Shadow: Dead Riot Blu-ray

Shadow: Dead Riot

 (2006)

Action | Horror



Horror icon Tony Todd (Clive Barker's Candyman series) delivers his most powerful and evil performance as Shadow, an executed and resurrected serial killer who invades a women's prison in search of the girl known only as Solitaire (Carla Greene)! Solitaire senses her impending doom and prepares to single-handedly take on Shadow and his army of zombies in a supernatural martial arts showdown!

For more details about Shadow: Dead Riot on Blu-ray, see the Shadow: Dead Riot Blu-ray Review

Shadow: Dead Riot Blu-ray, Video Quality

 


Presented in 1080p utilizing the AVC codec (at an average bitrate of 18Mbps), Shadow: Dead Riot is a feast for the eyes (no pun intended) despite some occasional problems. Taking into account every aspect of the transfer, I’d say the greatest strength is the level of detail on display. We’re never really sure what to expect from a low-budget productions, but the source material is far better than I expected. Individual strands of hair rarely exhibit a tendency to blend together, and most facial textures are far more revealing than some of the actresses would likely prefer. Unfortunately, the increased level of detail also has a downside, since the cheesy gore effects are even less realistic in 1080p. From a color standpoint, the film appears a bit washed out, with a suspected use of brightness boosting. It’s not bad enough to detract from the viewing experience, but results in less than stellar contrast and black level depth (the screenshot of the two women by the bunk beds should serve as a good example). Those of you with an appreciation for the grainy quality of grind house cinema will appreciate the gritty cinematography of the “zombie uprising” portion of the film, but it also ushers in a noticeable dip in the quality of the presentation (which lasts through the final thirty minutes of the film).

In the end, the Blu-ray version of Shadow: Dead Riot offers a substantial upgrade over the DVD release, but won’t come close to stacking up with a glossy Hollywood horror film.

Shadow: Dead Riot Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 


The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English audio track is fairly good despite the noticeably low-budget nature of the sound design. Matching the over-the-top elements of the actual film, the audio presentation is riddled with jump-inducing audio cues, generic heavy-metal musical numbers, and hilarious martial arts effects. To fully appreciate the audio on the film, you should already exhibit a gravitation toward cheesy horror effects (flesh ripping, bones breaking, etc) and kung-fu cinema. If you don’t enjoy those elements, part of the nostalgic feel will be lost and you’ll walk away feeling somewhat disappointed. Moving on to the actual proficiency of the track (no longer considering the questionable quality of the original sound design), I was relatively pleased with Tokyo Shock’s effort in delivering a satisfactory audio experience. First and foremost, the level of clarity in the various elements that comprise the overall track is above average. I never detected any distortion or hiss throughout the length of the film, and the dialogue rarely appeared flat or muffled (despite the unimpressive delivery methods of the sub-par acting). The volume balance between the dialogue, music and effects demonstrated appropriate weight depending on the requirements of each scene, allowing you to kick back and soak up every blood-drenched minute, without worrying about missing aspects of the dialogue.

In summary, the audio experience is good for what it is, but you’ll need to temper your expectations to match the film’s low-budget roots.

Shadow: Dead Riot Blu-ray, News and Updates

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