Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Snatchers Blu-ray Movie Review

Not another teen movie.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III December 20, 2023

In today's installment of "Blu-rays I should have covered three years ago" we'll take a belated look at Benji Kleiman and Stephen Cedars' Snatchers, a teen horror-comedy whose stars once described it as "Mean Girls meets Alien". It's certainly an apt description of the film's plot but not the actual end result; while Snatchers is more than entertaining enough for a few watches, it isn't quite as self-aware or scary enough to hold up to that lofty dual comparison.

Not gonna lie, this one's still pretty fun though. What Snatchers does surprisingly well is to maintain a lightweight and enjoyable tone even when the subject matter goes pitch-black -- not the easiest task for a horror-comedy which, just for the record, clearly favors the latter. The plot follows high school student Sara Steinberg (Mary Nepi), who's turned her back on former friend Hayley (Gabrielle Elyse) for a seat at the cool kids' table. The school year starts with a bang when she notices former flame Skyler (Austin Fryberger), fresh from a summer vacation in Mexico, has bulked up and gotten a nice tan. It's not long before Sara loses her virginity to him; quite the reversal from their earlier relationship, which ended because she wanted to wait. But something seems... off when she suffers from morning sickness the next day and, within hours, has the appearance of someone nine months pregnant. Obviously too scared to tell her neurotic single mom Kate (JJ Nolan), Sara pleads with Hayley to take her to the free clinic and gets checked out.

It doesn't go well, as in strange alien creature pops out and decapitates the OB-GYN. Sara's scaly newborn goes on a bloody rampage, possessing victims by stabbing their spinal cords and hitching a ride topside. It's basically unkillable, too quick to catch, and more or less on a spree until someone figures out what to do, like perhaps aloof police officer Oscar Ruiz (Nick Gomez) or maybe Dave (Rich Fulcher), a local farmer who's sort of an expert in animal reproduction. That short list doesn't yet include Sara or Hayley, who flee in terror while ducking her mom as well as Skyler's attempts at hooking up again, while an upcoming house party thrown by rich brat Kiana (Ashley Argota) looms on the horizon. Things get really complicated when Sara looks down to find that another bundle of joy is on the way.

Most of the unexpected fun in Snatchers arrives when Sara and Hayley investigate Skyler's time in Mexico, which may or may not have re-ignited an ancient curse that renders its victims as sex-starved hosts to a race of extra-terrestrial beings. The way it plays out might not be as original but it adds to the fun of a film that, while entertaining as a whole, can't help but feel patchy and episodic at times. That's actually for a good reason: Snatchers was originally built from a short proof-of-concept film made in 2015, distributed as a micro-series that performed well at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, and finally edited into a full-length film for its 2019 premiere. Frankenstened into its final form, the end result should appeal to fans of horror-comedy but probably isn't for everyone: this type of mish-mash hinges on the strength of great jokes and great scares, and Snatchers doesn't really build any real amount of genuine dread during it's breezy, 97-minute runtime. That, and it leans too strongly on teen slang that even winkingly references Juno -- a film whose dialogue I mostly detest -- while kinda-sorta riding its coattails like, well, a stubborn alien symbiote.

Still, I'd recommend Snatchers almost solely for its unwavering commitment to the absurd; this film never takes itself all that seriously (that's almost always a plus in my book), and more of the jokes land than miss the mark slightly. As mentioned earlier, this Blu-ray combo pack is no longer a new release but currently available at a fairly low price point from Warner Bros., which might be enough of a reason to pick this one up as a curious blind buy to break up your post-Christmas movie season. Snatchers may not be quite strong enough to land in the category of "future cult classic", but there's certainly a decent amount of enjoyment here for anyone willing to go along for the ride.

Snatchers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Warner Bros.' 1080p transfer does a fine job with the source material of this low-budget horror-comedy, which certainly wouldn't be mistaken for a big studio production but features workmanlike cinematography and more than a few solid practical effects. Colors are generally natural while occasionally veering into "bold and bright" territory depending on the location, which numerous scenes in and around fictional Madre Vista High School obviously playing much different than the dark corners of a free clinic during an unexpected power outage. Image detail is fine within the boundaries of an all-digital production, never popping with strong textures but avoiding a generally waxy appearance. Black levels, contrast, and shadow detail all hold up nicely under the right circumstances, with only its darkest scenes succumbing to mild noise or occasional compression artifacts. Generally speaking, though, its a solid-looking disc that I'm glad earned a Blu-ray release; this material would likely show a lot more seams on your average streaming platform.

Snatchers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix aims a bit higher and mostly hits the mark, mostly staying within genre boundaries while offering a surprisingly aggressive presence for the original score by Christopher Doucet, who's also credited on the short film and micro-series this feature was built from. It's a fairly active effort with a strong dynamic range and, while unfortunately a bit too on-the-nose during a few jump scares, adds quite a bit to the effectiveness of Snatchers' sporadic horror elements. Otherwise, it plays things straight with a combination of front-forward dialogue, occasional but effect use of the surround channels, and good use of the low end during musical and suspenseful moments to fill out the soundstage nicely. Under the circumstances, there's really not much room for improvement here.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are included during the main feature and extras listed below.

Snatchers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This two-disc release -- you know, back when Warner Bros. did combo packs -- arrives in a dual-hubbed keepcase with poster-themed cover artwork, a matching slipcover, and a Digital Copy that's probably expired by now. On-board extras are predictably light in number but well worth a once-over if you enjoyed the film.

• Audio Commentary - This full-length commentary track herds together co-writers/directors Stephen Cedars and Benji Kleiman along with producer/co-writer Scott Yacyshyn, who are anything but laid-back and contribute to a surprisingly enjoyable session full of trivia, tidbits, in-jokes, and an admittedly pretty thorough account of the film's production. A few stones are left unturned but this is still a fairly packed track with topics ranging from writing, cast, and pre-production to special effects, editing, and the soundtrack. I daresay it's more enjoyable and funnier than the main feature itself during several stretches... which certainly sounds like I'm damning Snatchers with faint praise, but if you were on the fence it might actually help win you over.

• The Birth of Snatchers: A Behind-the-Scenes Look (14:21) - This short but sweet behind-the-scenes featurette repurposes a few bits and pieces of information from the audio commentary but is similar in tone and likewise enjoyable and very entertaining with plenty of nice little comedic touches.

• Unexpected: The Snatchers Blooper Reel (3:37)

• Trailers (3:01) for Critters Attack! and The Banana Splits Movie

Snatchers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Benji Kleiman and Stephen Cedars' Snatchers might not have enough fundamental strengths to register as a future cult classic, but this likeable teen horror-comedy certainly has its moments and the film's total commitment to absurdity will definitely appeal to the right audience. Warner Bros.' Blu-ray combo pack offers a good amount of support for the main feature including solid A/V merits and a handful of enjoyable bonus features. It's a decent package for the current asking price and worth a blind buy for interested parties, especially those late to the party like myself.