6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.2 |
A disturbed young man who was burned as a child by his sadistic mother stalks women with a flamethrower.
Starring: Dan Grimaldi, Robert Carnegie, Johanna Brushay, Darcy Shean, Mary Ann ChinnHorror | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
None
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Reworking elements from “Psycho” to manufacture a new tale of damaged childhood and motherly worship, co-writer/director Joseph Ellison goes deep into the psychological abyss with 1979’s “Don’t Go in the House.” Already an uneasy picture due to its horror content, the feature takes aggression to the next level with its depiction of abuse and murder, fulfilling a genre obsession with the torture of women. While decidedly low budget, “Don’t Go in the House” is effective in spurts, winning points for its bizarre depiction of violent appetites and Ellison’s mild style, which puts in a noticeable effort to sell frights and repulsion without breaking its concentration on the nightmarish story it’s trying to sell.
The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation brings "Don't Go to the House" to Blu-ray with a filmic look. There's a good amount of detail to explore even with low-budget cinematographic limitations, handling busy facial particulars and house ornamentation well, and make-up effects are open for inspection, picking up on charred textures. Colors are satisfactory, largely remaining muted to represent the winter season, but primaries show some life, and more pronounced disco hues are stable. Delineation is comfortable, permitting a view of a feature that's largely shot at night. Source has mild blips of chemical damage, scratches, and speckling, but nothing distracts.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix does have an issue with hiss and pops, which run throughout the listening experience. A few mild fluctuations in volume level remain as well. The rest of the track services the mild sonic reach of the movie adequately, with largely dubbed dialogue exchanges clear enough to follow, also detecting when natural sound is used. Scoring is secure and weighty, adding mood when needed. Sound effects aren't detailed, but they carry a satisfying blunt force to help with horror needs.
While it's far from the most horrific thing committed to film, "Don't Go in the House" is rough stuff, with an uneasy fixation on the suffering of female victims. If one can't mentally clear that hurdle, there's a smattering of B-movie invention and concentration worth a look.
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