The Hearse Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

The Hearse Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf May 17, 2017

1980’s “The Hearse” is one of the last gasps of horror from the 1970s. Before the tidal wave of gore and sexualized teenagers served up for the slaughter, there were weird stories with Satanic inspirations, pitting hapless characters against unholy forces they don’t understand. The feature strives to make something unsettling about a haunted car and evil influence in a small town, but there’s not a lot of truly terrifying incidents to savor in “The Hearse,” which tries to get plenty of mileage from the vision of the titular car ruling rural roads, but director George Bowers isn’t motivated to move the plot along, working on his cheap fright film tricks and atmosphere instead. It’s a game attempt to generate an unusual four-wheeled cinematic nightmare, but the production takes it time before it reaches the unknown, and doesn’t do much with it once it gets there.

Mourning the death of her mother and a recent divorce from her husband, Jane (Trish Van Devere) takes an opportunity to move away from San Francisco, inheriting her late aunt’s home in a small town. On her way to take possession of the property, Jane has a run-in with a mysterious driver behind the wheel of a hearse, with the car speeding aroung local roads at night for an unknown purpose. Moving into the large country house, Jane attempts to mingle with the community, but she’s dismissed everywhere, with the locals unsure why anyone would be foolish to accept responsibility for the home, which they believe to be haunted. Harassed by local boys and overnight pranksters, Jane attempts to get to the bottom of her paranoia, soon joined by Paul (Perry Lang), a young handyman with a crush, and distracted by Tom (David Gautreaux), a mysterious stranger who sweeps the new woman in town off her feet, commencing a courtship that’s periodically interrupted by violence, committed by a roving car with a particular interest in picking up Jane for a special ride.

“The Hearse” has a strong interest in characterization, which isn’t problematic overall, but it does distract from more direct genre offerings. Jane’s life is examined in full, watching the woman ditch the familiarity of San Francisco for the wilds of rural life, doing her best to outrun her pain, which involves taking a chance on an inherited house in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately, the dwelling has a reputation as a palace for evildoing, and the first half of “The Hearse” explores her ostracized experience, with the community deciding they don’t care for the woman or her house, coming together to push her out. Jane is stuck in a tough spot, caught between a town that’s populated with idiots who openly sexually harass the new neighbor and the adventure of a fresh start inside a free house, and one that contains enigmatic secrets found in her aunt’s diary, which details heartbreak the reader finds intoxicating. Jane puts herself into a few easily avoidable situations, but she’s hit from all sides, facing legal delay tactics from lawyer Prichard (Joseph Cotton), who feels he’s rightfully owed the property, becoming one of many suspects on the list of possible villains.

The screenplay doesn’t sample many genre highlights for the first half, concerned more about agitation in its second half, following Jane as she deals with the mystery of the hearse through evening encounters and dreamscape imagery. While Jane is generally a smart woman, she’s powerless around the hearse, unable to crack its code while it prowls the back roads, eventually narrowing its complete concentration on her. Van Devere does the best she can with the character, doing a credible job articulating shock and surprise, but she’s swimming upstream at times, especially trying to sell the enormity of a demonic problem that’s rarely credible, far more interesting with little asides that tear down Jane’s defense against a full possession. The supporting cast isn’t as inspired, but pros like Cotton deliver pleasingly sharp work, playing irritated to Van Devere’s chipper sense of exploration. He’s valuable here, especially with Gautreaux around, finding the actor favoring blank stares as Tom, failing to connect the dots on a lukewarm personality, and one that pleases Jane, who’s been continually harassed by local boobs since she’s arrived in town. Why do these two get together after a brief first encounter? Only screenwriter William Bleich knows for sure, and he’s not telling. Instead, the audience is treated to unpleasant encounters in a land populated with jerks and troublemakers, making Jane’s sudden attraction to Tom a bit too convenient.

If one looks fast enough, “The Hearse” also contains a cameo by Dennis Quaid, here portraying a rude telephone repairman looking to help Jane with her connection issues. Granted, he wasn’t a star at the time, but the appearance comes one year after the release of “Breaking Away,” creating a need to hear the story of his casting.

The Hearse Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Darkness is a mighty force for "The Hearse," with cinematography favoring deep blacks as most of the movie takes place during the dead of night. Delineation holds together during the AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation, offering frame communication that preserves genre storytelling. Detail is also strong throughout, sustaining textures with haunted house events and country living, and the cast displays their personal wear and tear with encouraging close-ups. Costuming remains fibrous, also adding some needed color to the feature, which doesn't favor excitable hues. Still, a tasteful refreshing is prominent, giving presence to set decoration and greenery. Grain is fine and filmic. Source is in solid shape, without overt points of damage.

The Hearse Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 1.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix isn't built to do a lot of heavy lifting, but the basics of "The Hearse" aren't troublesome. Dialogue exchanges retain intelligibility and thespian nuance, only slightly dull by age. Sound effects retain their shock value, sounding loud and purposeful, while atmospherics are available, setting the rural mood. Scoring isn't precise, but it supports with enthusiasm, offering a near-constant presence in the feature, keeping passable instrumentation.

The Hearse Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "Satan Get Behind Thee" (20:39, HD) is a lively interview with actor David Gautreaux, who doesn't hold back when discussing his involvement with "The Hearse." Establishing his career position at the time of production, Gautreaux was in the running for the role of Damien in "The Final Conflict," only to be too young for the part. However, the Antichrist tale stuck with him during his time on "The Hearse," inspiring his characterization. The actor seems very excited to talk motivations, referring to the concept of "epic fornication" numerous times, and he animatedly discusses time with co-stars and director George Bowers. Gautreaux also shares an amusing anecdote about meeting Van Devere's husband, George C. Scott, for the first time.

• Promotional Still Gallery collects newspaper ads for "The Hearse," along with publicity images and reviews from its initial theatrical release.

• T.V. Spot (:30, HD) is offered.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:27, HD) is included.

The Hearse Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The Hearse" is fully stocked with boo scares, finding Bowers a bit too reliant on the things that jump out at Jane to preserve suspense. And there's an issue with the antagonist, with the whole hearse angle fairly silly, even when Bowers strives to bend reality as Jane is tempted to become one with the vehicle. "The Hearse" doesn't have much tension, and its efforts to find horror through loudness and a lack of even B-movie reason tends to irritate. The movie has its highlights, but it's hard to take anything seriously with demonic happenings centered on the titular transport device, which doesn't provide sufficient mystery or menace.