Grafted Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Grafted Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf April 25, 2026

Co-writer/director Shasha Rainbow makes her helming debut with “Grafted.” The film comes armed with all kinds of ghoulish imagery tied to the concept of stolen identity through the exchange of flesh, and it comes after “The Substance” managed to impress critics and do some box office business with its arrangement of body horror. Similarities are noted but not hurtful, as Rainbow tends to find her own personality in the picture, which delivers a gruesome understanding of one Chinese woman’s way with skin grafting science and all the blood that needs to be spilled to find biological success. “Grafted” is graphic and gross, also sharply made by Rainbow, who follows her dark heart in the movie, organizing a mess of evildoing and revenge, looking to deliver a case of the icks with viewers in the mood for something squishy and sick.

When she was a child in China, Wei (Joyena Sun) watched as her father, a scientist, attempted to crack the code of grafting to help cure a bad skin issue he shares with his daughter. The process ended with his death, putting Wei on a course to finish his work, armed with his special notes. Accepting a chance to attend college in New Zealand, Wei moves in with Aunty Ling (Xiao Hu), meeting her cousin, Angela (Jess Hong), who doesn’t care for the new arrival’s culture and strangeness, preferring to be accepted by her peers, including Jasmine (Sepi To’a) and Eve (Eden Hart). Wei immediately impresses Dr. Paul (Jared Turner) with her intelligence, and he’s in a tough spot, requiring a fast research breakthrough to keep his funding, taking the new student on with plans to steal her work. Driven to understand the mysteries of her father’s formula, Wei struggles to master a cure, but when one arrives, she won’t stop at anything to protect her parent’s legacy, stealing identities in the process.

Wei’s father is attempting to save his daughter a great deal of embarrassment. He works in his apartment, experimenting on serums capable of regrowing skin samples, testing his breakthroughs on himself, which leads him to only temporary success before the spreading skin covers his entire head. It’s a macabre introduction to “Grafted,” establishing the weird science elements of the writing before the tale follows Wei to a better tomorrow in New Zealand, sending a socially awkward teen from China to adapt to a whole new world. Her journey is given a pleasing level of hostility as Wei deals with Angela, a cousin asked to help the transplant to understand her new surroundings, only to have her remind everyone of the Chinese heritage the New Zealander would rather hide.

Academic and scientific interests soon take over “Grafted,” putting Dr. Paul on the prowl to lift Wei’s work, making scientific breakthroughs with brilliance she’s collected from her father. Wei becomes Dr. Paul’s lab assistant, and they attempt to crack the grafting code, at first unable to make sense of the writings before a special ingredient is found from a rare plant source. During these days, Wei tries to fit in with Angela’s friends, connecting with kindly Jasmine and clashing with stuck-up Eve. The Chinese woman also drives Angela to extremes, generating tension in the household as the cousins battle over Wei’s religious tributes and her native ways, especially when handling food. “Grafted” adds a few layers of resentment and fear between the characters, and it locates a point of pressure in Dr. Paul, a desperate man without scruples who maintains an inappropriate relationship with a student while pushing Wei out of her own research.

Grafted Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The image presentation (2.35:1 aspect ratio) for "Grafted" handles color very well, exploring the weird science hues of the endeavor, with pink a common sight. Domestic visits offer a brighter, warmer appearance. Gory events deliver deep red blood. Skin tones are natural. And greenery is distinct, along with hair color. Detail is capable, examining textured skin particulars and makeup effects. Costuming is decently fibrous. Interiors maintain dimension with housing tours and lab visits. Exteriors retain depth. Delineation is satisfactory, supporting evening action. "Grain" has moments of roughness, slipping into mild blockiness at times.

Grafted Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix offers crisp dialogue exchanges, working well with various accents and emotional surges. Scoring delivers dramatic support with clear instrumentation. Soundtrack selections provide sharp vocals. Surrounds explore musical moods and atmospherics, with more active movement during violent events. Sound effects maintain ideal squishiness. Low-end perks up with violent interactions and heavier electronic beats.

Grafted Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Making Of (4:09, HD) is a brief examination of "Grafted," featuring interviews with unlisted cast and crew members. The team examines the story and inspirations behind it, also sharing characterization and the psychological spaces of the screenplay. Brief glimpses of BTS footage are provided.

• Behind-the-Scenes Footage (27:26, HD) delivers a B-roll exploration of the "Grafted" shoot, taking cameras to the set to watch the production in motion. This is fly-on-the-wall material without interviews, supplying an interesting examination of filmmaking labor.

• Image Gallery (1:46) collect BTS snaps from the making of "Grafted," detailing the cast and crew at work bringing scenes to life.

• Image Gallery #2 (1:02) focus on pre-production imagery, offering a look at concept art and various storyboards to best understand the planning process on the production.

• Image Gallery #3 (1:04) provides a look at the "moodboard" found in the film.

• A Trailer has not been included on this release.

Grafted Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Grafted" graduates to more defined horror in its second half, though Rainbow certainly adds intimidation throughout the feature, working closely with cinematographic textures and a claustrophobic sound design. The technical effort is impressive for a low-budget endeavor, extending to makeup effects, which come into play as Wei finds an unusual path of revenge. Think "Face/Off" meets "Heathers," and it's quite a ride of physical harm, following the main character as she works with science to cover her tracks, putting her deeper into trouble. "Grafted" does lose some steam as it tries to find a conclusion, but the ending works, adding a little "Tales from the Darkside" energy to the movie, sustaining the material's love of dark humor and ghastly happenings. Rainbow shows confidence with the grisliness of the picture, and she has a game cast willing to get bloody as they sell the extremity of the entertaining and periodically surprising offering.