Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Night Owl Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf July 5, 2019

The vampire movie certainly needs a shake-up every now and then, keeping the subgenre fresh when staleness is so much easier for many filmmakers. With “Night Owl,” writer/director Jeffrey Arsenault tries to make his mark on the legacy, arranging his own bloodsucker saga on the streets of New York City, following a troubled young man who’s been cursed for decades, growing weary of the life he’s known for a long time. “Night Owl” has a concept and a distinct setting in 1989 NYC, where the sounds of the city are changing over to the 1990s, and the streets are still littered with filth and horrors, permitting vampirism to thrive. What Arsenault doesn’t have is timing, with the picture enduring more than a few complete stops as the helmer (making his feature-length debut) tries to figure out editing rhythms and performance tempos. There’s no ambitious scale here, just low-budget events that teeter on the edge of randomness.

“Night Owl” tracks the exploits of Jake (James Raftery), a young-looking creature of the night who feeds on one-night stands, slicing open sexual partners to slurp their blood. One victim is the sister of Angel (John Leguizamo), who’s determined to find his missing sibling, tracking clues that lead to Jake’s tortured life. There’s plenty here worth getting excited over, but Arsenault aims more for mood, hoping to capture creepiness with Jake’s daily addiction struggles, often fighting his curse, which leaves him sick and even more desperate for a fix. “Night Owl” offers nothing profound, working through stagnant scenes of seduction, which supply such non-starter events as real-time massaging and sex. Arsenault is stuck with a short picture (75 minutes), so he keeps every scene running longer than it has to, which kills any momentum. And for prime filler, he simply offers footage of an interview with Caroline Munro in the final act, who discusses her time with Hammer Films. Rarely does one encounter a feature that loses interest in itself so completely, it turns on the T.V. to find other things to focus on.

Night Owl Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.33:1 aspect ratio) presentation works with an exceptionally dark picture, as much of "Night Owl" is captured with natural light at night. The 16mm-shot feature is fairly scrappy to begin with, and some wear and tear is visible, with some speckle storms, mild scratching, and debris detected. Detail reaches as far as possible, finding cinematographic limitations, while textures are acceptable, capturing dimensional interiors and costuming. Delineation is also capable, but deals with a lot of black-on-black images. Grain is heavy but film-like.

Night Owl Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 1.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix often enters New York City nightlife, with club performances adding some bounce to the listening event, offering defined instrumentation and stronger volume. Dialogue exchanges are reasonably pronounced, with acceptable emotionality. Scoring supports as necessary, with some mild instability at times. Atmospherics capture club life and street travels. Hiss is detected.

Night Owl Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features writer/director Jeffrey Arsenault.

• "Night Life" (19:07, HD) is an interview with Arsenault, who shares his philosophy about taking creative risks to gain experience, and his initial inspiration for "Night Owl," expanding on awareness of the squatter lifestyle in New York City. Casting is covered, including the helmer's relationship with John Leguizamo, who developed into a star during the two-year-long shoot, never ceasing to support the feature, even returning his paycheck to help the cause. Locations are examined, finding the crew working in some shady areas of the big city. Arsenault fondly recalls the Los Angeles premiere, offered a chance to see his work on the screen, and he digs into the labor of filmmaking, with "Night Owl" constructed during a different era of celluloid dreams, requiring a special effort to complete any task.

• "Living for the Night" (13:43, HD) sits down with actor James Raftery, who found the "Night Owl" project in 1984, responding to Arsenault's advertisement in a casting magazine. A young man trying to become a major thespian, Raftery elected to live the life of a vampire during the shoot, isolating himself and testing his look in the real world. However, the length of production forced the performer to live in a dark realm for two years, including time shooting inside an abandoned funeral home. The interviewee identifies the Warhol influence on "Night Owl," and recalls time with co-stars. He also details the premiere vibe and the charts the legacy of the movie.

• "A Chance to Die" (11:20, HD) chats with actress Karen Wexler, who portrays one of the first victims in "Night Owl." The interviewee charts her initial hiring and early impression of Arsenault, who was masterminding a dark picture, but came off as a gentle guy. With the movie being her screen debut, Wexler took her time figuring out the scene where she's attacked during a sexual experience, detailing the challenges of the work and the psychological space of her character. The L.A. premiere is returned to, with Wexler stunned by the experience of watching herself onscreen, happy to have a few youthful body parts immortalized on film.

• Archival Interview (29:12, SD) is a 1990 discussion of "Night Owl" with Arsenault, who guests on "The Marie Colwell Show."

• Original Cast Auditions (SD) offers "Karen Wexler and Alan Edwards" (8:53), "Lisa Napoli" (4:47), and James Raftery (7:39).

• Raw Interview Footage (8:37, SD) presents the full conversation with Caroline Munro.

• And a Video Trailer (3:07, SD) is included.

Night Owl Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Night Owl" does enjoy period atmosphere, with Arsenault covering the transition from the 1980s to the 1990s, often permitting musical performances to eat up some screen time (including house music star Screamin' Rachael). And there's the bonus of seeing Leguizamo in his younger years, offering pronounced screen energy the helmer doesn't quite know how to manage, making the more sedate actors seem asleep by comparison. "Night Owl" is more of a time capsule than an effective horror picture, as vampire conduct isn't frightening or sympathetic. Arsenault can't get the feature on its feet, dealing mostly with murkiness and delay tactics, trying to making a movie out of a handful of ideas.