The Midnight Man Blu Ray Review (Scream Factory/IFC Midnight)
The Midnight Man is a 2016 horror film directed by Travis Z (Cabin Fever 2016, Intruder, & Scavengers). This is a remake of the 2013 Irish horror film with the same name. Director Travis Zariwny is no stranger to remakes considering he was the one who did the controversial same script re-boot for Eli Roth’s Cabin Fever a few years ago. A group of friends get themselves into a game they can’t escape & it leads to tragedy. Many years later on a snowy night in her grandmother’s sprawling mansion, teenager Alex (played by: Gabrielle Haugh from Jeepers Creepers III, The Institute, & 13 Reasons Why) & her best friend Miles (played by: Grayson Gabriel from Stan Helsing, Day to Night, & Anthem) discover a mysterious box hidden away in the attic. Inside are instructions for The Midnight Game, an ancient pagan ritual said to summon the player’s deepest fears. It all seems like harmless fun & games to Alex & Miles until it brought back a monster that’s been locked away for a long time. It puts others in danger after exposing this darkness to the world again. Anna Luster (played by: Lin Shaye from Insidious franchise, Critters 1/2, Dumb and Dumber, There’s Something About Mary, & Detroit Rock City) has some dark secrets hidden in her past & one includes the deadly The Midnight Man (played by: Kyle Strauts from The Predator, Let’s Play, & iZombie). Dr. Harding (played by: Robert Englund from A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, V, The Phantom of the Opera, & Dance Macabre) has special instructions for Alex when it comes to the care of Anna. Curiosity has created a supernatural problem for the two friends. Why is this game in this house? & What did they just bring back? It’s a night of unholy terror from someone who gets power from the worst & biggest fears inside!!!!
The Midnight Man is very similar to what you have seen in mainstream cinema in recent years for the horror genre but it’s done much better on a lower budget. I was really impressed with the special effects on this feature. It felt like it could have been made in the 80s. Horror fans will be happy with the kills & the amount of gore used in this production. It had a nice little back story to it which instantly drew you into this world. It’s not something new or original to the genre but it was executed well. I enjoy Travis Z’s directing style & I think it adds a little extra to the film. It’s set in one house for most of the feature so it has quality production value for it’s limited locations which works good for this type of film. The two horror veterans really elevated in their supporting roles, both Robert Englund & Lin Shaye made The Midnight Man better with their performances. Horror is obviously my favorite genre, I am not going to lie over the years it’s been full of lame or throwaway villains. The Midnight Man is one of the better ones in recent years. He is BRUTAL plus he actually looks pretty cool. He definitely stands out! I like how he plays on people’s fears & uses it against them. We need more characters like this in the genre. I am glad this is released here now.
Let’s talk about the high definition presentation. This 1080p (2.40:1) transfer is better than expected for this independent low budget film. It has a nice creepy atmosphere to it. I also like how it’s basically set in one location for most of the production. The set pieces & design look good on the screen. The background is basically another character in this feature. It has two different audio options which include English DTS-HD MA 5.1 & DTS-HD MA 2.0 plus English SDH subtitles. It sounded great on my home system & it had some real intense moments during it which added to the excitement!
Let’s discuss the special features on this disc! This is one of the best extras you can ever get for a blu ray. It’s the original 2013 Midnight Man film written & directed by Rob Kennedy (Trick or Treat, Wheels of Death, Parking Ticket, & In the Night, in the Dark). It runs almost an hour & thirty minutes. The good news is both films had different tones to them so you can easily watch them back to back without feeling you have seen the same twice in a row. It was cool to see where the inspiration & early concepts came from on this. You also get a Theatrical Trailer for the film. It has reversible artwork & a slipcover also. Scream Factory & IFC Midnight continue their creative collaboration with The Midnight Man release that just came out last Tuesday. I always appreciate a cool new villain in the horror genre so that alone makes it worth viewing. I had way more fun than I thought I would with this so i definitely recommend it, check it out!!!!
