The Monkey’s Paw is a silly supernatural horror film that might take itself a bit too seriously for its own good yet it’s a watchable flick primarily for Stephen Lang’s performance.
The Monkey’s Paw
(2013)
Genre(s): Horror, Thriller, Supernatural
Shout Factory | R – 90 min. – $19.97 | June 17, 2014
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MOVIE INFO: Directed by: Brett Simmons Writer(s): Macon Blair (written by) Cast: C.J. Thomason, Stephen Lang, Michelle Pierce, Corbin Bleu, Charles S. Dutton DISC INFO: Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 5.1), English (DTS-HD MA 2.0) |
PLOT SUMMARY
After Jake Tilton (C.J. THOMASON) acquires a mystical “monkey’s paw” talisman that grants its possessor three wishes, he finds his world turned upside down. His first two wishes result in his malevolent coworker, Tony Cobb (STEPHEN LANG), being resurrected from the dead. When Cobb pressures Jake into using the final wish to reunite Cobb with his son, his intimidation quickly escalates into relentless murder – forcing Jake to outwit his psychotic friend and save his remaining loved ones.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.0/5
This release comes with a basic slip cover matching the inner cover.
Audio Commentary – Director Brett Simmons, Cinematographer Scott Winig and Star C.J. Thomason sit down for an informative track breaking down the story and characters as well as providing some BTS bits of trivia. Note: Like other Shout releases, this is found in the “Audio” menu.
Making The Monkey’s Paw (4:47) is a regular behind-the-scenes featurette with cast and crew interviews as they chat about their characters and/or the plot.
Theatrical Trailer (1:44)
VIDEO – 4.25/5
The Monkey’s Paw arrives on Blu-ray shown with a 1.78 widescreen aspect ratio and a 1080p high-definition transfer. The picture actually doesn’t look bad with some good detail levels throughout and colors are at times incredibly vibrant, in fact perhaps a bit oversaturated, albeit that might be by design. The darker shots also look nice and stark and I didn’t notice any obvious artifacting or compression issues.
AUDIO – 4.0/5
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track isn’t anything special but effective enough where dialogue levels were clear coming through the center channel. Other elements from ambient noises, off-screen action and the score take place via the front and rear channels with the latter on the quieter side.
OVERALL – 3.0/5
Overall, The Monkey’s Paw is a silly supernatural horror film that might take itself a bit too seriously for its own good yet it’s a watchable flick primarily for Stephen Lang’s performance. The Blu-ray released by Shout Factory offers up good video and audio transfers while the bonus features are limited but decent enough highlighted by the commentary.
Published: 06/05/2014