Beneath the Darkness Blu-ray Review
Score: 23
from 2 reviewers
Review Date:
'Beneath the Darkness' Blu-ray fails with a lackluster story, inconsistent characters, poor performances, subpar video quality, and a flawed audio mix.
Disc Release Date
DTS-HD MA
Video: 28
The Blu-ray presentation of 'Beneath the Darkness' showcases a mixed performance: while the 1080p, AVC-encoded image effectively manages layered black and gray nighttime scenes with visible detail, the overall picture quality is marred by poor black levels, shadow delineation issues, and an excessively soft image lacking fine detail.
Audio: 23
The English 5.1 DTS-HD MA track for 'Beneath the Darkness' fails to utilize its full potential; dialogue is hard to discern, and the surround channels are underused, with only sparse engagement of bass and atmospheric effects.
Extra: 16
Behind the Scenes offers minimal, low-quality B-roll footage and set snippets, while the trailer overly reveals the movie without enhancing its appeal.
Movie: 16
"Beneath the Darkness" is criticized for its cliched, disjointed plot, lack of suspense, and unconvincing performances, despite Dennis Quaid's attempts to elevate the material. Technical elements like the film's opening sequence and character dynamics fail to engage, making it a dull and unoriginal thriller.
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Video: 28
The 1080p AVC-encoded image of "Beneath the Darkness," presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, showcases its visual temperament exceptionally well. Cinematographer Massimo Zeri’s artistic intent is evident, especially in the night scenes suffused with shades of black and gray. The Blu-ray transfer adeptly handles these dark scenes, maintaining essential detail without suffering from crushing, which seems to be a deliberate choice given the film's digital intermediate finishing. Colors during daytime sequences are decently saturated, predominantly muted and autumnal. Zeri strategically employs more distinctive colors in specific settings, notably within Ely’s house and surreal locales like the insides of coffins. This attention to detail ensures that high-frequency filtering and artificial sharpening are virtually absent, and there are no apparent compression artifacts.
Conversely, the same 1080p/AVC encode features some notable drawbacks. Some viewers might find the black levels not truly representative of black; they trend towards gray, negatively impacting shadow delineation. The image quality occasionally lacks fine details, with facial stubble and five-o'clock shadows appearing smudged and indistinct. Daytime scenes, although less frequent, showcase commendable strong coloring, particularly evident in scenes featuring cheerleaders in vivid red outfits. Despite these strengths, the overall softness of the image detracts from fine detail visibility, rendering individual hair strands and pores non-discernible.
Edge enhancement and DNR are commendably absent, avoiding unnecessary artifacts, banding, or aliasing. However, one notable flaw is a visible scratch in the final take of the movie. While the print remains generally clean, this imperfection somewhat mars an otherwise well-executed transfer.
Audio: 23
The DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio track for "Beneath the Darkness" faces significant challenges in its execution. While the film's score, composed by Geoff Zanelli, attempts to create an atmospheric experience by filling the listening space with ominous notes from all sides, its impact is limited by the overall quality of the movie. The dialogue, despite being clear, often lacks the necessary engagement to maintain audience interest.
One glaring issue is the inconsistent mixing of audio elements. The vocal track is notably subdued, making it difficult to catch certain lines of dialogue even when manually adjusting the center channel volume. Surround and rear channel usage is sporadic at best. The opening scene promises immersive sound with cricket chirps emanating from all around, yet this semblance of surround engagement quickly dissipates. Missed opportunities are evident during critical scenes, such as a wind storm on a porch where no effects come from the surround speakers, and a glass-breaking sequence lacking the expected auditory detail.
The audio track also suffers from a paucity of impactful sound effects and bass. Except for a momentary use of LFE during a ghostly flashback, the overall experience feels bassless and lacks depth. This inconsistency in delivering a full auditory experience renders the DTS-HD MA track underwhelming and diminishes its potential for creating a truly immersive environment.
Extras: 16
The extras of the Blu-ray edition of "Beneath the Darkness" offer a modest glimpse into the film's production and promotional aspects, although their value may be debatable for some viewers. The behind-the-scenes segment provides a brief, somewhat unfocused look at the on-set environment, mostly featuring casual footage from various shooting locations, including a football and cheerleading scene. The trailer is included, presenting the film in a manner that might spoil plot points, albeit unintentionally.
Extras included in this disc:
- Behind the Scenes: Short clips offering a glimpse into on-set activities from a crew member's viewpoint.
- Trailer: Promotional clip summarizing the film, though it risks giving away critical plot details.
Movie: 16
"Beneath the Darkness" offers a tepid attempt to blend small-town gothic horror with a teen scream fest, ultimately falling short on both fronts. Dennis Quaid's performance as Vernon Ely, the sinister local undertaker in Smithville, Texas, starts with potential but quickly devolves into clichéd villainy. Ely's penchant for burying people alive is established in the opening sequence, nullifying any potential suspense. Quaid’s portrayal intermittently slips into an over-the-top caricature, reminiscent of campier horror fare which clashes jarringly with the rest of the film's serious tone. The narrative is bogged down by uninspired direction and a script riddled with clichés and loose ends.
The film's plot centers around four teenagers who suspect Ely of criminal activity after an initial bizarre spying incident. The teen characters, particularly Travis (Tony Oller), are unevenly developed, lacking coherent motivations and depth. Travis’ character arc involving a childhood ghost sighting contributes bafflingly little to the storyline and feels poorly integrated. As the teens attempt to unravel Ely’s dark secrets, the film's pacing suffers dramatically with prolonged scenes that sap it of tension. The climax loses effectiveness due to predictability and a lack of emotional investment. The ghost subplot appears randomly, serving no clear narrative purpose, further exemplifying the film's disjointed storytelling.
Overall, "Beneath the Darkness" is marred by its failure to cohesively blend horror elements with a credible plot. Even with Quaid’s best efforts to infuse menace into his role, the character's illogical decisions undermine any sense of genuine threat. The film’s unoriginal and contrived script, coupled with plodding direction, leaves it devoid of impact. It fails to capture the necessary suspense or emotional engagement needed for effective horror, resulting in a movie that feels more frustrating than frightening.
Total: 23
"Beneath the Darkness" aims to be a tense thriller but unfortunately misses the mark on multiple fronts. Despite its notable dedication to screenwriter and executive producer Bruce Wilkinson, whose passion and vision brought the film to life, the project falls drastically short in execution. The plot is bereft of tension, offering a storyline that feels hollow and characters that are painfully unrealistic. Their inconsistent actions and superficial relationships do little to engage the viewer, ultimately making the film difficult to invest in.
The technical aspects of the Blu-ray are equally disappointing. The video quality fails to meet basic standards expected from a high-definition release, with repulsive visuals that undermine any potential impact the film could have had. The audio mix is similarly lacking, featuring inaudible dialogue and a soundscape that does little to enhance the viewing experience. There are evident missed opportunities throughout, leading to a final product that feels amateurish and ill-conceived.
In conclusion, "Beneath the Darkness" is a regrettable Blu-ray that fails to deliver on all fronts. With poor storytelling, subpar performances, and lackluster technical quality, it leaves viewers feeling embarrassed for the cast and crew involved. Although the film represents the culmination of Bruce Wilkinson's lifelong dream, it is unfortunately not a recommended watch. Rent if curiosity prevails, but otherwise, this is one Blu-ray best left in the shadows.
Blu-ray.com review by Michael ReubenRead review here
Video: 70
Zeri saves his more distinctive colors for certain places in Ely's house (you'll know them when you see them) and for surreal locales like the insides of coffins....
Audio: 60
It's a good score, and the track does it proud, filling the listening space from all sides with ominous notes....
Extras: 20
Behind the Scenes (HD, 1080i; 1.78:1; 2:38): Exactly as titled, this brief featurette collects short clips of what happened between "action!" and "cut!", seen from a crew member's perspective....
Movie: 20
Even Quaid, who could certainly make an effective villain in the right vehicle, fails to generate the requisite terror, because the entire setup is ludicrous�a point the film appears to concede when, in...
Total: 30
According to his obituary, Wilkinson, a resident of Fort Worth, Texas, was a rancher and attorney for whom making this film was the realization of a life-long dream....
High-Def DigestRead review here
Video: 20
A good chunk of the movie takes place in dark nighttime settings, so colors aren't too common....
Audio: 20
The opening scene of the movie features cricket chirps that emit from all around the room, but that's the only instance of the surround and rear channels being engaged....
Extras: 0
Just as much of a waste of time as the movie itself, at least this feature only lasts three minutes....
Movie: 20
And as if this seen-it-before story wasn't bad enough, there's an unexplained ghost sub-plot that surfaces during a few scenes and makes no connection whatsoever with the story at hand....
Total: 20
Between the movie, the audio and video, and the special features, this is definitely one Blu-ray to avoid at all costs....
Director: Martin Guigui
Actors: Dennis Quaid, Tony Oller, Aimee Teegarden
PlotIn a small Texas town, high school students Travis, Abby, Daniel, and Brian become suspicious of the town's funeral home owner, Mr. Ely, after they notice strange occurrences around his residence. Their curiosity is piqued when they observe eerie happenings during a nighttime drive-by, leading them to secretly investigate. Mr. Ely, a once decorated football hero turned reclusive mortician, harbors a dark secret. Driven by curiosity and a sense of adventure, the group decides to break into Ely's house to uncover the mysteries within, unaware of the sinister truths they are about to unveil.
The teenagers' escapade quickly turns dangerous as they discover that Mr. Ely's charming facade conceals something far more ominous. The investigation spirals out of control, placing the friends in grave danger and testing their courage and resolve. As the police and other adults remain skeptical of their claims, the high schoolers must rely on their wits to navigate an increasingly perilous situation. The sequence of terrifying events that unfold reveal the depth of Ely's madness – and the lengths he will go to protect his secrets.
Writers: Bruce Wilkinson
Release Date: 22 Mar 2012
Runtime: 96 min
Rating: R
Country: United States
Language: English