Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.0

Malevolence 2: Bereavement Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 24, 2019

Perhaps ironically lost in all the mayhem of Stevan Mena’s 2003 opus Malevolence is the fact that there’s a child abduction at the heart of the story. That film in fact begins with some text supposedly offering statistics of how many kids are taken, giving the film a kind of unsettling aspect from the get go. Malevolence 2, which is also known as Bereavement, is a prequel tracing the slow, steady descent into madness of the abducted child at the core of Malevolence, Martin Bristol (Spencer List as an adult, Chase Pachacek as a child).

One of the kind of interesting things about Malevolence is how it at least at times suggested violence rather than depicting it graphically on screen. That strategy seems to have gone by the wayside for this prequel, as Mena goes for more of the traditional slasher gusto in this enterprise, documenting a number of chilling deaths, disfigurements and other injuries along the way. The "main" (not the only, mind you) damsel in distress this time is Allison Miller (Alexandria Daddario), who has the misfortune to be newly orphaned and required to move to the rural enclave where Martin has been held captive for some time. The film also attempts to get into the backstory of Martin's captor and "groomer", a crazed guy named Graham (Brett Rickaby). There are some jolts here, to be sure, but this film doesn't have the "homage" quality of the first, and may therefore seem less intentionally derivative as a result.

Malevolence 2: Bereavement Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Malevolence 2: Bereavement is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Mena Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.40:1. The IMDb lists a 35mm source and a 2K DI, but this release, like Malevolence, features a grain field that to my eyes doesn't always look natural and in fact is not very evident at times, which could either be due to filtering or compression issues, or a combination of the two. The palette here is rather vivid and detail levels can be very good, even in some of the darker moments that take place in the central "killing location".

Malevolence 2: Bereavement Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As was also the case with Malevolence, this release features only lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 tracks. The film sports a rather spooky and effective sound design, including a well done score by Mena himself, and so some audiophiles may be as disappointed as I continue to be with Blu-ray releases lacking lossless audio (as I've repeatedly stated, I frankly expect Blu-ray releases to include lossless audio at this point in the format). Surround activity is noticeable throughout the presentation, and dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout.

Malevolence 2: Bereavement Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Behind the Scenes (480i; 34:36)


• First Look on the Set (480p; 7:04)


• Photo Gallery (1080p; 4:52)


• Deleted Scenes (480p; 3:57)


• Trailers includes Malevolence: Bereavement (1080p; 1:42), along with some other Mena releases, including the other Malevolence films.


• Director's Commentary featuring Stevan Mena can be found under the Setup Menu.

Malevolence 2: Bereavement Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Mena knows how to stage an unsettling horror sequence, and there are certainly viscerally unsettling moments in this prequel. Fans of the first film may well want to check this out, though the Blu-ray's technical presentation may leave some wanting more. Supplements include some enjoyable material.