Movie Reviews

‘Z’ Blu-Ray Review – A Frightening Journey Into Parental Baggage

By Dillon Gonzales
August 25, 2020
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Creepy kids are the bread and butter of the horror movie industry. The dichotomy between the natural, gentle nature of children with the chilling undercurrent of evil that is put upon them never ceases to be fascinating. The natural extension of this trope is the kid with the creepy “imaginary” friend who never ends up staying imaginary. Children have the innate inclination to indulge in their imagination without any hint of self-doubt to slow them down. With such unfettered imagination, the horrific manifestations really know no bounds. The new Shudder original film Z explores these unsettling scenarios while simultaneously exploring the natural fears that come with motherhood. Every parent worries that they will do something to screw their kid up, be it through poor choices in parenting or through personal baggage that impacts the lives of their child. This very real fear is conjured in a way that should satisfy those looking for surface level scares, as well as those looking for something bubbling beneath.

The child at the center of our story is Josh (Jett Klyne), a quiet eight-year-old kid who is lacking a bit in the friend department. His parents, Elizabeth (Keegan Connor Tracy) and Kevin (Sean Rogerson), are thrilled when he starts to open up more thanks to his new imaginary friend. This friend is known only a Z, and he begins to occupy Josh’s time more and more as the days go by. Elizabeth is not entirely comfortable with the direction the friendship seems to be going, but the oddly calm Kevin waves away her concern in a manner that only idiotic horror movie husbands can get away with. Even after Josh is suspended from school, Kevin cannot admit that his son’s burgeoning problematic behavior is something that should be seriously addressed. Elizabeth is shocked and horrified to learn that Josh has been accused of acting violently at school, so she snaps into action by taking him to see a doctor (Stephen McHattie), who helps with expressing what Josh needs from them. As Elizabeth tries to bond more with Josh, frightening incidents soon reveal that Z may be more than imaginary.

Z makes the smart choice of keeping the titular character more of a mystery rather than showcasing the limited CGI budget too much. He thrives in the anticipation of what might be in the shadows. From glowing eyes in the darkness to sudden activation of household toys, you feel his presence in every scene. There are many shocking and chill-inducing moments in the film that will make you gasp, but it would be unfair to label these as cheap jump scares. They may make you jump, but it is not cheap when the thing behind the scare is actually terrifying. There is one scene earlier in the film that had me exclaiming expletives out loud due to the unexpected brutality. The movie could have easily followed a normal path with Z wreaking havoc through Josh, but it takes some unexpected turns to make things feel fresher. Similar to this year’s version of The Invisible Man, this story dabbles with a woman not being believed by those around her when confronted with an unseen force. Elizabeth herself becomes haunted by the imaginary friend, and we learn that Josh may not have been the intended target for his affection.

Keegan Connor Tracy does a wonderful job in the lead role of a mother who is grappling with concern for her child while simultaneously sorting through her own trauma and experiences that have led to the present situation. She easily creates a character that you want to root for while her world is burning down around her. The script is imperfect, as the character of Kevin is almost too oblivious to what is going on, but the film definitely delivers with the psychological tension along with full-blown scares. Z should be commended for avoiding the typical trappings that come with telling a tale of an unknown entity within the house. The movie shifts focus in really interesting ways that allows you to explore the relationship between parent and child and what it means to inherit a legacy. One particular subplot involves Elizabeth dealing with her dying mother, along with a sister (Sara Canning) who is afraid to face their mother in the face of unhealthy past. The film has several layers that mostly are given their due. A couple more scenes to help flesh out a few plot points could have made the film even more effective, but it still works as a well-paced horror film that has more than a few genuine thrills.

Video Quality

The film debuts on Blu-Ray with a 1080p presentation in its original aspect ratio that mostly captures the film well. The movie itself has a very muted color palette that was never going to make this a disc you show off, but there is a great amount of detail and clarity. 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, 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 really any moments that are going to jump off the screen, but this is a solid video presentation overall.

Audio Quality

Z comes to Blu-Ray with a commendable DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track. The movie is mostly on the quiet side with bursts of activity when Z is terrorizing the family. 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 nature scenes and with the creaky house during any lead up to a terrifying reveal. This track is quite powerful, and will be appreciated by horror fans who pick up this disc.

Special Features

There are no special features included on this Blu-Ray. The iTunes version comes with a pretty stacked extras package that would have been nice to have here.

Final Thoughts

Z thankfully skews more towards being the inventive type of independent horror film with genuine scares rather than the type where you quickly realize you are watching a throwaway effort. The movie is effectively crafted with some pretty solid performance from the cast. The Blu-Ray offers up an incredibly strong A/V presentation, but no special features to sweeten the deal. Those looking for solid thrills should find a great deal to enjoy here. Recommended

Z will be available to purchase on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital on September 1, 2020.

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.