The
Other Side Of The Door
(2016/Fox Blu-ray w/DVD)
Picture:
B+/B- Sound: B+/B- Extras: C Film: C-
Johannes
Robert's 2016 supernatural thriller The
Other Side of the Door
is your typical ''child dies and comes back to haunt the family''
story that isn't much different than anything else you've seen
before, specifically reminding me of Dark
Water.
While it boasts some strong production values and a decent
performance by Sarah Wayne Callies (The
Walking Dead)
- an actress who is starting to get typecast as the ''bad mother''.
Supporting co-stars are Jeremy Sisto, and impressive child actors
Sofia Rosinsky and Logan Creran that stand up against the by the
numbers and predictable screenplay.
When
a tragic accident results in the death of child, a grieving mother
(Callies) goes to an ancient temple and performs a ritual in hopes of
bringing her son back to life (what could go wrong, right?) and in so
doing opens a portal between two worlds. Haunted by otherworldly
spirits, the ghost of her son ends up haunting their family home and
eventually possesses the boy's sister, turning each Family member
against each other in a struggle for life and death.
This
edition features both the high definition Blu-ray disc and the
standard definition DVD copy of the film. The superior Blu-ray is
presented in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of
2.39:1 and a lossless DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 that sounds
stunning. Much of the film is very dark but that doesn't effect the
consistency in texture and detail throughout.
The
standard definition DVD version features an anamorphic widescreen
aspect ratio of 2.39:1 and a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 track that
pushes the limits of the format but doesn't look or sound nearly as
detailed as the Blu-ray disc. Also included is an Ultraviolet Copy
of the film for your tablet or smartphone.
Extras
include...
Deleted
Scenes
Behind
The Door
Gallery
Trailer
All
in all the bonus material make up for less than fifteen minutes of
total runtime, the longest being the deleted scenes that were
rightfully cut out of the film in the first place.
In
my opinion, the current King of this genre is still Guillermo Del
Toro, who has not only given us his superb ghost stories Crimson
Peak
(reviewed elsewhere on this site) and The
Devil's Backbone
(which is available from our friends at Criterion) but also fantastic
producing efforts of effective ghost stories such as The
Orphanage,
Don't
Be Afraid of the Dark,
and Mama
- all of which are far better than this film. Not to say that this
is the most painful film I've ever sat through, but it doesn't really
stay with you after the closing credits roll.
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
