Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Disturbing Behavior Blu-ray Movie Review

The Stepford Teens.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 6, 2022

Unless you've been living under a rock, or are wise enough to stay away from social media and/or entertainment "news", chances are some of the widely reported backstage drama surrounding (subsuming?) Don't Worry Darling probably made it to your doorstep. Were Florence Pugh and Olivia Wilde at each other's throats? Was Shia LeBeouf fired or did he quit? Did Harry Styles spit on Chris Pine at a screening? Most importantly, why is there no comma between "Worry" and "Darling"? (Okay, I made that last one up, but it's one of the worst things about the film for certain, um, stickler types.) One of the most likely unintentional "side benefits" of all this ridiculous reportage is that it seems to have distracted a lot of folks from what should be a rather relevant query, which is how exactly the creative staff behind the film was able to tweak just enough of the story to evade being sued by the estate of Ira Levin. Now there are manifest differences between Don't Worry Darling and The Stepford Wives, but at their core, both of these films ply much the same narrative territory.

Is there any other writer who can lay claim to the so-called "high concept" as inarguably as Ira Levin? Just think about the underlying foundational elements and ultimate "twists" involved in such intricately plotted works as Rosemary's Baby, Deathtrap, and The Boys from Brazil, in addition to his tome mentioned above which featured quasi-Imagineers "reimagining" their spouses, and it becomes obvious how influential Levin's writing has continued to be. And in a way I guess everything from Disturbing Behavior to Don't Worry Darling is further testament to that fact.

Disturbing Behavior is in a couple of ways an appropriate release for MVD Visual's MVD Rewind Collection imprint, since it is the kind of fare that would have been seen in rental emporia back in the day, but also perhaps because it has had a previous release on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout! Factory. Those wanting a plot recap are encouraged to read Martin Liebman's Disturbing Behavior Blu-ray review of that release. Marty's review is a good resource for screenshot comparisons as well. This release duplicates the Shout! supplements, while adding a folded mini poster (see below), and technical merits seem at least somewhat similar. That said, as I am prone to saying, different reviewers means different opinions, and my scores vary slightly from Marty's as a result.

Disturbing Behavior Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Disturbing Behavior is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of the MVD Rewind Collection, an imprint of MVD Visual, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. I'm frankly assuming this was culled from the same master Shout! used, as it seems to have many of the same deficiencies that Marty mentions in his review, though I'm perhaps a bit more pleased with the look of the transfer overall than Marty was. As Marty mentions, there are some pretty rough looking moments in low light sections in particular, and I'd add that there's also noticeable age related wear and tear, mostly in the form of small flecks, but also in terms of occasional debris like hairs stuck in the gate. But in more brightly lit sections, which are the bulk of the film, things pop very well in terms of saturation and palette reproduction, and detail levels also tend to be very good to excellent. A potential stumbling block for the compressionist, an opening sequence which features an abstract light repeatedly changing brightness, was commendably free of any banding.

Disturbing Behavior Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Disturbing Behavior repeats the Shout! Factory release's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 option, while substituting an LPCM 2.0 option for the Shout! Factory version's DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (this release also adds a French Dolby Digital 2.0 option). Much as with the video aspect, I'm evidently a bit happier with the sound of this track than Marty was. As Marty states, the surround mix is often predominantly front and center, so to speak, though there is regular if intermittent engagement of the side and rear channels for both the fun score as well as some "noisier" scenes where sound effects populate the surrounds. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English and French subtitles are available.

Disturbing Behavior Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This release sports the same on disc supplements as the Shout! release, albeit perhaps to save space they're in standard definition here, while Marty reported they were in high definition on the Shout! release. See Marty's review of that version for more details.

• Audio Commentary by Director David Nutter is accessible under the Setup Menu.


• Deleted Scenes (SD; various lengths which Marty reports run 24:42) come with optional commentary by David Nutter.


• Trailers include Disturbing Behavior (SD; 2:21) as well as trailers for other releases from MVD Visual.

Additionally, the keepcase houses a reversible sleeve and a folded mini poster and packaging features a slipcover.

Disturbing Behavior Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Director David Nutter isn't especially shy about stating that the film on display here is not the film he really wanted to make, and while this joke would have potentially been funnier had I told it closer to Passover rather than Yom Kippur, the film probably could have used either less or more Levin-ing, depending on your point of view. There's simply a derivative aspect to the foundational elements of the plot in Disturbing Behavior that the narrative can never quite escape. This release should certainly make for a fine alternative for fans of the film who missed out on the Shout! Factory release, which, while not approaching "epic" scales of cost, is getting up there according to our database. Technical merits are okay (video) to very good (audio), and the supplements appealing (especially the Nutter commentaries), for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.