Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

The Black Room Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf February 13, 2024

Writer/co-director Norman Thaddeus Vane has the general idea for a vampire movie with 1982’s “The Black Room.” Instead of creating creatures of the night, the writer turns these monsters into landlords who prey on the undersexed needs of their tenants, taking their dignity and their blood in the process. “The Black Room” isn’t particularly sharp, but it has a germ of an idea that could be developed into something uniquely sinister. Vane and co- director Elly Kenner don’t have the budget or the patience to create a compellingly bleak look at the breakdown of marital communication, going with a film that’s lost somewhere between its desire to be an erotic thriller of some sort and its need to conjure frights for paying audiences.

Larry (Jimmy Stathis) is married to Robin (Clara Corff), stuck in domestic routine with their two kids. He’s in possession of a strong libido, and while Robin is a willing partner, Larry’s looking for thrills elsewhere. Finding a special seduction room for rent, Larry elects to take his fantasies to a home owned by photographer Jason (Stephen Knight), who’s joined by his model sister, Bridget (Cassandra Gava). The siblings offer The Black Room, giving Larry a chance to live out his wildest fantasies with other partners, while Jason photographs the trysts through a two-way mirror. The pair also have specific demands of the tenant, using his dates as sources of blood for Jason, who has a demanding disease that requires weekly transfusions.

One walks away from “The Black Room” with many questions about what happens in the film. Perhaps most pressing is the relationship breakdown between Larry and Robin, with the couple going through a frustrating time as domestic demands block intimate encounters. However, Robin is a willing partner, ready to explore anything that pops into Larry’s corrupted mind, making his adventure into philandering quite baffling. “The Black Room” tracks this impulse, with Larry using the wine-flowing ways of the sex pad to bed a prostitute and a college student, with the latter even bringing along her boyfriend (Christopher McDonald) for some extra fun. The room offers Larry a sense of power and danger, feeding his insatiable desires, but it’s hard to ignore that he also has an attractive spouse who’s ready to join him anywhere he wants to go.

“The Black Room” eventually turns Robin into a detective, following evidence of the rental to the house, where she meets Jason and Bridget and their mysterious ways. Robin’s into the kink show the siblings have prepared, but the end game here isn’t sexual satisfaction. Jason needs blood, only the freshest for some reason, taking lives with help from The Black Room, draining victims during transfusion sessions, while overflow is kept in a bathtub. A fright factor is meant to arrive, but “The Black Room” remains lifeless, offering uninspired moments of intimidation, and gory events are limited. The production puts their faith in the cast to sell all the weirdness, but suspense isn’t generated with a movie that’s filled with so much padding.

The Black Room Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is sourced from "35mm negative elements." It's a softer look at "The Black Room," with a general sense of character appearances, offering a mild feel for skin particulars and clothing choices of the day. Interiors in the house are passably clear, including sex room decoration. Exteriors around the house are reasonably dimensional. Colors are acceptably refreshed, with a bright look at red blood and body paint. Clothing carries capable primaries, along with domestic interiors. Skin tones are natural, along with greenery. Delineation is satisfactory. Grain is capably resolved. Source has some mild wear and tear.

The Black Room Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix shows signs of age, with a slightly muddier level of audio. Dialogue exchanges aren't lost to unintelligibility, but sharpness isn't present, and sibilance issues are common. Scoring supports with appreciable synth support. Sound effects are blunt.

The Black Room Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "Working Their Asses Off" (23:28, HD) is an interview with Lisa Cronin, the daughter of executive producer Doug Cronin. Joining her father on the production, Cronin was exposed to various jobs, including script reader and production assistant, and she explains how the feature was ultimately financed. Shot at a house formerly owned by Ginger Rogers, the interviewee highlights the speed of production, and its use of surrounding locations. Memories of on-set strife are shared, with sex scenes a problem for some, contributing to the mood of the shoot. Cast members are discussed, with Cronin offering her thoughts on personalities and professionalism. She also provides an overview of her father's duties, including his appearance in the first nude scene of the film. Party time on the shoot involved drugs and working girls, helping to alleviate stress. Distribution woes and cult longevity close out the discussion.

• "The Other Side of the Mirror" (22:34, HD) is an interview with co-director Elly Kenner, who worked his contacts in Hollywood, throwing a party where he met producer Aaron C. Butler. Building on his work in post-production, Kenner managed to secure a job on "The Black Room," immediately showing concerns about the screenplay. The interviewee details his meeting with writer Norman Thaddeus Vane, eventually butting heads with the man over his co-directing credit, commencing a war of words between them. Casting is highlighted, with most of the actors working for free, and shooting locations are identified. The interviewee also analyzes the sex scenes in the picture. Technical challenges are reviewed, with limited moviemaking time leading to certain creative choices for "The Black Room." Reshoots and editing ideas are also identified, with the producers desperate to get the endeavor to a sellable run time.

• "Getting Revenge" (20:49, HD) is an interview with actress Clara Corff, who resurrected her career after getting married to voice teacher Robert Corff, soon finding herself in the lead role in "The Black Room." The interviewee shares memories of co-director Elly Kenner and her co-stars, enjoying their physical beauty. Characterization is assessed, along with acting challenges, including a last-minute refusal to do nudity for the feature. Locations are highlighted, including the trials of a stolen shot at a key replicator that forced Corff to do some real acting. She also explores her squeamishness, unable to sit through "The Black Room" in full for decades.

• "Blood and Black Room" (15:41, HD) is an interview with special effects artist Mark Shostrom, who tracks his burgeoning career in Hollywood in the late 1970s, eventually hired for work on "The Black Room." Blood was the name of the game, putting Shostrom to work selling transfusion visuals and violence. The interviewee shares a few tales from the shoot, including being berated by one producer and watching another step up to perform in a sex scene when the original hire backed out.

• "Acting on Impulse" (12:53, HD) is an interview with actor Jimmy Stathis, who already had a connection to writer Norman Thaddeus Vane, soon offered a major role in "The Black Room." The interviewee provides brief memories from the shoot, including candle work on the set. He goes a bit deeper into tensions between Vane and co-director Elly Kenner, and he brings out his personal copy of the script, still baffled by the ending chosen for the film.

• "Bodies of Work" (30:43, HD) is an appreciation piece from film historian Stephen Thrower.

• A Trailer has not been included on this release.

The Black Room Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The Black Room" doesn't develop a creep factor, often weighed down by underdeveloped writing and limited performances, though Corff does offer something vaguely human with her take on frustration and temptation. The material eventually makes its way to a general horror finale, and it doesn't feel connected to the rest of the picture, which mostly deals with uneasy sensuality, wine appreciation, and long scenes of household exploration. "The Black Room" aims to be many things, but it ends up achieving little with drama and genre business, missing a defined sense of creative leadership and bravery when it comes to fully fleshing out complicated behaviors.