Blu-ray Movie Reviews

"They're here," playful at first...but not for long. A storm erupts, a tree attacks and little Carol Anne Freeling is whisked into a spectral void. As her family confronts horrors galore, something else is here too: a new benchmark in Hollywood ghost stories.

Steven Spielberg and Tobe Hooper made the most intense PG rated horror film ever with this one. It still creeps me out. This has always been one of my favorite catalog Spielberg titles and a nice departure from his more family friendly films of the time. Sure it retains his signature family value sensibility, but Hooper did a great job with the subtle mood that added the perfect dose of creepiness to the production. A must own for any horror fan.

Warner delivers a spectacular HD presentation for this one that was far better than I was expecting given the age of the film. Fine detail and dimensionality are first rate throughout and the print used looks to be brand new. Close ups reveal a stunning amount of detail and depth of image is first rate. Colors are very natural and the only distractions are usually a byproduct of the special effects used throughout the film. One of Warner’s best looking catalog releases to date.

Warner has delivered a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtrack for this one and I really hope we see this become the mainstay for them with releases going forward. The track showcases some of the limitations of its time with limited dynamic range but the envelopment of the mix is impressive. There are plenty of discrete sound cues throughout the soundstage but the volume and intensity of the mix varies considerably throughout the film. Dialogue sounds good for the most part but like the rest of the mix, it can be drowned out from time to time. If the balance of the mix was tweaked in a bit, this could have been a reference quality mix.

This film is delivered in Warner’s digibook line as a hard bound volume. Inside you’ll find facts about the production, cast bios and more. The disc also has a two part documentary about real life poltergeist events and a feature on communicating with spirits. Overall a bit disappointing for fans of the production.

Fans of this film will be more than pleased with the outstanding video transfer for this one. While I would have liked some more film based supplements, I still have to give this one a solid recommendation.