The Roost Blu Ray Review (Glass Eye Pix)

The Roost is a 2005 horror film written, edited, and directed by Ti West (The Innkeepers, Pearl, MaXXXine, Trigger Man, The Sacrament, X, Cabin Fever 2, The House of the Devil, The ABCs of Death, and V/H/S). It was executive produced by Larry Fessenden (Blackout, Sisters, The Innkeepers, Satan Hates You, Trigger Man, I Can See You, Automatons, The Last Winter, Habit, Birth of the Living Dead, I Sell the Dead, The House of the Devil, Late Phases, and Stake Land franchise). Showtime aired it on television and they originally released it on DVD. It grossed $5,642 in the United States and Canada during it’s limited theatrical run. After a near-death car accident, four friends which includes Trevor (played by: Karl Jacob from Pollywogs, Cold November, and Young American Bodies), Brian (played by: Sean Reid from The Innkeepers, Trigger Man, Satan Hates You, and The Sacrament), Allison (played by: Vanessa Horneff) and Elliot (played by: Wil Horneff from The Sandlot, Born to Be Wild, The Yearling, and Ghost in the Machine) on their way to a Halloween wedding venture to a secluded farm for some help. Little do they know, the group will soon disturb an ancient evil with far more ghastly plans in store for them!!!! The Roost is the full length feature debut from horror director TI West. He only did 2 shorts before this project. It was produced by veteran Larry Fessenden. The script is kinda a slow burn and it takes it’s time to develop. Character actor Tom Noonan (Manhunter, Heat, The Monster Squad, RoboCop 2, and Synecdoche, New York) steals the show as the Horror Host. He adds an old school horror vibe to this with his presence. His segments elevates this independent production. The 4 leads includes Karl Jacob, Sean Reid, Wil Horneff, and Vanessa Horneff are all solid as the unlucky visitors that get trapped in this supernatural situation. Their characters don’t get much of a background so it creates a mysterious feel to the group. They all seek rescue in a secluded farm. They split up and the night terrorizes them while the friends struggle to survive. The rest of the supporting cast includes Barbara Wilhide, Richard Little (Ocean City), John Speredakos (Blackout), Larry Fessenden (The Dead Don’t Die), Tom Hamilton (Wrestling), Heather Robb (I Can See You), Suyash Pachauri (Trigger Man), Mary Schmidt (The Wicked), Ti West (You’re Next), and Graham Reznick (The Sacrament). The Roost does require some patience but it’s the worth the wait especially for it’s intense finish. It’s the one builds up it’s suspense until it fully explodes. It shows the potential talent of West and I’m not surprised that he ended up becoming a major force in the genre. It’s a good warning that shortcuts are not always the way to go. It’s an interesting take on the infected or a zombie like result. I thought the use of bats made it stand out a little more. The Roost has a creepy throwback vibe of something from the 70’s. Ti West was still learning during this and it definitely shows but it’s a good beginning for his career. It’s better than it’s reputation to be honest. It’s worth checking out sometime, RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Glass Eye Pix! This 1080p (1.66:1) unrated transfer is from a newer restoration. This is a massive improvement over the 2006 DVD from Showtime, it’s the best it’s ever going to look anywhere. I love the retro look and style to The Roost. It has a few different audio options which includes English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 tracks on the disc. The audio mainly pops when it comes to score for this but it does have a few thrilling moments. All of the dialogue is crystal clear, the chaos is elevated, and the music has a big boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles. It has a brand new exclusive “Audio Commentary” with director Ti West and producer Larry Fessenden. They revisit The Roost after so many years. They chat about how they originally met and how this was put together. They go over some important people that were involved with this. Larry said his company took notes from Roger Corman and they decided to use a name in their projects. That’s where Tom Noonan came in. They joke about it financed his country home so it must have been a cabin or small because he didn’t make much from this. They provide so much information and stories about this first time effort. Their memories are top notch and it’s almost like it happened yesterday. It has an additional brand new exclusive “Audio Commentary” with sound designer Graham Reznick and associate producer Peter Phok. This is a completely different take on the horror feature. They decide to wing it and say whatever comes to mind. I appreciate that they have information and stories that weren’t on the previous one. I really liked the appreciation for the late great Tom Noonan. His stuff was shot after The Roost was finished but they needed it to be a little longer for it’s release so they added the horror host character. It has the unreleased little over 7 minute “Radio Clips from The Roost” with Graham Reznick. This is a pretty cool addition to this home video release. It has the under a minute “Bat Animation Test” with Larry Fessenden and animated by Brahm Revel from 2005. It has the little over 31 minute “Kids Making Movies: A Look Inside The Roost” from 2005. It’s packed with behind the scenes footage. It has a few short conversations but it’s mainly visuals from the actual shoot. It highlights some of the special fx for this. It has post-production and premiere material towards the end. It has the unreleased almost 10 minute “Bat’s Your Leathery Friends” featuring Merlin Tuttle. He gives his thoughts and true facts on bats. It’s an interesting focus on the mysterious animal. It has the “Trailer” for The Roost. It comes with a high quality slipcover and 2 different artworks underneath. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!