Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

When the Screaming Starts 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

When the Screaming Starts is a mockumentary horror film with a unique and compelling twist on the mockumentary. Produced by Conor Boru (Forever Eddie), Ed Hartland (An Actor’s Life for Me), Dom Lenoir (The Longest Night), and Jared Rogers (The Agency), When the Screaming Starts is essential viewing for fans of horror comedies. Executive produced by Yasen Zates Atour (Forever Eddie, Showtime), Octavia Gilmore (If Apps Existed 500 Years Ago, Forever Eddie), and Kavé Niku, When the Screaming Starts does a great job of spoofing the serial killer genre with a mockumentary exploring a group of would-be serial killers. Starring Ed Hartland and Jared Rogers. Co-starring Vår Haugholt, Lee Nicholas Harris, Yasen Zates Atour, Su McLaughlin, Ronja Haugholt, Katharine Bennett-Fox, John-Christian Bateman, and Kaitlin Reynell.

Aidan (Ed Hartland) wants nothing more in the world than to be an infamous serial killer. Aidan’s dream is to be famous for killing people and to make a name for himself as a serial killer – joining the ranks of other serial killers well known in the history books. Meeting journalist Norman (Jared Rogers), Aidan offers a chance of a lifetime to Norman for the journalist to join up with him and produce a feature documentary following Aidan on his quest to become a notorious serial killer.

Norman can tag along, documenting his journey as an aspiring serial killer. As the documentary unfolds, Aidan begins to seek others who might want to join a serial killer cult and kill people together as a team of serial killers (and to make the documentary more interesting, of course). As applicants show up to prove why they should be able to join the serial killer group, things intensify behind-the-scenes – and killings aren’t far behind. Moving past his early days with the serial killer rock group, Cannibal Death March, Aidan finds himself determined to make a true name for himself as a serial killer.

The cast does a terrific job with the film. When the Screaming Starts has a fun cast of characters and the actors certainly enjoyed playing their respective roles. Each of the characters is determined to become a serial killer and the group of would-be serial killers (forming their own “merry” group) want to make it to the big leagues. The cast truly goes-for-it and enjoys the zaniness of the concept itself (being that this is a mockumentary, there is a strong comedic undertone to the film with the entire cast adding some fun dark comedy to the production). All of the cast members seem invested in their respective roles and provide some quirky serial-killer comedy to the filmmaking.

The score composed by Michael Palmer (EastEnders: E20, Blood on Our Hands: The English Civil War) is a worthwhile effort and a nice backdrop for the mockumentary. Palmer has fun with the concept and certainly enjoys the production and its quirky nature. A good effort by Palmer.

The cinematography by Adrian Musto (Inside Chernobyl, Help! My House Is Haunted) is surprisingly great for a mockumentary feature. The cinematography often feels higher-budget than one would expect for a documentary (or mockumentary) so it creates a balancing act between outright horror alongside the mockumentary aesthetics. Musto did a terrific job and the visuals add a lot to the film, satisfying the horror elements fans are looking for in spades.

Edited by Alan Rae, When the Screaming Starts is well-paced and the mockumentary does a good job highlighting the would-be serial killers and their quest to achieve their serial killer goals. The editing highlights the whole group element – both individually and together – providing some nice contrast. The application scenes were especially well edited and timed for comedic effect.

Written by Conor Boru and Ed Hartland (An Actor’s Life for Me, If It Bleeds It Leads), When the Screaming Starts is a comedic gem. Fans of horror films with comedic elements won’t want to miss it. The entire concept is fantastic and the cast has a lot of fun bringing the script to life. The writing is solid and there are a lot of funny moments throughout. From the concept of the “documentary” to the film’s conclusion, the script finds new and surprising ways to find some unexpected comedy in horror.

Directed by Conor Boru (Forever Eddie, Showtime), When the Screaming Starts is a bit of an under- the-radar horror film and one that deserves a wider audience. When the Screaming Starts is fantastic fun and the film does a great job exploring the documentary (mockumentary) concept – poking fun at it while creating some good tension and thrills as well. When the Screaming Starts could possibly be a future cult classic with the right audience.

When the Screaming Starts 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on 4K UHD Blu-ray by Terror Vision, When the Screaming Starts is presented in HEVC / H.265 2160p 4K in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.00:1 widescreen. The 4K UHD presentation provides a native 4K encode. The release has an impressive high-dynamic-range presentation. The HDR color grading is fantastic. The release does an outstanding job of highlighting the cinematography and bringing the presentation to life. The colors and depth of the image are impressive in spades. The transfer looks remarkably sharp and the clarity makes the filmmaking more engaging as well. The encode by Terror Vision is exceptional and fans will be enormously pleased with the presentation. Enthusiasts will appreciate the picture-quality gains of 4K UHD (which provides an even better and crisper presentation with more detail compared to streaming platforms). Streaming platforms provide more compression and for those who want to eek out the absolute best presentation quality, 4K UHD reigns supreme.

When the Screaming Starts 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound. The lossless audio quality on the release is terrific. For a mockumentary feature film, expectations were low for the sound design but the results are actually better than anticipated. The surrounds are well utilized and the track has impressive LFE and depth. The clarity of the audio is excellent. The score and occasional effects are certainly well integrated with the surround mix. An impressive lossless audio encode.

When the Screaming Starts 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The first print-run of the release comes with an o-card slipcover. The o-card slipcover is outstanding quality and Terror Vision continues to provide some of the best quality Blu-ray/4K packaging for the collector's physical media market. The classy and luxurious slipcover design is excellent and adds a premium quality to the release. The unique slipcover art (different from the sleeve art underneath the slipcover) adds an extra touch of class to the release. Terror Vision certainly understands how to tap into the nostalgia for the video-store days with extra luxurious and premium designs and for the collector's market the release will look great on a shelf.

The release also comes with a nice assortment of on-disc bonus features. Terror Vision did a great job assembling an impressive assortment of extras for fans of the film. There are a lot of supplements and fans will certainly find the package more well-rounded because of the care and attention given to the extras on the release.

On disc extras include:

Audio Commentary with Conor Buro and Ed Hartland

Making-Of Documentary: "We Made A Movie Called When The Screaming Starts" (HD, 20:40)

Deleted Scenes (HD, 7:09)

Behind the Scenes Interview From The Set (HD, 6:26)

Music Video: Cannibal Death March (HD, 1:59)

When the Screaming Starts 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

When the Screaming Starts is an entertaining and surprisingly charming mockumentary – a serial killer dark comedy. The concept is fantastic and the actors have a lot of fun with their respective roles. The filmmaking is entertaining and the filmmakers made something special with this under-the-radar gem. When the Screaming Starts is certainly a film that one could see becoming a future cult classic. The film provides a nice balance of comedy and horror. The 4K UHD release features an outstanding 4K video presentation and superb lossless audio. The release also includes a nice supplemental package, including a making-of documentary. The Terror Vision release also comes with a collectible o-card slipcover (for the first print run). The collector's edition looks and feels great in hand and will look superb on any collector's shelf. Highly recommended.