Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Walled In Blu-ray Movie Review

Should a copy of this disc be housed in your permanent collection?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 9, 2009

This is like the Bates motel -- only bigger.

No offense to Walled In, seeing that it's not a particularly dreadful movie, but the Horror genre doesn't really seem to have much left in the tank, and this film is a fine example of a genre picture running on fumes. It's certainly more reserved in approach than some random Saw movie and a bit more bold than watered-down PG-13 Horror flicks, but in the end, Walled In finds itself trapped in a seemingly inescapable prison of generic, indifferent, and inconsequential Horror outings. Topping things off is the film's direct-to-video release, a sure sign that there's was never much hope for or confidence in movie from the get-go, and for every Slumdog Millionaire that's almost dumped straight to the home video marketplace but winds up winning the Best Picture Oscar, well, that's a one-in-a-million occurrence. Walled In isn't bad for what it is; that's not necessarily high or even moderate praise, but more a sign of the state of a genre in desperate need of some fresh approaches.

That's either red paint or...THE WALL IS BLEEDING!

Sam (Mischa Barton) is the first of her family to graduate from college, and as a reward, the recent Engineering graduate is given her first solo assignment for her father's demolition company: to determine the best way to demolish an old and decrepit residential building situated in the middle of nowhere. Unbeknownst to Sam, the building harbors plenty of dark secrets. She's greeted at the building by Mary (Deborah Kara Unger) and her son Jimmy (Cameron Bright), who immediately takes a liking to Sam. Sam soon comes to learn of some of the building's terrible secrets, including the death of several people within its walls, among them the structure's famed architect, Joseph Malestrazza. Her stay is marked by confusion over blueprints that don't match the building's physical structure; two holdout residents that refuse to vacate the building; and a series of frightening sounds, visions, and shadowy figures that haunt Sam's dreams and her reality. It's only a matter of time until she uncovers the building's true secrets and the motivations of its occupants.

Walled In is sort of like the Ford Ranger of Horror movies. That truck's got all the basics to get its passengers around town in moderate comfort and even haul a few bulky items, but don't expect it to do any kind of heavy lifting like it was a Super Duty. Walled In features the basic outline of a Horror picture. It gets from point A to point B without any difficulty but never distinguishes itself as any sort of load-bearer for the genre, the film something of a passable lightweight that's certainly comfortable, enjoyable, and serviceable, but not much more. Like watching a Ranger cruise down the street elicits the same level of excitement as watching water boil, Walled In barely registers a blip on the radar screen, and that's not a bad thing; while the movie doesn't turn any heads, it doesn't cement itself as one of the most repulsive or poorly-conceived pictures of all time, either. Everything about the film is remarkably ordinary; from the acting to the set design, from the scares to the major plot revelation, Walled In follows a basic formula, never really going against the grain but never falling into the trap that sees a Horror picture either amp up the gore for gore's sake or dumb things down to try and draw in a wider audience. The film is its own creature, but it also lacks much of an identity. It's a prime example of a "watch and forget" motion picture.

Walled In does manage to engender a halfway chilling atmosphere in its first and second act. Director Gilles Paquet-Brenner clearly has a firm grasp on the technique of generating the most from shadows; a hint of music or some steady, foreboding sound; or even an awkward, ominous look from a character. Unfortunately, the film telegraphs just a bit too much early on, and there's never much suspense as to who is who and what their motivations are. Still, the superficial style elements allow for the slightly stale and predictable nature of the film to work to an extent, and it's sold by a trio of primary players, each of whom bring strengths and weakness to their parts. Cameron Bright's effort is the least impressive of the bunch; he's better when he emotes physically rather than verbally, for his spoken dialogue comes off as too flat and rehearsed. Deborah Kara Unger's effort falls into a middle ground where she does all that's asked of her character and with a solid, but not transparent or wholly natural, effort. Finally, the film's lead actress, Mischa Barton, plays not only the most important character but its most malleable, and the actress covers a broad spectrum of emotion and conveys the physical and mental trauma her character endures nicely, never missing a beat and always looking and sounding the part. Finally, Walled In does enjoys excellent production design; the film is appropriately dark, cold, and atmospheric, and the worn and rough look of the building suits the movie wonderfully. Externally, it looks like something out of the post-apocalyptic video game Fallout 3, and the interior is reflective of death and decay, both suiting the film's story and mood perfectly.

Walled In Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Walled In builds a decent foundation on Blu-ray with a 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer. The film often appears somewhat fuzzy and indistinct. Details are soft in some places but sharply resolved in others; the building's roughly-textured walls add a nice visual element to the film, but the transfer only handles them suitably to a point; the transfer lacks that last bit of definition to make this a truly strong transfer. Nevertheless, facial detail is consistently impressive but not on par with any number of superior transfers. Additionally, the image appears particularly flat. Grain is minimally visible throughout, and flesh tones can occasionally take on a slight red push. Most disappointing in Walled In are poorly-realized blacks. Crush is evident throughout, and gradation is poor. Blocking hinders many of the darker corners of the image, and banding is also a frequent and unwelcome guest. Walled In's transfer is by no means a poor effort, but it can be rather sloppy in places, the result a passable but ultimately disappointing Blu-ray image.

Walled In Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Walled In features some shoddy construction in the audio department; the disc houses but a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack with no lossless or uncompressed option. The soundtrack does deliver a good range, from some suitably loud and aggressive musical cues to subtle outdoor ambience. However, the track's better elements are saved for later on as some of the admittedly trite Horror sound effects come into play with a decent sense of space across the front and a hint of surround support. Sam hears the distant echos of children playing, for instance, the sounds scattering about the soundstage to decent effect. Stronger sounds do more to accentuate the film; a deep, throbbing hum makes for a solid sonic tone-setter, and more powerful effects -- the slamming closed of a heavy door -- deliver some nicely pronounced lows. Surround presence is limited but enjoys a bit more use in the film's final act. Dialogue reproduction is suitably rendered with no difficulties in clarity. The lack of a high definition soundtrack is disappointing considering the opportunity to further accentuate some of the film's atmospheric sound effects. As it is, this is a passable listen only.

Walled In Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Walled In contains no extra features. In fact, it doesn't even offer a top- or pop-up menu. Truly a bargain-basement release.

Walled In Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Walled In feels like a picture trapped in genre confines; it plays things rather safely but at the same time shies away from one extreme or the other, settling into something of a pleasant but not particularly memorable or gratifying middle ground. The story's strong enough, the performances decent, and the visuals and tone solid, and the film's otherwise strong sense of atmosphere is mostly nullified by a slightly confused and not particularly memorable conclusion. All said, Walled In is a forgettable -- but not necessarily substandard -- genre outing that's worth a watch but little more. This Starz Blu-ray release disappoints. Featuring a decidedly average transfer, a mediocre lossy soundtrack, and no extras (not even a pop-up menu), Walled In is best enjoyed as a rental.