In THE BOY BEHIND THE DOOR, a night of unimaginable terror awaits twelve-year-old Bobby and his best friend, Kevin, when they are abducted on their way home from school. Managing to escape his confines, Bobby navigates the dark halls, praying his presence goes unnoticed as he avoids his captor at every turn. Even worse is the arrival of another stranger, whose mysterious arrangement with the kidnapper spells certain doom for Kevin. With no means of calling for help and miles of dark country in every direction, Bobby embarks on a rescue mission, determined to get himself and Kevin out alive…or die trying.
For thoughts on The Boy Behind The Door, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic here.
Video Quality
The film debuts on Blu-Ray with a 1080p presentation in its original aspect ratio that captures the film really well. The movie itself has a muted, cooler color palette that does not consistently pop off the screen, but there is a great amount of detail and clarity even in the darkest scenes. The pools of blood that pop up provide some impressive moments that bring with them a nice vibrancy. There is slight loss of detail in fast panning shots, but it is not pervasive throughout. For a movie that relies on darkness to build tension at various points, it is important to have deep black levels, which this thankfully does. Objects hold up pretty well in the shadows and retain their depth. There is no damage or digital noise detectable in this transfer. There are not very many moments that are going to jump off the screen, but this is a solid video presentation overall.
Audio Quality
The Boy Behind The Door comes to Blu-Ray with a satisfying DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track. The movie does not provide the most intense workout, but the environmental sounds provide a very immersive atmosphere for the story. The low end of the track is especially active during moments of violence and frights with a bit of wall shaking happening. The sparse dialogue and sound effects are appropriately balanced with the music where nothing gets lost in the track. Surround channels get some nice activity during the outdoor scenes and with the house ambiance during any lead up to an unsettling reveal. This track is quite precise and effective, and will be appreciated by horror fans who pick up this disc. There are English SDH and Spanish subtitles provided.
Special Features
- The Boy Behind The Door Music Video: A two-minute video which shows various spoiler-filled moments from the film set to a score piece from the soundtrack.
- Bloopers: A two-and-a-half minute collection of flubbed lines, laughing fits, missed cues, malfunctioning props and more that make for an amusing time.
Final Thoughts
The Boy Behind The Door does an expert level job of building up tension, but there are simply too many dumb decisions made by characters to completely enjoy the ride. The young performers are truly great in their roles, but you have more will power than most if you do not find yourself yelling at the screen for them not to make their horrible situation even worse. Even so, the film is tightly paced and precisely constructed to make even the most frustrating moments absolutely riveting. RLJE Films has released a Blu-Ray featuring a strong A/V presentation and a few special features. There are enough elements that work within this one to recommend a viewing, but be prepared to pull your hair out during some key sequences.
The Boy Behind The Door is currently available to purchase on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: RLJE Films 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.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
