• Aspect Ratio: 2:40:1
• Video Codec: AVC MPEG-4
• Resolution: 1080p/24 (23.976Hz)
• Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
• Subtitles Color: White
• Region: ABC (Region-Free)
• Rating: PG-13
• Run Time: 82 Mins
• Discs: 2 (1 x Blu-ray + 1 x DVD)
• Digital Copies: UltraViolet
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• Blu-ray Release Date: November 27, 2012
• List Price: $29.98

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Overall
[Rating:2/5]
The Film
[Rating:0.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:1.5/5]

Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures

(All TheaterByte screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG at 100% quality setting and are meant as a general representation of the content. They do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)

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The Film

[Rating:0.5/5]

The Apparition tells the story of Kelly (Ashley Greene) and Ben (Sebastian Stan), a young couple who seem to have a great life together, that is until they decide to create a supernatural force for a class experiment. Initially, everything seems to be okay, with nothing too strange happening. One day, an odd presence is felt in the house making them both wonder if they may have unleashed a demon in their home. Enlisting the help of paranormal specialist, Patrick (Tom Felton), the three now must figure out if there is something in this house and, more importantly, what it wants. What results is a yet another bland attempt at the paranormal craze.

The real problems with films of this genre is not that the scares don’t exist (as they sort of do but more in the sudden movement category versus, any true development of eeriness and horror in the truest sense). Moreover it’s that studios, producers and filmmakers seem to think they if they keep taking the SAME exact plot line, switch it up, maybe 5%, and throw in a bunch of different actors, and we might be amazed at the end product. I can’t blame them for this tactic, but I’m beginning to think that American horror is long gone. It seems as if the ‘Paranormal Activity‘ craze is here to stay, instead of the days of real, genuine horror (which only can be found in Spanish films like Pan’s Labyrinth.)

Video Quality

[Rating:3.5/5]

The Apparition debuts with a 2:40:1 framed, AVC MPEG-4 framed transfer, which features a mixed transfer mostly due to the mix of 16mm, video camera footage and other film styles. These sequences, obviously, don’t hold the amount of detail and clarity we might initially expect from a day-and-date title from any studio, let alone Warner. During these moments, detail is weak, and there’s a heavy layer of film grain (of which is purposely added to convey the ‘old’ footage appearance). Outside of this, colors are bleak at best, really lacking any punch or consistency to them. I’m not sure if this was a stylistic decision by the DP, but either way, the end results here aren’t that impressive.

Audio Quality

[Rating:4/5]

Featuring an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, I found this lossless offering to be mostly solid. Dialogue is well reproduced throughout with no real notice of drop out. Atmosphere, as per a majority of these horror/found footage films, is quite impressive. Little creaks of the house and sudden whispers or movement all but help to place us right in the middle of the scares. LFE does output deep, immersive bass at times (mostly thanks in part to the varying machines used to ‘find the demons’). All in all, this is a track that does its job well.

Supplemental Materials

[Rating:1.5/5]

The included supplements are featured in High Definition:

• The Dark Realm of Paranormal – This runs one runs near 5 minutes and basically explains that paranormal is more than just science.
• Haunted Asheville – Running 8 minutes, this one looks into the supposed true horror stories that have come out of Asheville, North Carolina.
• The Experiment of The Apparition – At 9 minutes, this one details the creation of the supernatural being featured towards the beginning of the film.
• The Apparition: A Cinematic Specter – Joshua P. Warren, the film’s supernatural consultant, describes the premise of the film – you know just in case we couldn’t figure it out ourselves.
• Digital Copy – An UltraViolet Digital Copy is included.

The Definitive Word

Overall:

[Rating:2/5]

Simply put, I found absolutely nothing to enjoy in this bland, dull attempt at ‘horror’. Completely skip this one – unless you’re a fan (for some reason).

Additional Screen Captures

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Purchase The Apparition on Blu-ray Combo Pack at CD Universe

Shop for more Blu-ray titles on Amazon.com

Overall
[Rating:2/5]
The Film
[Rating:0.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:1.5/5]

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