‘Sick’ (2022) 4K UHD Blu-Ray Review – Pandemic-Era Slasher Delivers Some Cat-And-Mouse Carnage

As the COVID-19 pandemic quickly brings the world to a halt, Parker Mason and her best friend, Miri Woodlow, decide to quarantine at the family lake house alone — or so they think. Upon their arrival, Parker begins to receive strange messages prompting both women to realize just how isolated the secluded spot really is. Directed by John Hyams (Chucky, Alone), written by Kevin Williamson (Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer) and Katelyn Crabb, Sick stars Gideon Adlon (Blockers, The Craft: Legacy), Beth Million (And Just Like That…, Throuple), Marc Menchaca (The Outsider, Ozark), and Jane Adams (Twin Peaks, Hacks).

For thoughts on Sick, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required: 

Video Quality

Sick debuts on 4K UHD + Blu-Ray courtesy of Scream Factory which saves the film from being stuck in streaming-only purgatory. The new release offers a notable leap in quality over the streaming version, and a subtle refinement over the accompanying Blu-Ray. The biggest gains in this presentation come from the handling of the contrast and color. A large portion of the film takes place in shadows or the cover of night, and on this disc, settings are more finely delineated. The black levels are especially lovely in this presentation, staying deep and inky with great detail. The fleeting instances of compression artifacts and banding present on the Blu-Ray are eradicated with this 4K UHD disc. The highlights in the film are similarly more defined with whites more pure and balanced with no instances of blooming that we noticed from light sources. 

The utilization of Dolby Vision really captures the look of the feature quite well. The increased range of the color spectrum is a welcome sight despite the film offering few chances for a vibrant palette after the daytime scenes cease. There is a greater sense of accuracy compared to the Blu-Ray. This 4K UHD presentation goes all in with strong gains in clarity in every frame. There is some really sleek, modern production design and gory makeup effects featured in the film which you can appreciate with this transfer. There are no major encoding anomalies to bring down the presentation. Scream Factory has delivered another rich transfer on this latest 4K release. 

Audio Quality

This 4K UHD Blu-Ray release boasts a Dolby Atmos track along with a DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 lossless track, each of which brings this film to life perfectly. This disc carefully brings the thrills to life with nuance and clarity of sound worthy of the mix. The characters largely reside within the lake house and the surrounding landscapes for the duration of the film, and the sounds of each space flow out of your side and rear speakers for a fully three-dimensional experience. The use of overhead channels add some nice height expansion when characters are walking upstairs, but these speakers are complementary rather than taking on the main thrust of the track. Every sound is carefully placed for maximum effectiveness.

 The track engages all of the channels with sound effects and ambient noise that push the level of immersion to ideal heights. Kinetic sequences ramp up once the home invasion begins and the dynamic sound design responds effectively. The activity in the low end is significant and never lacks power. Dialogue comes through clearly in the center channel without getting overshadowed by the music or any sound effects. The score utilized in the film comes through with a faithful fidelity. Scream Factory has offered a top-notch audio experience for this film. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided on this disc.

Special Features 

• Audio Commentaries: A trio of commentary tracks is provided which tackles the film from an analytical point of view along with personal reflections of the production. 

• • Audio Commentary #1: Film Critic Alan Cerny

• • Audio Commentary #2: Director John Hyams and Cinematographer Yaron Levy

• • Audio Commentary #3: Actors Gideon Adlon and Beth Million

• Interviews: A quartet of new interviews is conducted with key creative figures from the movie in which they discuss how they came to be a part of the film, the influences on their output, collaborating with John Hyams, and more. 

• • Actor Marc Menchaca (10:53)

• • Visual FX Artist J.D. McKee (8:46)

• • Composer Nima Fakhara (15:24)

• • Sound Designer Sam Nacach (19:27)

Final Thoughts

Sick is somewhat diminished by the lingering traumatic specter of the COVID-19 pandemic, but this particular story does use that backdrop purposefully without overindulging in the era when things start hitting the fan. As a home invasion slasher, it offers a pulse-pounding experience with an intruder who runs quickly and rarely gives you a moment to breathe. There are the typical dumb decisions that will have you screaming at the screen, but you will overall have a good time with the cat-and-mouse carnage. Scream Factory has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring an excellent A/V presentation along with a good array of special features. If you are not completely exhausted by the idea of a pandemic movie, give this one a shot. Recommended 

Sick is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD + Blu-Ray Combo Pack. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Scream Factory has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.