Poison Ivy: The Secret Society Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		1.0
Video		1.5
Audio		2.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		1.5

Poison Ivy: The Secret Society Blu-ray Movie Review

After three “Poison Ivy” adventures that tried to, in some small way, connect the films in one big erotic thriller saga, 2008’s “Poison Ivy: The Secret Society” elects to break from the team, taking on its own vision for lusty young things causing all types of trouble for horndog men. However, instead of a passably cinematic touch, the franchise is turned into a Lifetime production, and one with tacked on sex scenes to give the product an afterlife on home video. It’s all very sketchy (Catherine Hicks is the biggest name here, and I’m sure she had no idea what type of movie she was making), poorly acted, absurdly plotted, and randomly sexualized, with the end result landing somewhere between a WB pilot and a lukewarm parody of the “Poison Ivy” pictures.

Poison Ivy: The Secret Society Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

After Kenneth Brown went to town on "Poison Ivy: The Secret Society" a decade ago, expectations were lowered for the viewing experience. Shout Factory doesn't have much to manage with the AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation, but there's some attempt to spruce up the feature for its second trip to Blu-ray. However, there's no way to make something appealing with a flawed source. Artifacting is everywhere here, from blocky backgrounds to banding, and black levels are often solidified. Color is dialed up some, making the picture actually look like a Lifetime Movie, though natural vibrancy of the hues is long gone, with greenery sometimes looking neon. It's a brightly shot effort, and the Blu-ray represents that. Detail is removed, smothered by filtering, making anything but the closest of close-ups look waxy. "Poison Ivy: The Secret Society" was doomed from the start, but for those who enjoy the movie, Shout's offering is an ever so slight improvement over the 2009 release.

Poison Ivy: The Secret Society Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Replacing a 5.1 Dolby Digital track with a new 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix, Shout attempts to bring "Poison Ivy: The Secret Society" back to reality with a modest listening event that apparently is miles beyond what was previously offered. Dialogue exchanges aren't remarkable, but they're intelligible, securing broad performances without overt compression issues. Scoring is thin but acceptable, while soundtrack offerings deliver a bigger beat, adding weight. Sound effects are quieter but understood, lacking power to amplify violence.

Poison Ivy: The Secret Society Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Home Video Trailer (:53, SD) is included.

Poison Ivy: The Secret Society Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There's not a whole bunch of effort put into "Poison Ivy: The Secret Society," with director Jason Hreno only dealing with the basics is dramatic response and suspense, just waiting out the story for a chance to insert some laughably overcooked sex scenes that only serve to make the feature catnip to young kids looking for cheap thrills. There's no heat, no chills, and no real achievement in plot. "Poison Ivy: The Secret Society" simply coasts on a brand name that wasn't potent to begin with.