Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 3, 2022

Bob Clark had one of the more interesting filmographies of directors from his generation, with pretty sizable hits in vastly different genres, including everything from A Christmas Story to Porky's to (probably most saliently in terms of the particular feature currently under discussion) Black Christmas. As with many nascent filmmakers, Clark got his start with horror, and if Black Christmas shows the director with at least a relatively larger budget, some bona fide marquee stars, and a grasp of technique, Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things , while only two years older than Black Christmas, finds a young "wannabe" working with next to no money, sometimes faltering filmmaking strategies, and a cast comprised at least in part of Clark's college friends.

VCI released Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things several years ago, and those interested in a plot summary are encouraged to read Stephen Larson's Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things Blu-ray review of that release.

Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of VCI Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. VCI's previous version was in a slightly wider aspect ratio of 1.87:1, and that, combined with an AVC codec (as opposed to VC-1) and an at least relatively more visible grain field in this presentation, leads me to believe the label went back to the drawing board for this new 50th Anniversary Edition. There are still signs of filtering that probably creep through most noticeably in the many jet black sequences, where one might understandably expect grain levels to spike, and the fact not only do they not, they actually become more or less invisible at times. Things looks at least a bit better and more organic in some of the more brightly lit moments, but compression challenges enter the fray with the prevalence of misty outside environments, where things can look pretty noisy and even slightly pixellated. Crush is also a constant due to the almost nonstop use of darkness, and in fact if you line up some of the screenshots between this review and those in the original review, you'll see pretty clearly that this entire transfer is substantially darker than the first VCI release. I'm scoring this at 3.5 to express my belief that this is an improvement over the previous VCI release, though frankly I might not have scored that at 3.0 as Stephen Larson did in his review.

Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things features an LPCM 2.0 Mono track that can't quite overcome some of the inherent liabilities of the low budget shoot, with amplitudes therefore being somewhat variable, and outdoor material in particular being occasionally hard to fathom. The "cabin in the woods" sequences fare better in terms of audibility. Optional English subtitles are available.

Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

VCI Sent the 4K UHD release of this film, which also looks like it's getting a standalone 1080 release. I'm frankly uncertain as to whether the standalone 1080 release has two 1080 discs. It appears it doesn't according to both Amazon and MVD's sites, though both places list the supplements that are included on the second disc, hence my confusion. Making this all the odder is that the first VCI release stuffed not just the following supplements but a whole second version of the film on one BD-50 in its original release. Until a member picks this up and can clarify, I'm only including the supplements on the first 1080 disc, though those interested in the contents of the second can consult my Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things 4K Blu-ray review

• Dreaming of Death: Bob Clark's Horror Films (HD; 1:12:50) is a really sweet reminiscence of Clark with a number of sometimes funny interviews with people who worked with him.


• Original Theatrical Trailer (HD; 3:13)


• Commentary by Alan Ormsby, Jane Daly and Anya Cronin is accessible under the Setup Menu.

Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things is just flat out goofy fun, and if it's accepted as basically a lark that a bunch of college friends did together, it provides a few spooky moments and a kind of blatantly theatrical flair, especially with Alan Ormsby's over the top performance. Having seen both this "new, improved" 1080 version and the 4K UHD version, my initial reaction is that fans will probably be more pleased generally with the 1080 release. The big question is whether or not this release contains all the supplements listed in my 4K UHD review, and if I receive more information, I'll post an update here. Video is arguably a bit improved over the first VCI release, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.