Plot: What’s it about?
Kevin Reddle (Sean Patrick Flanery) is still haunted by his past, one night in specific. As he and his mother prepared a cake to surprise his father with on his birthday, a black substance dripped down on him from above. In that moment, his father said something had found him and shortly after, Kevin watched as his father shot his mother. He was able to escape, but his father chased him and almost killed him too, until an unknown force tore out his insides. Now Kevin is the Sheriff, but his mind is still stuck on that night and recent events haven’t helped him to move on. A rash of unexplained violent deaths plagues the town, with Kevin sure the past is soon to repeat itself. But as the entire town begins to overflow with intense rage and bodies start to pile up, can Kevin stop the madness, or has his past finally caught up with him?
The resume of director Tobe Hooper runs the spectrum, from horror classics to cult favorites to mediocre efforts, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from his Masters of Horror episode. As it turns, The Damned Thing is a solid watch and Hooper captures some nice moments here. The story is a little thin, but the mysterious nature of the events only adds to the tension, though the explanation is of course a let down. Sometimes we don’t need to know all the details and up until the unneeded exposition about the source, the show is a great example of the terror of the unknown. Sean Patrick Flanery is fine here, with a decent performance and its always fun to see Ted Raimi in substantial roles. I wouldn’t call The Damned Thing a horror classic, but it has some good scare moments and decent bloodshed at times, with an eerie atmosphere. So if you’re in the market for a scary evening, The Damned Thing is more than worth a rental.
Video: How does it look?
The Damned Thing is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. This transfer looks terrific, for a made for cable production or otherwise. The flaws are very minor here, with some slight pixel breakup present and edge enhancement, but in the end, these aren’t enough to hold back this superb transfer. The colors look rich and bold here, with accurate flesh tones and no signs of bleeds in the least. I found the contrast to be flawless also, as black levels were razor sharp and detail is rich throughout. I have no real problems here and as such, I am giving it high marks.
Audio: How does it sound?
This Dolby Digital 5.1 option is solid all around, which is good, since the episode is so audio oriented. The surrounds are used a lot in this one throughout, which adds a lot to the film’s atmosphere and that is vital to a picture like this one. When it needs to, this track can boom and even the bass kicks deep, but even the low key scenes pack a solid punch. The music sounds solid here also and the dialogue is sharp, never lost in this mix, even when it reaches a fevered pitch. In the end, this is a superb audio track and I think it helps the film’s effectiveness a lot. This disc also includes a 2.0 surround soundtrack.
Supplements: What are the extras?
I was disappointed that Tobe Hooper didn’t record a commentary track, but writer Richard Christian Matheson does offer his perspective. The track is decent, but there is some silence and Matheson narrates at times. Still, its nice to have an audio commentary, even if it isn’t one for the ages. This disc also includes a look at the creation of the show’s monster, a general behind the scenes piece, some still photos, and a profile on Tobe Hooper.
