atmospheric and immersive setting that enhances the viewer's engagement with the film's horror elements.

The Blu-ray edition of "Under the Bed" offers a minimal but engaging selection of extras. The primary bonus feature is the film’s trailer, presented in high-definition 1080p with Dolby Digital 2.0 sound. Despite the lack of extensive behind-the-scenes content or commentary tracks, this inclusion provides a quick glance at the film’s appeal and atmosphere. Additionally, the disc's startup sequence includes trailers for other genre-related films which, while skippable, aren't accessible from the main menu. This seamless integration of trailers may appeal to enthusiasts interested in similar content.

Extras included in this disc:

• Film Trailer: High-definition trailer showcasing the film.
• Startup Trailers: Previews for Saturday Morning Mystery, Inbred, and American Mary (unavailable from the main menu).

"Under the Bed," directed by Steven C. Miller with a script by Eric Stolze, aims to delve into primal childhood fears but stumbles over its own ambitions. The film attempts to explore whether the terror faced by brothers Neal (Jonny Weston) and Paulie (Gattlin Griffith) is a literal monster or a psychological manifestation of trauma. However, the narrative leaves these questions unanswered, leaning more towards clichéd horror elements without satisfactory resolution. Miller’s direction creates an initial air of foreboding with effective cinematography, but the suspense fizzles out as the plot devolves into repetitive family drama and inconsistent scares.

The character dynamics are underdeveloped, with Neal returning home after a traumatic incident involving his mother's death in a fire, and his father Terry (Peter Holden) struggling to maintain normalcy under apparent fear of his own son. The film's predictable trope of "Adults Don't Get It" feels overplayed, and the addition of a stepmother trying too hard further complicates rather than enriches the narrative. As Neal and Paulie prepare for a final showdown with their elusive monster, the inclusion of homemade weaponry, such as an implausible chainsaw, detracts from the film’s credibility.

Compounding these narrative issues is the film’s erratic tonal shifts. What starts as a moody, atmospheric setup reminiscent of '90s family-friendly horror shows like "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" quickly descends into a confused mix of juvenile spooks and surprisingly graphic violence. This tonal inconsistency renders it unsuitable for both children and mature audiences. Ultimately, "Under the Bed" fails to find solid footing, leaving viewers in an awkward limbo between cheesy prosthetics, ineffective narrative twists, and a jarring climactic gore fest that feels out of place. The film’s indecisiveness in target audience and genre results in a disappointing amalgamation that satisfies neither suspense nor horror aficionados.

The Blu-ray release of "Under the Bed" is technically competent but severely lacking in content quality. The film itself fails to captivate, offering a muddled blend of horror elements that seem neither fully fleshed out nor particularly engaging. Visually, the Blu-ray transfer includes some satisfactory elements but struggles with notable artifacting that detracts from the viewing experience. The audio mix, although not intricate, manages to complement the film's basic scare tactics adequately.

From a narrative perspective, "Under the Bed" lacks the imaginative spark required to establish a compelling horror story. The film veers between being too mundane for seasoned horror enthusiasts and overly gory for younger audiences, resulting in a disjointed and unappealing offering. Moreover, the absence of any special features, barring a lone trailer, further diminishes the value of this release.

In conclusion, "Under the Bed" on Blu-ray is a serviceable but ultimately forgettable addition to the horror genre. The lackluster storytelling and technical issues make it a difficult recommendation. Skip it.