Night Monster Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Night Monster Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf March 10, 2020

A man ruined by medical care, Ingston (Ralph Morgan) has elected to invite his doctors to his remote home for a gathering, joined by various employees and authorities, and there’s Agar (Nils Asther), an Eastern mystic. Eager to showcase Agar’s gifts with materialization, Ingston welcomes confusion from his guests, but when murder enters the picture, the push to locate the culprit proves more difficult than imagined, with evidence not matching to a possible suspect.

The actual plot for “Night Monster” is fairly convoluted, with the screenplay introducing a surplus of characters and motivations, working to generate community hysteria when murder breaks out, transforming the picture into a game of “Clue.” Trouble is, there’s no urgency to the feature, which portions out exposition as slowly as possible, getting lost in banal conversations when a more rigorous understanding of black magic and violence is in order. There’s strangeness with the materialization tricks, and Ingston’s behavior, but that’s not enough to support the entirety of “Night Monster,” which lacks suspense as it tries to be proper nail-biter.

Night Monster Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.37:1 aspect ratio) presentation deals with a moodier sense of threat for "Night Monster," making use of fog, creating a softer look for the picture. Detail handles acceptably, offering appreciation for mansion interiors and ornate decoration. Costuming has its fibrous highlights with stiff suits and simple dresses. Facial particulars are acceptable, providing a look at age and make-up achievements. Delineation is communicative. Grain is heavier but film-like. Source has some wear and tear, with scratches and speckling.

Night Monster Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 1.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix shows signs of age, with hiss and pops present throughout the listening event. A few brief dropouts are detected, and the innate audio design of the feature is awfully strange, randomly going silent, suggesting not a lot of care went into the shaping of the movie. Dialogue exchanges register with some fuzziness, but intelligibility isn't a problem, as loud performances are easily followed. Scoring is mild at best, lacking authority but the basics are appreciable.

Night Monster Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features film historian Gary D. Rhodes.

• Image Gallery (3:59) collects publicity shots, film stills, poster art, and lobby cards.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:09, SD) is included.

Night Monster Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Performances are committed, even when they have very little to do, with stars such as Bela Lugosi and Lionel Atwill working to make something happen in a picture where very little actually does. "Night Monster" eventually gets around to evildoing, dead bodies, and maneuvering around in the fog, but this kind of genre fun represents a small portion of the run time. "Night Monster" is far more conversational, preferring to enjoy small chats between vague characters, skipping critical elements of escalation to wind up viewers.