DVD Corner

The Pact Blu-ray Review

“The Pact” starts out slow, but ends strong.

The plot: After Nicole asks her sister Annie to come home for their mother’s funeral, Nicole vanishes completely. As Annie, a police officer (Bill) and a psychic (Stevie) begin to investigate her disappearance, strange things begin to occur at the home where Annie grew up in. Is the house haunted? Is there a serial killer on the loose? Is there a dark secret that Annie and Nicole’s mother has been harboring? What happened to Nicole? All is revealed in the end.

In the first hour or so of “The Pact,” it feels like a typical horror thriller as all of the expected horror elements are in place here. There’s a creepy house, bad dreams, items in the house moving or falling, a dark figure seen in the house, flickering and fading lights, wordless scenes of characters walking around nervously, etc. However, once the last 15-20 minutes roll around, the film really becomes effective. While the build-up may be slow and somewhat pedestrian, the ending is anything but. I wish I could say more, but I don’t want to spoil the intense ending or what happens. Suffice to say, it hits all the right notes and it makes “The Pact” worth watching (especially if you’re a horror fan).

Video/Audio:

Presented in 1.85:1 1080p, “The Pact” isn’t the most pleasant looking film color tone wise, but this hi-def transfer is the best the film can possibly look without question.

From the quiet score moments to the jump scares, the 5.1 DTS-HD track is effective

Extras:
* IFC Film trailers including one for “The Pact.”
* “A Haunting In San Pedro”- Writer/director Nicholas McCarthy talks about the short that inspired the feature, the story of the film, ghosts, directing, etc. Set footage and cast and crew interviews are also included.
* An insightful solo commentary by writer/director Nicholas McCarthy.

November 15, 2012 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Horror Film, The Pact 2012, The Pact Blu-ray Review