Freaky Blu-ray Screenshots (Patreon)

Video

Given a faux grain structure over the digital cinematography, Universal's disc doesn't handle things particularly well. Chroma noise persists over most shots, poorly resolved by the compression whenever the light dips. It's better outdoors where light reduces the load.

Regardless, fidelity isn't spectacular, only average. Textural qualities peek through lightly, enough to notice the stable resolution/sharpness and little else. Medium shots wane, primarily due to the messier encode.

Generally skewing warmer in the early going, flesh tones follow that pattern. Primaries too. Orange pushes close to an extreme. Passable black levels land only at a pale grade, the focus more on heavier contrast. Brightness spikes to a hefty high point, satisfying and pure. A black light haunted house sequence is crying for an HDR pass, but Universal kept this on Blu-ray only.

Audio

Using the range of this DTS-HD track for frights, music stings slam into the low-end, nailing their shock value. Attacks from Vaughn lead to exaggerated boom, whether dropping toilet seats on victim's heads or tossing them into walls. Subtle this is not, fantastic in bolstering the kills. When the body swap happens, powerful thunder leaves a mark. Nightmares afterward do the same.

Surrounds play around with swirling voices. Stalker foosteps pan between the rears, fun in delivering precision and aiding the fear. For a 5.1 track, the soundstage works the available channels to mimic something wider.