Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Warner Home Video – 85 minutes – 2009 – Rated R– 1080p Widescreen 2.4:1 – Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Audio Mix – Digital Copy

Who says Hollywood executives aren’t smart? Take the film Amusement as a perfect example, because this was supposed to be a major theatrical release, until one of the suits actually saw it and realized it was a piece of crap and tossed it into the direct-to-video pile. Amusement sadly comes to Blu-ray from Warner hoping to scare up a few bucks to break even, but no one is this desperate.

THE MOVIE

On the back cover of this Blu-ray Amusement almost promises the scare the hell out of you, but fifteen minutes into the film you’ll know that you were bamboozled. Amusement tells the story of three friends Tabitha (Katheryn Winnick), Shelby (Laura Breckenridge), and Lisa (Jessica Lucas), who are experiencing events of horror relating to something that spans back to their childhood.

Divided into sections that eventually connect to one backstory, Amusement suffers from being like every other horror film we’ve already seen, but duplicated ten times over. Even the use of the clown, (and yes when done well clowns can scare the piss out of you), but here the clown effect is never utilized to its full potential.

Director John Simpson doesn’t appear to be confident with the material, and instead throws bad scare tactics at you hoping that something will work. But in reality there’s nothing that could have saved this film because there’s nothing here to hold your attention.

Hardcore horror fans will toss this one into an inferno, but if you’re someone who scares so easy that something like a cat jumping into the frame scares you, then Amusement may entertain you. All others should use the 85 minutes it would take to watch this flick to do something else, like read a book, or write down a list of goals to make your life better.

VIDEO

Amusement looks decent with a 1080p image in a 2.4:1 aspect ratio, but it won’t blow you away. Most of the scenes were shot in the dark, so blacks look strong, but there is a lot of grain popping up.

AUDIO

With a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix, Amusement tries hard to give you shivers up your spine, and for some it may work. The mix like the image quality is better definitely than the movie itself, and that’s really sad.

EXTRAS

Anyone wanting to see the people responsible for this nightmare will be left out in the cold, because there isn’t anything here. Not even a trailer. The only thing packed in is a Digital Copy of the movie, but seriously, who would want to take this film along with them.

BOTTOM LINE

Amusement will quickly be tossed into the bargain bin, because it’ll never even grab the cult status to keep it going. Save your money for a better Blu-ray, because at best this one is only a rental.

SCORES (out of 5):

The Movie: 1.5

Video: 3.0

Sound: 3.0

Extras: 0.5

Bottom Line: 2.0