BLU-RAY REVIEW

Slender Man

Featured In Issue 233, November 2018

Picture4
Sound5
WSR Score4
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
51477
(MPAA Rating):
PG-13
(Rating Reason):
Disturbing images, sequences of terror, thematic elements and language including some crude sexual references
(Retail Price):
$19.99
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
(Running Time In Minutes):
93
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
ABC
(Theatrical Year):
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
10/30/2018
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
(Director):
Sylvain White
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
DTS HD Lossless 5.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(Spanish Language):
(Subtitles):

"Slender Man" takes place in a small town in Massachusetts, where a group of friends, fascinated by the Internet lore of the "Slender Man," attempt to prove that he doesn't actually exist––until one of them mysteriously goes missing. (Gary Reber)

Special features include the featurette "Summoning Slender Man: Meet The Cast" (HD 09:04 ), upfront previews, and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code.

The 2.39:1 1080p AVC picture, reviewed on a Sony Bravia Z9D 4K Ultra HD HDR display, upconverted to 2160p with greater resolution and luminance, was photographed digitally using the Sony CineAlta F55 and Sony 7sII camera systems and sourced from a 2K master Digital Intermediate format. This is a very dark movie and for optimal viewing requires a dark or preferably black home theatre environment. Most of the scenes occur at night, with minimal spot lighting. Blacks are deep but at times a bit crushed, but still a significant visual element. Shadows also enhance the scariness and too at times are not well delineated. But then this may be intended as integral to the dark stylization. Hues are generally desaturated, with segments of natural brightness and white light. Fleshtones appear to gradually get paler as the girls' mental facilities deteriorate and become nightmarish. The visual stylization really induces terror. This is a really scary visual experience that will induce handholding and snuggling. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is terrific, with a wide dynamic range and great fidelity. Atmospherics are intense yet natural, and fill the soundfield with dimensionality. The forest scenes are alive with crickets, insects, birds and other sounds that enhance the creepiness. Sounds effects nicely add to the scary and mysterious scenes involving the Slender Man's evil presence. Deep bass extension is used to underscore his presence with sub-25 Hz energy that is often very powerful. Both atmospherics and sound effects extend aggressively to the surrounds and serve as a major element. The electronic music score is creepy and very powerful at times, completely engulfing the holosonic® soundfield. This adds a powerful sense of dimensionality and envelopment. Dialogue is consistently intelligible with generally good spatial integration. Enhancing the soundtrack with either Auro Matic (Auro-3D), DTS Neural:X or Dolby Surround really elevates the sense of scariness with a full-on sonic assault with the addition the height layer. This is a really well-crafted soundtrack that delivers an incredible spatially dimensional experience. (Gary Reber)