Graveyard Shift Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.0

Graveyard Shift Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 15, 2025

Ralph S. Singleton's Graveyard Shift" (1990) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by critics Howard S. Berger and Marc Edward Heuck; archival program with actor Stephen Macht; archival program with actress Kelly Wolf; vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Stephen King’s relationship with Hollywood has been as unpredictable as his writings. Anyone who has read some of his novels and short stories can easily explain why. They visit strange places where special characters have most unusual experiences. While describing them, King creates an unforgettable atmosphere and masterfully pulls the reader into it, where he expertly begins playing with his mind. However, while easy to deconstruct, King’s magic, typically a carefully presented mix of horror, humor, and nostalgia, has not been easy to reconstruct on the big screen. There are multiple reasons for this, but the biggest one is, perhaps unsurprisingly, much older than King’s writings. Sometimes, what words can convey, cinematic images cannot display.

This is the exact reason Ralph Singleton’s only feature film, Graveyard Shift, which was conceived as a loose adaptation of a short story by King, does not work. It is set in Maine, King’s home state and favorite playground, and has a few colorful characters that enter a spooky place where the surreal temporarily becomes real, but lacks the special atmosphere he would have created to legitimate it. In other words, it advertises King’s brand of magic, but what it produces does not have a lot in common with it.

Somewhere in Maine, a penniless drifter (David Andrews) enters a small town and applies for a job in a rundown mill. Warwick (Stephen Macht), the mill’s owner, hires him on the spot, but warns that he must work alone the night shift, which is not for softies. Shortly after, the drifter discovers why -- he is expected to spend many hours in an overheated basement infested with giant rats, unafraid of humans. As the rats become bolder and begin jeopardizing business operations in the mill, Warwick, after consulting with the area’s expert rodent control specialist (Brad Douriff), organizes a small team to exterminate them. The drifter joins the team after Warwick promises to give each of its members a double pay. However, the well-paying stinky job very quickly evolves into a deadly hunting game in which the amateur exterminators are outmaneuvered and devoured by something much bigger and stronger than them.

All problems in Graveyard Shift can be traced back to John Esposito’s weak screenplay, but Singleton’s uninspired direction damages the film’s integrity just as much, possibly even more. The most consequential problems are with the characterizations, which feel bland and unengaging, even misleading. In King’s writings, there are different layers of mystery around their characters, and when they are gradually exposed, these characters undergo transformations that create a great deal of excitement. As these transformations are initiated and while in progress, King then creates the special atmosphere his work is famous for. Graveyard Shift does not have such characters, transformations, and special atmosphere. After the drifter is hired, Esposito’s screenplay and Singleton’s direction only prepare for the inevitable bloody clash that will determine who gets to rule the overheated basement and the surrounding area.

Admittedly, this bloody clash does produce a few fine, or perhaps it is better to write appropriately gross, visuals, some of which feature decent special effects, but hundreds of other genre films have them, too. Also, the lack of imagination in the final third, where the biggest fireworks are, sticks out like a sore thumb.

Graveyard Shift Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Graveyard Shift arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release introduces an exclusive new 4K makeover of Graveyard Shift, recently completed at Paramount Pictures. The 4K makeover is also available on 4K Blu-ray in this combo pack.

If you take a look at the article linked above, you will see that I spent time with the native 4K presentation on the 4K Blu-ray, with Dolby Vision and HDR, and the 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray. I did so because I noticed plenty of inconsistencies, some of which looked different in native 4K and 1080p. I liked some areas of the 4K makeover, but I disliked quite a few as well. For example, in native 4K and 1080p, early into the film there are plenty of visuals that look very good, even excellent. Some can be seen in the bar, where the drifter notices that there is a job opening in the rundown mill. However, later into the film, a lot of visuals acquire a harsher, unnatural appearance, and in some even reveal light smearing. You can see the harshness here, and the smearing here and here. I suspect that lighting choices contribute to these inconsistencies, but in several areas it is very obvious that there is more happening and grain is in some way manipulated. What is not entirely clear is whether this was done intentionally or not. While the darkness hides some of these anomalies rather well, I suspect that on a large screen trained eyes will not have trouble spotting them. Again, this is unfortunate because elsewhere there are plenty of visuals that boast very good delineation, clarity, and depth. Color reproduction and balances are excellent. I think that in many areas different primaries and supporting nuances are improved. As a result, there is a lot of material that has visuals with noticeably better dynamic range, even in 1080p. Image stability is excellent. The entire film looks spotless. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Graveyard Shift Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the entire film with the 5.1 track. Only the footage from the rundown mill, where all of the impressive action material is, produces some very good dynamic contrasts and even effective surround movement. However, even there, it is always easy to tell that the creators of Graveyard Shift did not try their best to produce as much excitement as possible. I thought that this was rather disappointing. All dialog is very clear, sharp, and easy to follow. There is decent music, but I would say that the spooky noises that pop up throughout the film do more to create excitement.

Graveyard Shift Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Howard S. Berger and Marc Edward Heuck. The commentators explain why Graveyard Shift did not meet the expectations of Stephen King "purists", and argue that the film chose its own contemporary identity for a myriad of different reasons. Also, there are some interesting observations about the nature of the drama/horror that is depicted in the film and its characterizations, as well as its atmosphere.

• Interview with Ralph Singleton - in this archival program, Ralph Singleton discusses his relocation from Chicago to New York and eventually decision to quit his job and enters the film industry in Los Angeles. Singleton also recalls how he became involved with Graveyard Shift. In English, not subtitled. (27 min).

• Interview with Stephen Macht - in this archival program, Stephen Macht discusses his background and decision to become an actor, as well as his performance in Graveyard Shift. In English, not subtitled. (14 min).

• Interview with Kelly Wolf - in this archival program, Kelly Wolf explains that she was a ballet dancer first before becoming an actress and recalls how she was cast to play her character in Graveyard Shift. In English, not subtitled. (14 min).

• Interview with Robert Alan Beuth - in this archival program, Robert Alan Beuth explains why and how he relocated from West Virginia to New York and eventually, after landing in Los Angeles, was cast to play his character in Graveyard Shift. Beuth also reveals that prior to his casting, he had not read any Stephen King novels. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Graveyard Shift. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art for Graveyard Shift.

Graveyard Shift Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

One does not have to be a Stephen King purist to acknowledge that Graveyard Shift can not create the excitement cinematic adaptations of his work usually do. All problems in it can be traced back to John Esposito's weak screenplay, but Ralph Singleton's uninspired direction does plenty of serious damage, too. Kino Lorber's combo pack introduces a rather odd exclusive new 4K makeover. Parts of it look quite good, even great, but elsewhere there are obvious issues. If you wish to pick up this Blu-ray release or this 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack, it is probably best to find a way to test your preferred release first and see if you like how Graveyard Shift looks on your system.