Amusement on Blu-ray Disc Review
By Rachel Cericola
The Film
"What's amusing you?"
Well, not a whole lot here. That's a line from the trailer of
Amusement, by the way, which is even too long for the film's pointless plot. A psychotic killer (is there another kind?) has a grudge against a trio of hot babes that were childhood friends. Keir O'Donnell is the villain here. However, he was a lot scarier as Todd in
Wedding Crashers.
The story is almost like three plots in one film, with each as stupid as the next. The movie harks back to some classic teen slasher films. It's like
I Know What You Did When the Hitcher Calls for a Joyride. However, despite the high kill count, there's no real gore, no real thrills, and no actual amusement parks. The fact that one unseen character collects clowns is a lot more frightening. There is, however, a death by Victrola -- two points for that.
The Picture
The transfer is decent, which is a nice feat considering the entire movie takes place in the dark. The blacks are very rich and the image never appears grainy. The terrified faces are pretty crisp, as is the blood splatter. The one disappointment was all of the clowns, which I thought should have popped a little more against the gruesome backdrop.
The Sound
This is the one area where the movie sort of shines. Producers must have gotten the rights to a standard horror soundtrack because that "he's-about-to-pop-out-of-the-closet-and-gut-you-like-a-fish" music plays throughout the movie, even when nothing is happening. Maybe it's supposed to keep you on the edge of your seat. Maybe producers just wanted to get their money's worth. Either way, the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix works to the movie's advantage; it actually makes you want to pay attention.
The Extras
There aren't any -- be thankful.
Final Thoughts
The tagline is: "His pleasure is your pain." If by pleasure, they mean this movie, then job well done.
Where to Buy:
Product Details
- Actors: Keir O'Donnell, Katheryn Winnick, Laura Breckenridge, Jessica Lucas, Tad Hilgenbrink
- Director: John Simpson
- Audio/Languages: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (English), Dolby Digital 5.1 (English)
- Subtitles: English, Spanish
- Aspect Ratio: 2.4:1
- Region: A
- Number of Discs: 2
- Rating: R
- Studio: Warner Home Video
- Blu-ray Disc Release Date: January 20, 2009
- Run Time: 85 minutes
- List Price: $35.99
