Peacock Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Peacock Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown February 10, 2024

Atmospheric horror must be a tough subgenre to get right. Pull back too far, leaning solely on suspense and dread, and your film risks being dull, unintentionally funny or, worse, unscary. Push too far, show too much, turn up the lights too high and your film risks being sensationalist, cheesy, gory for gore's sake or, worse, unscary. Horror can't afford to be light on frights, and yet so many genre entries lose this most crucial battle from the outset simply by failing to strike at the heart of what makes us afraid; to conjure a story, a beast or an encounter that will terrify; ripping back the curtain to reveal a primordial fear. The Unknown. The Other. The Intangible. The Shadow. The Thing. The Void. The Faceless. The Monster. Unfortunately, South African film Pou, or Peacock in English, attempts to engage with atmospherics but struggles to do much more than weave a solid ghost story with added social commentary for good measure. I wasn't chilled. My hair didn't stand on end. I wasn't afraid. I was bored, longing for that patented feeling to crawl up my spine, worm its way into my veins, or convince someone or something might be standing over my shoulder, breathing down my neck, preparing to whisper a greeting... the last thing I would hear.

After violating the strict moral standards of The Foundation, a Puritan institution for young women, Anna Pohl (Tarryn Wyngaard, streaming's Raised by Wolves) is sent to care for Apartheid-era theologian Sarel Cilliers (Johan Botha), one of the organization's founding members. Sarel, an old man nearer and nearer to death, spends his days in paranoia on an isolated farm, suffering from terrifying visions and demonic hallucinations. Haunted by her own guilt, Anna finds herself slowly drawn into Sarel's strange world as she unravels the mysteries behind his sinister home and connects it to the devastating secrets concealed by the Foundation. Directed by Jaco Minnaar and co-written by Minnaar and David Cornwell (the first feature film for both), the South African film also stars Nicola Hanekom, Ruan Wessels, Alida Theron, Liza Van Deventer, André Stolz, Hermie Wonderboy, Gustav Gerdener, Melusi CJ Mzolo and Tanika Wessels.

I only have a cursory knowledge of South African Apartheid history, so I suspect much of the nuance to Peacock's social and political commentary has escaped me. That's one of the challenges of going in blind to an international film. Something that may speak powerfully to its people may pass right by a person from another country; something that might terrify a native citizen, born of folklore or regional fear, could rear its head and earn little more than a raised eyebrow from a person unsure of why such a thing should frighten them. I struggled with Peacock in both regards, feeling as if I were missing key elements -- subtleties really -- that might make the experience more effective. Instead I was left with a decent enough ghost story that lacked the ghoulishness, intensity, tension and payoff that might make me want to cover my face or pull a blanket over my mouth. The performances are uniformly strong, as is Minnaar and Cornwell's screenplay.

The biggest problem lies in the visuals. The film is so bright, so well lit, the shadows so revealing, that there's not much in the way of jumps, unnerving imagery, or things that go bump in the night. It needn't be obvious. One of my favorite horror films of the last few years, A Dark Song, barely flexes its supernatural muscle until its last few minutes, and yet it increasingly shakes me to my bones, almost from the start. Peacock takes its time, too much time, and relies on shots of Wyngaard slowly creeping down dark hallways, overly long glimpses at Sarel's ghosts (to the point that I began to examine the costuming and makeup of the masked supporting actors... ahem, otherwordly entities), and a whole lot of talk meant to exposit the necessary information required for the next jolt; a jolt that rarely comes, or at long last rises into view. God help me, I can't believe I'm about to suggest this, but if you adjust the brightness and the contrast on your display -- yes, yes, I know, defying the filmmakers' intentions -- and create a darker, more sinisterly contrasted image that isn't as revealing you get a picture that actually lends itself to what Minnaar is attempting. I tried it, and I never do such a thing. But I gotta say, it made Peacock scarier. More unsettling. More suspenseful. And it helped elicit far more dread when things would go bump in the night or show their unholy faces.

If there's a saving grace its Wyngaard, who seems to understand, perhaps better than anyone on set, what Peacock needs of her. She lends grace and ease to her movements, triumph and terror in her expressions, soft tears that suggest deeper pain than can possibly be grasped, and a developing edge that allows the final moments to strike their target. I believed in her. Botha is a fine performer but his was a performance. Wyngaard's was a manifestation of a young woman trying to come to terms with the cosmic forces at work around her and the justice she's called toward. Sadly, a great performance does not a great film make. Peacock is ultimately a hit-or-miss taste of South African horror that tries to summon the nightmarish spirit of the country's violent, haunting, oppressive past but doesn't result in anything that's nearly as frightening as such things should be.

Peacock Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Blu-ray release of Peacock features a 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation cursed by two glaring flaws: weak contrast and subpar black levels. It appears to be apart of Minnaar and cinematographer Jonathan Kovel's intentions, although the purpose in such choices escapes me. Shadows are charcoaled rather than rich or inky, and the image lacks the sort of ominous darkness the atmospheric horror seems to demand. Otherwise, it's a relatively gorgeous transfer, considering its origins are entirely digital. Detail is remarkable, with the crispest of crisp fine textures, all perfectly resolved. Facial nuances are refined, the tiniest hairs along an arm or neck are visible, and a faint hint of grain lends the presentation a much-needed filmic quality. Colors are purposefully reserved, almost monochromatic at times, but its an embrace of the utopian dystopia of The Foundation and another source of loss and soullessness for Anna to contend with. Romantic scenes between Anna and a young man who visits the property combine the sickly greens of Sarel's drab home with the warm candlelight of Anna's room and budding affections. Skintones are quite lifelike as well, to the point that stronger contrast would make the entire film look noticeably better. (Not giving it my blessing, but try it; adjust contrast and brightness to see how quickly matters improve. Not trying to sidestep filmmaker intentions. Simply noting an observation, an experiment, and its result.) Banding, blocking and other issues are nowhere to be found (other than in a few easily dismissed instances when a flickering lantern first touches the darkness), and errant noise and anomalies are absent. I bobbled between multiple scores, everything from a 3.0 to 4.0, deciding in the end to give the filmmakers the full benefit of the doubt. This is likely Peacock as it was intended, and the encode is technically sound and boasts several high quality traits.

Peacock Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Peacock's Afrikaans-language uncompressed LPCM 2.0 track is excellent as stereo mixes go. Yes, a lossless 5.1 surround track would have probably enhanced the film by a large degree, adding low-end strength to earthier horrors and rear speaker support, directionality and ambience to atmospheric frights. Ah well. As is, dialogue is intelligible and prioritized well, effects are convincing and involving, and Clancy Paris's music sounds great. No real complaints here.

Peacock Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Blu-ray release of Peacock doesn't offer any extras other than the film's trailer.

Peacock Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It isn't often I get to take in a South African film, so I was especially excited to see what sort of horror film I was about to experience. To my disappointment, it wasn't what I hoped. It's a finely acted, smartly penned, eerily shot gothic-style ghost story, but it lacks scares, suspense and a genuine sense of dread. It's too inert, and leaves too little to the imagination. IndiePix's Blu-ray release is a decent one, with a striking video presentation (that only suffers from two flaws) and a solid LPCM stereo track. More extras would have been a boon, as would a more intense, vibrant image, but beggars can't be choosers. Peacock is worth a try, if only to see if it works its black magic on you. It failed to frighten me, but as any horror fan knows all too well, one man's shoulder shrug is another man's terror.