Director: Pascal Laugier
Starring: Jessica Biel, Stephen McHattie, Jodelle Ferland, William B. Davis
Distributed by: Image Entertainment
Release Date: Sep 25, 2012
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 106 minutes
Film: 1.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 1.5 out of 5 stars
I was really looking forward to this film, especially after French director Pascal Laugier’s last film, “Martyrs (2008)”. Well it wasn’t even on the same plain at all. “The Tall Man” is being labeled as a horror thriller but it is more horrible than horrific. After getting about 40 minutes into the film, I realized that I kept checking the clock. The next hour dragged and dragged. The film tries to be shocking by letting out revealing secrets, which just made it worse each time. The only good part of the film is that it stars Jessica Biel, but boy what is she doing in a film like this. Not even recommended for the most amateur of horror fans.
Official Synopsis: In an isolated, slowly dying mining town, children are vanishing without a trace – abducted, the townsfolk whisper, by a mysterious entity known locally as “The Tall Man.” Town nurse Julia Denning (Jessica Biel) seems skeptical…until her young David disappears in the middle of night. Frantic to rescue the boy, Julia lives every parent’s darkest nightmare in this twisting, shock-around-each-corner thriller.
The Blu-ray comes in collectible “O-card” packaging, but that doesn’t wow me much. The 1080p transfer does look sharp, especially in dark scenes. The audio includes a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, which works with whatever suspense there is in the film (which is little). The special features are very disappointing just like the film itself. There is one 9 minute deleted scene that deserves to stay deleted. There is also a visual concepts gallery, which is a waste of time unless you absolutely love this.