The
Bye Bye Man (2017/Universal Blu-ray w/DVD)
Picture:
B+/C+ Sound: B+/C+ Extras: D Film: C
Stacy
Title's The Bye Bye Man (2017) is a weak attempt at creating
an iconic horror character such as Freddy Krueger from the Nightmare
on Elm Street films. Unfortunately, the backstory of the Bye Bye
Man isn't really unique or scary enough but more a combination of
several other horror characters. Candyman (if you say his name you
pass on his curse), Freddy (he can cause hallucinations and affect
dreamsttates), and a touch of Jason in that he has a facial
deformity. The one thing he does have that the others don't,
however, is a bloody computer generated dog that eats people.
The
Bye Bye Man stars Douglas Smith (Ouija), Lucien
Laviscount, Cressida Bonas, Doug Jones (Pan's Labyrinth) as
The Bye Bye Man, Michael Trucco, Carrie Anne-Moss and a cameo by Faye
Dunaway. The film is based on 'The Bridge to Body Island' by
Robert Damon Schneck.
Three
college kids move into a creepy house where a brutal shooting
happened decades earlier. After they settle in, one of them finds
two gold coins on a night stand and bizarre writing in the drawer
that reads ''don't think it, don't say it'' and ''the bye bye man''.
Once he says those words, a supernatural menace blurs reality,
driving them to the point of insanity as it stalks their every move.
As the curse of the Bye Bye Man passes from person to person, the
only way to break the curse is to kill everyone who knows about him.
Who will be left after the supernatural menace invades their minds?
The
standout performance for me was Carrie Anne-Moss as the police
detective in the film, being a fan of her in The Matrix Trilogy
and Christopher Nolan's Memento, I don't see her in films as
much as I would like and it felt like her role in this film was cut
down, which is a shame because her character was interesting. Horror
fans may let down by the lack of blood and gore in the film as well,
including some moments, such as a girl being shot, where there isn't
blood where there should be. The makeup effects by Robert Kurtzman
(From Dusk Til Dawn) look great and I would have liked to see
more practical work done, especially on the bloody dog, which really
looked cheap and digital. Why didn't they just have a real dog?!
Presented
in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and
a nice sounding English, lossless DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 track,
the film looks and sounds up to todays and the format's standards.
There's a nice combination of day and night scenes, all that are
evenly lit and detailed. The film has nice production value and is
nicely shot, which is evident on the Blu-ray.
The
standard definition DVD of the film is also included and presents the
film in an anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and a lossy
Dolby Digital 5.1 track that's passable, but not as good, with the
difference in quality between both discs is significant. Also
included is a digital UV copy.
No
extras, which is shocking (more than the film?). An effects
featurette or something would have been nice. There are two versions
of the film, Unrated and Rated, with a three minute difference in
length and no real difference in quality.
If
The Bye Bye Man would have had more gore and less focus on the
character development of its victims, it could have been a more
interesting outing. The basic idea of the character and story isn't
completely terrible, I just feel the execution of narrative is a bit
disjointed.
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
