Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		2.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		1.5

Fear Blu-ray Movie Review

Mill Creek has released the 1996 Teen Thriller film 'Fear' to Blu-ray. The film was previously released to Blu-ray in 2013 by Universal. I did not review, nor do I have access to, that disc and cannot make a direct comparison, though it is likely that this disc compares very favorably to that disc, particularly in terms of its DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The film was also released to Blu-ray in 2021, by Mill Creek, as part of a two-film Mark Wahlberg bundle. This appears to be identical to that.

Fear Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

It appears that Mill Creek has simply ported the same transfer from its 2021 release for this issue. The picture has been scrubbed of it inherent film-like look, rendering textures severely flattened and smooth and subsequently re-sharpened, a tactic which might have suited DVD but leaves this looking pasty and wholly disappointing. For this release, it's clear Mill Creek just dropped whatever Universal provided onto the disc (likely the same master the studio used in 2013), though this presentation does utilize the MPEG-4 AVC encode whereas the old Universal disc encoded the film in VC-1. Still, the results are unattractive. This is clearly very similar to the Universal disc, if not almost identical. I did not review, nor do I have access to, the original disc, but reading Brian's review and perusing the screenshots reveals something essentially the same here. Color reproduction is decent. Brian noted in his review that "colors are in fine shape, having the advantage of a gorgeously shot picture that utilizes the deep greens of northwestern woods, while Steven's blazingly red car makes a strong impact." Such mostly holds true here as well. There's enough essential pop and vibrancy to please, though certainly there's an obvious lack of color subtlety and full-on lifelike depth at work, not to mention an obvious flatness in darker scenes (look inside a club around the 13-minute mark). But basics are handled fine, blacks are decent, and skin tones are fair though hampered by the smoothed-out textures and flatter tones. If that is not enough, edge enhancement is in plain evidence throughout.

This release does show some compression artifacts that may not have been in evidence on the Universal disc where there was more breathing room and a higher bitrate at work. These are not deal breaking anomalies, though to be sure much of the rest of the image could be considered "deal breaking." This is not a good-looking Blu-ray, but blame the master Universal supplied, which appears very much in-line with the 2013 release.

Fear Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Mill Creek undoubtedly utilizes the same DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack for this Blu-ray that was found on the Universal disc. The presentation is appropriately spacious, with good, deep musical beats engaging in bars and clubs at several points throughout. Atmospheric definition proves well capable, too, whether light natural ambience or fuller din at an amusement park partway through the film. The climax offers the usual barrage of this-and-that audio cues, well balanced and suitably engaging for the visual tone and sonic tenor at work. Dialogue is clear and center focused for the duration.

Fear Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Mill Creek's Blu-ray release of Fear contains no extras. The Universal disc was nearly as bare-bones, offering only the film's theatrical trailer. This disc's main menu screen offers only options to play the film and toggle subtitles on and off. It does ship with Mill Creek's popular "Retro VHS" slipcover.

Fear Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Brian called Fear a "silly movie" with "cheap shock value" that "consistently refuses to take the premise seriously, looking to entertain teenage audiences with scares instead of selecting a more interesting route of unease." An apt description. On this first standalone Mill Creek disc, the video quality is poor, the audio quality is fair, and no extras are included. Not recommended.