Matinee Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Matinee Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 9, 2026

Richard Martin's "Matinee" a.k.a. "Midnight Matinee" (1989) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by critics Jason Pichonsky and Paul Corupe, and remastered vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtiltes for the main feature. Region-Free.

Prime targets

That Matinee steals a key sequence from Friday the 13th, without even pretending it does something else, is hardly surprising. After all, Friday the 13th works with material that horror films will always want to reuse because it is ideal for the thrills they strive to produce. There is something else, however, that is genuinely surprising. Matinee dates to the 1980s, but it has the look and attitude of a film a decade older. Also, it is not a straightforward horror film. It is a violent whodunit, conceived for Canadian TV. This is unusual, to say the least, because even in the 1970s in America, a genre film like it would never have been considered for TV. Had it been made in America, its potential audience would have been instantly downsized by an R-rating.

All events in Matinee take place in the small town of Halston, British Columbia. At a local movie theater screening a violent slasher, arguably the most highly anticipated film in a popular horror film festival, someone murders a teenager as the killer on the giant screen strikes a terrified target. The shocking event rocks Halston, and the movie theater is permanently closed. Two years later, the local authorities reopen the movie theater for a new horror film festival. Concerned local residents immediately begin sending anonymous letters to veteran detective Al Jason (Ron White), a big city transplant, warning that the horror festival will lure back the still unidentified killer. Jason consults the movie theater’s manager, Earle Gardener (Don S. Davis), who assures him that the horror festival will be a safe and exciting event its loyal supporters want. However, as predicted, the killer remerges and goes on a bone-chilling rampage.

Matinee is a small film with limited potential. However, virtually everything that makes it impossible to mistake it for a big, ambitious genre film provides it with an intimate quality that is quite attractive. Many memorable Americanas from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s have a very similar intimate quality. Unfortunately, director Richard Martin chooses not to use it to shape its identity.

Nearly half of Matinee reuses tricks like the ones seen in Michele Soavi’s StageFright. Some of the lighting choices in Matinee are fairly similar as well. However, Martin and Soavi’s grasp and appreciation of atmosphere are quite different, which is why Matinee and StageFright are very different genre films.

The performances, including from the supporting cast, are unusually good. However, on more than a few occasions, it feels like they should have been part of a notably better-constructed narrative. After the killer reemerges, the new murders and ripple effects they create look somewhat random.

Martin’s director of photography was Cyrus Block, a member of John Carpenter’s crew during the filming of the cult shocker The Thing.

Matinee Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Matinee arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The visuals reveal some inconsistencies and limitations that I would expect a master struck from a 35mm print to produce. This is not a problem because they still have fine organic qualities. However, it is pretty obvious that when Matinee was brand new, its appearance was different. In several areas, primaries and supporting nuances are off by quite a bit. For example, reds tend to gravitate toward light to dark orange, and some ranges of blues and browns are very weak. In some places, light teal sneaks in as well. (See screncaptures #17 and 18). All of these fluctuations and inconsistencies in delineation and color reproduction can make Matinee appear too anemic. The good news is that there are absolutely no traces of any problematic digital corrections. All visuals are free of serious age-related imperfections as well. All in all, I would say that the current presentation of Matinee is acceptable. However, in an ideal world, Matinee should look significantly more vibrant and attractive. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Matinee Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless audio is not plagued by any obvious age-related imperfections. However, it can be somewhat uneven at times and occasionally lacking proper depth. I suspect that these limitations are on the original audio elements. The dialogue is always clear and very easy to follow. There are no audio dropouts, pops, cracks, hiss, etc.

Matinee Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this audio commentary was recorded by critics Jason Pichonsky and Paul Corupe. The commentators rightfully point out that Matinee is a flexible genre film, not a conventional slasher, directed by a man who was not a big horror fan. Also, there is interesting information about some of the references in it -- the intentional and unintentional -- and why they do not transform it into a parody. Later in the commentary, there is good information about the film's cast, as well as its reception by those who expected it to be a conventional slasher.

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered trailer for Matinee. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Cover - a reversible cover with the alternated title for the film, Midnight Matinee.

Matinee Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Kino Cult line has introduced me to several very interesting gems, arguably the best of which is Underworld, a very stylish mind-bender with a lush 1980s atmosphere. However, even the smaller and less attractive films in this line have almost always been different in some interesting way. Matinee is one of these smaller and different films that, despite its flaws, I enjoyed quite a lot. It has been touted as a Canadian slasher, but it is a surprisingly flexible genre film that produces curious characters. A few times, I genuinely could not tell where it wanted to go, which is what made its characters attractive to me. Matinee does not look immaculate on Blu-ray, but I suspect that this is probably the end of the line for it on physical media. Also included on this release is a very nice new audio commentary by critics Jason Pichonsky and Paul Corupe, RECOMMENDED.