The Black Mass – Cleopatra Entertainment (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 2023
Director: Devanny Pinn
Writers: Eric Pereira, Devanny Pinn, Brandon Slagle
Cast: Nicky Whelan, Kathleen Kinmont, Jeremy London, Chelsea Gilson, Jennifer Wenger, Lew Temple, Susan Lanier, Lisa Wilcox, Eva Hamilton, Devanny Pinn, Michelle Romano, Sarah Nicklin, Brittney Ayona Clemons, Andrew Sykes

Release Date: February 27th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 80 Minutes 33 seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 English, LPCM Stereo English
Subtitles: N/A
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $19.95

"A true-crime thriller inspired by real events, The Black Mass is set over a 24-hour period in Florida during the winter of 1978. The film follows a serial killer in the days leading up to his final, unhinged rampage, providing a disturbing and terrifying look into the warped psyche of a notorious murderer, as well as the ramifications of his violence for those who fell victim to it, and for those who survived." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5

The Black Mass comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 20.8 GB

Feature: 18.7 GB

The source used for this transfer looks clean and is in good shape. Colors and flesh tones look correct, and the image generally looks crisp. Though black levels generally look good, there are some moments where I saw a black crush, and there are some mild compression-related issues.

Audio: 4.5/5 (LPCM Stereo English), 4/5 (Dolby Digital 5.1 English)

This release comes with two audio options, a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix in English and a LPCM stereo mix in English. Both audio tracks sound clear, balanced, and robust when they should. Also, ambient sounds are well represented. Though the 5.1 track does open things up a little, I still prefer the stereo track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a slideshow with music from the film playing in the background, a trailer for The Black Mass (2 minutes 3 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), behind the scenes bloopers (1 minute 13 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette titled Artist R.L. Black (1 minute 39 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), and five unrelated trailers for films also released by Cleopatra Entertainment.

Summary:

Though Ted Bundy's story has been told many times in other films, the way that The Black Mass retells a 24-hour period in the winter of 1978 when Ted Bundy attacked four women at a sorority house, killing two of them and attacking another woman nearby, is what sets it apart from other films about Ted Bundy. Most films about Ted Bundy give you details about his life outside of his killings. The Black Mass’ narrative provides no backstory and only focuses on the heinous crimes he committed.

Another way that The Black Mass sets it apart from other films about Ted Bundy is when it comes to the way that Ted is seen, or better yet, not seen. Outside of a few shots, Ted’s full face is rarely seen, and even when he talks to another character, he is never seen from their point of view. It is not until the final moments that Ted faces the camera.

From a production standpoint, The Black Mass is a film that far exceeds expectations. It does a phenomenal job of recreating the look of the late 1970s. Also, when it comes to the performances, the entire cast is fully committed, especially Andrew Sykes in the role of Ted. Also, there is an epilogue that has text about what happened to Ted Bundy in the events depicted in The Black Mass, which includes news footage of his conviction and execution.

Though most of the narrative up until around the 50-minute mark is a series of moments where Ted watches women from afar and, in some instances, briefly interacts with some of them, once the carnage starts and lasts for about 20 minutes, it is in your face and relentless. That said, despite not covering anything that is not already public knowledge about Ted Bundy, the result is a very effective film about one of America’s most notorious serial killers.

The Black Mass gets a strong audio/video presentation from Cleopatra Entertainment, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer