City Wide Fever Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

City Wide Fever Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf May 7, 2026

Giallo cinema is generally beloved by horror fans, celebrated for its ways with violence and reality-bending atmosphere, also providing mysteries to solve for those interested in puzzling. It’s a secret-handshake subgenre for those in the know, and one fan of it all is certainly writer/director Josh Heaps, who doesn’t have any money or interest in working with HD gear, out to craft his own little homage to giallo events in “City Wide Fever.” It’s a low-res valentine to the brain-bleeding aspects of European storytelling, with Heaps placing attention on the seductive qualities of the unknown and the hunt for information. The picture isn’t going to win hearts and minds from a technological standpoint, but for those who really enjoy filmmaking that’s in love with filmmaking, “City Wide Fever” has its highlights, with genuine enthusiasm for the storytelling mission, even during its most underfunded scenes.

Sam (Diletta Guglielmi) is a film student in New York City who finds a USB flash drive on the ground while wandering around. Checking out the information, Sam discovers files related to the work of Italian moviemaker Saturnino Rezi, a long forgotten creator of giallo films who passed away while trying to complete a mysterious project known as “City Wide Fever.” Sam grows obsessed with Rezi, learning about his important history with the subgenre, determined to understand what happened to his last endeavor. Sam finds some support from her friend Chloe (Angelica Kim), while a lead is provided by Professor Keith (Onur Tukel), sending Sam on a quest to find Rezi cinematographer Hong (Stan Oh) and learn more about the master’s methods. Such hopes are dashed when the film professional is murdered in front of Sam, inspiring her to continue on her quest, losing her sense of reality the deeper she goes into Rezi’s past.

“City Wide Fever” is shot with a standard-definition camera, which goes against the ultra-stylish ways of some giallo, but Heaps hopes to charm with intent. He creates a space of mystery for Sam, who elects to find out what’s on the stick, exposed to information about a director she’s unfamiliar with, who’s history has been lost to time. Rezi was first to create giallo, launching the subgenre, and such an achievement is beguiling to Sam, who loves Italian filmmaking, taking her interests in the case to Professor Keith. “City Wide Fever” sets up a passable mystery with the location of anyone connected to Rezi’s final project, with Keith offering a lead in Hong’s possible employment at a NYC sex shop. Potential sleaziness (a giallo specialty) is avoided, with the picture taking on a more exploratory tone as Sam and Chloe search the city for information, and Heaps follows with guerilla-style moviemaking as he captures the spirit of the location.

Hong is the key to learning more about Rezi, but the cinematographer doesn’t last long in “City Wide Fever,” which introduces a serial killer pursuing Sam as she gets closer to answers. This is no black-gloved menace, but a ghoul in a pink ski mask, which makes for an unexpected visual. Heaps also plays games of attraction, as Chloe is into Sam, dancing around her desire that their relationship could become something more. The film student is too focused on Rezi to care, and the script visits other supporting characters, including fellow student Raina (Hugo Alexander-Rose), who was involved in an inappropriate relationship with Professor Keith, inspiring the pair to infiltrate his apartment and look for info on Rezi he’s withheld. It’s not much, but a bit of mischief helps the cause, and Sam eventually makes her way to meet Rutanya (Rutanya Alda), an actress who worked with the director, involved in the early stages of “City Wide Fever.” Why this visit is proceeded by an excruciatingly overlong joke involving a ranting rideshare driver who makes Sam uncomfortable is more of a mystery than anything involving Rezi.

City Wide Fever Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The image presentation (1.33:1 aspect ratio) for "City Wide Fever" is dealing with a low-res movie to begin with. The video look of the feature is maintained, and while there's no fine detail, frame appreciation is possible as the endeavor tours the city and remains tight on faces. Color is intentionally blown out, but primaries register as intended, with heavier reds and pinks. Skin tones are reasonably natural. Delineation is passable with evening activity. Compression issues are common, with banding present.

City Wide Fever Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 Dolby Digital mix isn't dealing with a complex sound design for "City Wide Fever." Dialogue exchanges are understood, exploring performance choices and accents. Scoring supports with acceptable instrumentation, and soundtrack selections offer decent vocals. Surrounds are open up for musical moods, maintaining basic immersion. Sound effects are appreciable. Low-end isn't challenged.

City Wide Fever Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet contains an intro from Paul Schrader, liner notes by Guy Maddin, and essays by Michael M. Bilandic, Gina Telaroli, Larua Kern, and Josh Heaps.

• Commentary features writer/director Josh Heaps and cinematographer Ethan Johnson.

• Deleted Scenes (8:52) are provided.

• And a Trailer (1:03) is included.

City Wide Fever Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"City Wide Fever" is a detective story in many ways, and Heaps gradually introduces giallo conventions, inching away from reality as Sam gets closer to information, and she's soon played by actress Nancy Kimball to really sell the psychological split. Heaps embraces the confusion of it all, but he's also careful to add resolution to the story, allowing the feature to remain at least a passably satisfying sit. "City Wide Fever" isn't slick, resembling a student film for the most part, but Heaps wants to do something with his no-budget project, and he accomplishes a good amount of his creative goals, bringing viewers into surreal encounters and movie fandom, and doing so with at least some appreciation for giallo formula.