Movie Reviews

‘The Night’ Blu-Ray Review – Unsettling Thriller Delivers Psychological Dread For Iranian American Couple

By Dillon Gonzales
July 22, 2021
No Comments

The weight of secrets can be a burden that manifests in very interesting ways. The new largely Farsi-language psychological horror thriller debut from Iranian American director Kourosh Ahari deftly explores this theme in increasingly unsettling ways. Historically significant for being the first American production approved for theatrical release in Iran since 1979, The Night sticks to the slow burn creep of psychological dread to keep viewers off balance and questioning everything they see. The film begins with Babak Naderi (Shahab Hosseini, A Separation, The Salesman) and his wife Neda (Niousha Jafarian, HBO’s Here & Now) attending a Los Angeles dinner party with two other Iranian American couples. While generally jovial in tone, there are signs of wear on the marriage that sneak into the conversation, seemingly connected to Babak’s decision to come to America before his wife which resulted in a lengthy absence. Despite being slightly intoxicated and in incredible pain from a sudden onset toothache, Babak insists on driving Neda and his one-year-old daughter Shabnam home.

With a malfunctioning GPS sending him in circles and inebriation resulting in erratic driving, Babak reluctantly agrees to stay at a hotel for the night – but not before a mysterious traffic accident acts as a harbinger of the unpleasantness to come. While any horror film with a hotel inevitably gets compared to The Shining, it is not an unsuitable point to bring up. Our creepy hotel is the real-life Hotel Normandie, a locale that surely would not be as unnerving if it was no bereft of people excluding the almost robotically-nice receptionist (George Maguire), who conveniently forgets to mention that they are the only guests for the night. All the couple wants is a place to sleep, but as unexplained sounds and visions of children who are not really there repeatedly stir them awake, the family soon find themselves unable to leave from their waking nightmare. Seemingly frozen in time, the two must confront the issues between them if they have any chance of ever making it out.

Without question the film would not work nearly as well as it does without the flawless performances from Hosseini and Jafarian. By making this couple feel fully fleshed out and believable, you become more invested in whether or not they will ever reach morning. Whenever certain revelations are eventually coaxed out of them, the emotional drama of the situation is just as impactful as any spectral vision. While primarily a two-hander (if you don’t count the baby), the few faces who do pop up in supporting roles make an impression with their brief time on screen. The previously-mentioned Maguire has one of the standout scenes of the film as he chillingly relays stories from his past. The characters attempt to make some smart decisions as it relates to escaping their predicament, but let’s just say that the suspicious police officer (Michael Graham) is not the most helpful when it comes to investigating their concerns.

Ahari displays a striking eye for visual composition as his collaboration with cinematographer Maz Makhani results in a stunning blend of light and shadow. For a film that does not rely much on traditional horror moments – although there are a few well-earned jump scares – The Night earns its unsettling atmosphere through its memorable sights and sounds. The film also employs a number of impeccable editing cuts that are a thing of beauty. This is a cerebral experience that slowly gets under your skin in a really effective way. The film does suffer from a little fat in the midsection of the film that could have made for a more streamlined affair, but largely the film uses every moment quite effectively. The film is not one that is easily deciphered upon a single viewing, as the final memorable moments will leave you with many questions that will be fun to debate. It is often difficult to decipher what is real and what is not, which only results in a more disorienting feeling. As a feature directorial debut, The Night establishes itself as a psychologically horrific good time that excels just as well on a technical level as it does with its performances.

Video Quality

The film debuts on Blu-Ray courtesy of Scream Factory with a gorgeous 1080p presentation in its original aspect ratio that captures the film well. The movie itself has a very subdued color palette that was never going to make this a disc you turn to for bursts of color, but there is a great amount of detail and clarity throughout the entire presentation. The fine detail that is detectable on faces is quite remarkable. Roaming shots remain stable and avoid any blurring or banding. For a movie that relies on darkness to build tension, it is important to have deep black levels, which this thankfully does. Objects hold up very well in the shadows and retain their depth. There is no damage, black crush or digital noise detectable in this transfer. This is a supremely impressive transfer from Scream Factory that allows this brand new film to thrive at a high bit rate and deliver a problem-free viewing experience.

Audio Quality

The Night comes to Blu-Ray with an outstanding DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track. The movie is mostly on the quiet side with bursts of activity when the family is being terrorized. The low end of the track is especially active during these moments with a bit of wall shaking happening. The dialogue and sound effects are appropriately balanced with the creepy score where nothing gets lost in the track. Surround channels get some nice activity during the numerous scenes in the room where sounds are coming from unknown origins. This is a film that is immensely satisfying from a sound design perspective. The directionality of this track is on point with sounds coming from all of the appropriate places. This track is quite powerful, and will be appreciated by horror fans who pick up this disc.

Special Features

Trailer: A very effective two-minute trailer that gives you a nice taste of what is in store without spoiling everything.

Final Thoughts

The Night may not be horrific enough for some mainstream horror fans, but those who appreciate the thrill of a psychological dread that seeps into your bones will want to check this one out. The performances from the two main leads are among the strongest to be seen in a horror film in some time. While there are some slight pacing issues, director Kourosh Ahari excels when it comes to the technical side of things. Scream Factory has provided a Blu-Ray that features an excellent A/V presentation but not much in the way of extras. Recommended

The Night is currently available to own on Blu-Ray and DVD.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 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.