Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Fatal Exam Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf May 25, 2021

1990’s “Fatal Exam” (which was shot in 1985) is writer/director Jack Snyder’s pass at a haunted house movie, working with the bare minimum of production support to create what appears to be a horror/mystery feature. It’s Snyder’s helming debut, and it really shows throughout the endeavor, which takes a basic premise of spooky events set inside a remote house and somehow believes that viewers need 114 minutes of screen time to make it from one end of the story to the other. “Fatal Exam” is a sleeping pill, and it’s very odd to see the production deny its inert reality, marching forward with a sluggish arrangement of staring contests and enormous exposition dumps. 114 minutes, people. Bring a pillow.

Snyder supplies a vague appreciation for genre entertainment with “Fatal Exam,” offering a plot that has a collection of college students spending the weekend in a house that was previously the site of a mass murder. Instead of using the uneasiness of such a situation to develop a concise detective story, Snyder takes the long way around, filling “Fatal Exam” with repetitious behavior (the kids manage to explore the basement area twice in the picture) and what can only be described as “anti-banter.” Horndog behavior doesn’t go anywhere, with beer the one true girlfriend for all the males in the cast. And a mid-movie discovery of a macabre painting that offers clues to a possible doomsday leads to a scene where two character simply walk the property. Snyder has a tight-ish 35-minute-long short film trapped in the 114 minutes he’s drowning in, with brevity a friend to this production, reducing moments where characters simply stare at the camera while the director captures their breathing.

Fatal Exam Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is sourced from a new 2K scan of the original 16mm camera negative. Some wear and tear is encountered during the viewing experience, with scratches and speckling visible, along with assorted discolorations and jumpy frames. Nothing outrageous. Detail reaches as far as the original cinematography allows, surveying casual clothes and facial reactions with a decent amount of clarity. Housing interiors are also open for study, along with a few trips outside, which provide acceptable dimension. Colors are appealing, doing well with primaries on costuming and demonic reds. Greenery is crisp. Delineation is satisfactory. Grain is heavy but film-like.

Fatal Exam Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix handles as well as it possibly could. The feature wasn't created with the finest equipment, offering defined dubbing on dialogue exchanges, along with a few muddier passages. Scoring supports with a clear synth sound. Mild hiss is present throughout, and an audio dropout/total silence is found at the 69:50 mark for a few seconds, which seems like Snyder just didn't have anything around to fill the moment.

Fatal Exam Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features director Jack Snyder, composer Carl Leta, visual effects artist William Crawford, and actors Terry Comer, Mike Coleman, and Dave Mayer.

• "Fatal Examination" (47:40, HD) is the making-of for "Fatal Exam," featuring interviews with director Jack Snyder, composer Carl Leta, visual effects artist William Crawford, foley artist Dave Mayer, and actors Terry Comer, Mike Coleman, and Carol Carlberg-Snyder. Backgrounds on all the interviewees are established, with Snyder looking to graduate from 8mm shorts to a 16mm feature, taking inspiration from John Carpenter's "The Thing" to create his initial story. Resources are recalled, with the shoot taking place in Comer's house, and Snyder shares an amusing anecdote about sneaking into a college building to complete a classroom sequence. Technical achievements are detailed, including the creation of stop- motion animation, which was selected over puppetry and a man-in-suit. The interviewees recall their various jobs on-set, working with comfortable camaraderie in freezing temps. The documentary closes with an informative timeline of production, which began in 1985 and wasn't completed until 1990. Music offerings are highlighted, and cult longevity is celebrated.

• A Trailer has not been included on this release.

Fatal Exam Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If one must endure "Fatal Exam," skip to the final 15 minutes, where the picture actually starts to get something going with demonic plans, violent encounters, and the use of limited-but-nifty stop-motion animation to bring evil to life. This kind of fun should be found throughout the entire movie, but the endeavor doesn't have the energy to deliver that level of horror excitement.