The Shrouds – Vertigo Releasing (UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: France/Canada, 2024
Director: David Cronenberg
Writer: David Cronenberg
Cast: Vincent Cassel, Diane Kruger, Guy Pearce, Sandrine Holt, Elizabeth Saunders, Jennifer Dale

Release Date: December 8th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 119 Minutes 39 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10 Dolby Vision
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £29.99 (UK)

"In an eerie, deceptively placid near-future, a techno-entrepreneur named Karsh (Cassel) has developed a new technology that will allow the bereaved to bear witness to the gradual decay of loved ones dead and buried in the earth. While Karsh is still reeling from the loss of his wife (Kruger) from cancer, a spate of vandalized graves utilizing his ""Shroud"" technology begins to put his enterprise at risk, leading him to uncover a potentially vast conspiracy." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

The Shrouds comes on a 100 GB tripe layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 76.9 GB

Feature: 75.4 GB

The source looks excellent; flesh tones and colors look correct, and image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English with removable English SDH. The audio sounds excellent, dialogue is always clear, everything is balanced, ambient sounds are well represented, and the score sounds appropriately robust.

Extras:

Extras for this release are limited to a theatrical trailer (1 minute 47 seconds, DTS-HD 5.1 English, no subtitles).

Summary:

A grieving widow builds a device that connects the deceased buried in shrouds with their loved ones.

Over the last 50 years, David Cronenberg stands out as one of the few filmmakers who could have only directed his filmography. His singular vision is evident from the opening sequence in every one of his films. Known most for being the originator of body horror, his films often intertwine the psychological and the physical. Throughout his career many of his films have had a personal connection; The Brood was based on his acrimonious divorce from his first wife, while The Shrouds was his response to his wife of 43 years dying of cancer.

Grief is the central theme that drives The Shrouds; its protagonist has created a technology that allows you to view your loved one's decaying corpse. Like any new technology, there are inherent dangers, and as it evolves, we must question whether we lose our humanity and our souls in the process. While The Shrouds introduces many intriguing concepts, several of them remain vague and fail to capture the intensity found in David Cronenberg’s finest films.

The Shrouds features an impressive cast that fully meets the demands of their roles. Vincent Cassel (Eastern Promises) portrays Karsh Relikh, a grieving widower. He’s a man driven by his passion, a technology called Grave Tech that allows him to stay connected with his deceased wife. Another performance of note is Diane Kruger (Inglourious Basterds), who takes on three roles: Karsh’s deceased wife, her look-alike sister, and his virtual assistant named Hunny.

The narrative serves as both an exploration of grief and a thriller, particularly when someone desecrates his wife's and several other graves. From that point, the protagonist investigates the motives behind the desecration of the graves and the sabotage of Grave Tech. The narrative does a superb job drawing you in, and it is very effective in building momentum to its finale. While the visuals mostly let the characters take center stage, David Cronenberg delivers a few visually arresting moments. Ultimately, besides being one of David Cronenberg’s most personal films, The Shrouds is a deeply spiritual film whose themes stay with you long after its last moment fades off screen.

Vertigo Releasing gives The Shrouds a solid audio/video presentation. Recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer