7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A creepy old mortician manages a very strange mortuary all alone until a young woman shows interest in working in the mortuary for the mortician. The mortician tells the young apprentice a series of stories about those that have died in the town.
Starring: Clancy Brown, Caitlin Custer, Christine Kilmer, Jacob Elordi, Ema HorvathHorror | 100% |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.38:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Ryan Spindell's The Mortuary Collection belongs to the perpetually uneven "horror anthology" subgenre, whose roots extend all the way back to 1919 but gained traction during the 1960s and 70s with films like Black Sabbath, The House that Dripped Blood and, of course, Tales from the Crypt. It's a flexible and often entertaining formula usually assembled from a few OK-to-great short films with a framing story linking it all together. The Mortuary Collection is no different aside from its meta-commentary, serving up four tales of terror told in the sleepy town of Raven's End in the 1980s.
Overall it's a fairly solid collection of tales, with the least impressive (Segment 1) being so short that it barely has time to register. As mentioned
earlier, the practical effects are great and very bloody at unexpected times, with one scene easily ranking as one of the most viscerally
WTF moments I've seen in recent years. (You'll know it when you see it.) My only real criticisms are the film's somewhat patchy
construction -- these stories don't tie together all that smoothly, aside from a couple of recurring characters and visual cues -- and its consecutive
time periods (1950s-80s), which don't feature convincing enough production design and serve little purpose aside from explaining the absence of
cell phones. But The Mortuary Collection is still better than most modern anthologies and definitely worth a run-through, especially since
RLJ Entertainment's Blu-ray offers great A/V specs and a surprisingly deep collection of extras.
Since The Mortuary Collection features only one director and two cinematographers (Elie Smolkin and Caleb Heymann), its frequently memorable visuals are much more consistent than most anthologies and they're served perfectly well on RLJ Entertainment's Blu-ray, which features a very solid 1080p transfer. Deep shadows hold up nicely with great black levels and very few moments of crush, while colorful bursts -- reds, obviously, as will as period-specific clothing and the nicely adorned mortuary -- punch through what might otherwise be a dull and dreary affair. Skin tones and textures likewise register strongly and, while the mostly indoor scenes never get a chance to really shine under natural light, many of the compositions are excellent and scene transitions are very thoughtfully done. The Blu-ray is well-authored and runs at a very high bit rate, largely avoiding compression artifacts, banding, and other eyesores.
Likewise, the DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix is a mostly consistent affair, with more shocking moments warranting well-done jump scares and a handful weather effects -- none more prominent than in The Babysitter Murders -- make their presence known strongly. The original score by TV and film composers Mondo Boys sounds very good too, enjoying prominence during some scenes but supporting the film more subtly in others. Rear channels are mostly reserved for background noise, music cues, and a few crowded conversations and, while LFE effects are quite sparse, they kick in at a few unexpected moments as well. Overall, a fine effort that, more often than not, adds plenty of atmosphere.
Optional English (SDH), French, and Spanish subtitles are included during the main feature only.
This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with reversible cover art, a matching slipcover, and a promotional insert. The included bonus features unexpectedly cover a lot of ground and make this a well-rounded package.
Ryan Spindell's The Mortuary Collection is a surprisingly solid horror anthology in a sub-genre not exactly known for its consistency, which makes this debut feature-length film from the director a promising one. Although its four segments and the wraparound framing story don't blend together smoothly, almost every segment has plenty of high points and the practical effects work is outstanding during its best moments. RLJ Entertainment's Blu-ray offers a perfect amount of support, including a great A/V presentation and a well-rounded collection of bonus features that cover almost every main aspect of the production. This one's recommended as a blind buy... unless you're squeamish, of course.
2019
1969
2015
1986
1957
2005
1981
Collector's Edition
1990
2020
2019
2019
2014
2013
Collector's Edition
1999
1988
1999
Collector's Edition
1984
Uncut
2003
The Director's Cut
1990
1965