Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Trespassers Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf January 21, 2020

It’s hard out there for a home invasion thriller. There’s a lot of competition for the horror hound’s dollar, and the subgenre has been exhausted. “Trespassers” (previously known as “Hell Is Where the Home Is”) has something interesting brewing underneath its ultraviolence, with director Orson Oblowitz trying to inject as much visual variation as possible while working with very little money, and screenwriter Corey Deshon has a germ of an idea to help subvert expectations, which is more exciting than any offering of bodily harm. “Trespassers” doesn’t remain in the realm of promise for long enough, soon switching over to a formulaic understanding of terror from masked men. It’s certainly inspired at times, but not particularly brave.

Taking a trip to Mojave for a weekend getaway, couple Sarah (Angela Trimbur) and Joseph (Zach Avery) have plenty of issues to work on as they learn to communicate again, having trouble getting over a personal tragedy. Settling into a rental, the pair is joined by Sarah’s dear friend, Estelle (Janel Parrish), and her boyfriend, Victor (Jonathan Howard), and this twosome is ready to party, bringing out the booze and cocaine to jumpstart the vacation. While Sarah struggles to connect with Joseph, and the husband deals with the fallout from his secretive tryst with Estelle, a Visitor (Fairuza Balk) in the middle of the night disrupts all the brewing dysfunction. The Visitor needs access to a phone, claiming car trouble and no cell signal, hoping to be let inside. While a fierce debate ensues, with Victor firmly against permission to enter, the Visitor is soon welcomed inside. Displaying odd behavior and awareness of the hostility in the room, the Visitor tries to project kindness, but anger spills over, soon joined by a team of Mexican gangsters who are hunting for something specific in the house, happy to murder anyone refusing to help.

To help ease viewers into the picture, Deshon creates a suffocating emotional space for Sarah and Joseph, who have arrived in Mojave in a state of distress, trying to outrun their issues with time in paradise. Their rental is a stunner, home to two successful photojournalists who spend time in Mexico, and Sarah is drawn to their dark room, responding to the work as an artist herself. “Trespassers” arranges a long weekend of stunted conversation and property exploration, but the stillness is shattered by the arrival of Estelle and Victor, with their forward ways forcing the Sarah and Joseph to temporarily shelve their problems while dealing with two brash individuals. Victor is especially in the mood to party, bringing out the coke to get his heart racing, and the alcohol flows as well, creating an ideal state of distortion to help shoo away any personal problems.

There are difficulties between Sarah and Joseph, with the young woman unable to get past personal horrors, and her spouse hasn’t exactly been a prince during this estrangement, sampling Estelle during a night of excess. He’s upset with the situation, fearful of Estelle’s need to share her mistake with Sarah, but such concerns are tabled once the Visitor arrives, breaking up tensions with her car troubles. While the masked Mexicans are established in the opening scene, and the Visitor becomes a supporting character in the second act, “Trespassers” starts to showcase a slight deviation from the norm, with the foursome doing all the work when it comes time for violence to enter the story. There’s a moment when it seems as though “Trespassers” is going to be a home invasion thriller where the villains are actually the renters, which would be an amazing twist. Sadly, Deshon doesn’t follow through on the idea, soon returning masked monsters to the picture, along with visit from tough cops trying to get to the bottom of all confusion.

Trespassers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Faced with very little money to make his movie, director Orson Oblowitz tries to expand the visual potential of the endeavor with extreme lighting. The AVC encoded image (2.39:1 aspect ratio) presentation explores a great deal of natural light with the remote location, offering bright sunshine and illuminated interiors, but when the story turns to dire events of survival, property light comes into play, bathing the frame in washes of purple, blue, and green, often at the same time. Trips to a darkroom also permit red to dominate. More restrained elements of domestic design are balanced as well, finding white kitchens and warmer living areas preserved. Hues also deliver with bloodshed and skintones, which find their natural appeal. Delineation survives stretches with limited lighting. Detail is strong throughout the viewing event, with a sharp look at the characters, focusing on facial particulars in close-ups and bodily wounds when violence enters the tale. Household tours are equally textured, and exteriors are dimensional, offering depths for a largely claustrophobic film.

Trespassers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix brings the intensity of "Trespassers" to life, leading with scoring cues, which provide a crisp synth throb, supporting the mayhem without overwhelming it. The few soundtrack selections are equally present, including some opening Tejano that contributes some rare tuba weight, giving low-end some life. Dialogue exchanges are clear, securing emotionality and surges of distress. Surrounds are strong with atmospherics and music, providing a full sense of envelopment at times, with some channel effects to support suspense.

Trespassers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (1:46, HD) is included.

Trespassers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Certain elements of "Trespassers" register highly, including electro-throb scoring from Jonathan Snipes (who also pays tribute to Ennio Morricone), and cinematography by Noah Rosenthal. Oblowitz also does well with a few visceral highlights, keeping raw hands on sharp blades and exposed feet on broken glass. However, the final 20 minutes, where all hell breaks loose, is fairly routine, filled with feverish chases, aggressive men, and moments of torture. "Trespassers" loses its nerve when pursuing frights, relying on the familiar to appeal to audiences when it has a golden opportunity to create a more original nightmare.