The 1990 StudioCanal classic finally comes home in high-def.
The Flick
Called a psychological thriller, Jacob’s Ladder mixes elements of shock horror with creepy ambience in a way that slowly tells the story by putting together pieces of a puzzle, scene by scene, until the final picture is revealed in the end. It’s a classic horror film that everyone should see, if they haven’t already. Fans of movies like Identity, Silent Hill and M. Night Shyamalan’s better films where the bulk of the story is wrapped in the final minutes will find much to appreciate here.
Post Vietnam vet Jacob (Tim Robbins) is suffering from a terrible case of PTSD. In addition to reliving the horrible moments he faced in the war, he is beginning to see demons everywhere he goes. Things like a trip on the bus, walking home from work and a visit to a club are overtaken by the visions. Looking for answers, he meets up with his fellow veterans of the war only to discover that he isn’t the only one with visions from Hell. On top of all this, he can’t get anyone to believe him. It’s not until he runs into Michael Newman (Matt Craven) that he discovers the true source behind the visions.
At first glance, Jacob’s Ladder doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. The story jumps from scenes of him in Vietnam to him living a life with his girlfriend Jezzie (Elizabeth Pena) to scenes featuring his wife Sarah (Patricia Kalember) and his son Gabe (Macaulay Culkin). On top of that, he’s seeing the abominations of Hell everywhere he goes and no one seems to believe him because his visions usually follow a mental breakdown or physical injury. There are plenty of those breakdown moments that make this memorable film worth watching.
Audio and Video
Despite its 1080P 1.85:1 high definition widescreen presentation, Jacob’s Ladder looks dated. It’s a very dark film featuring muddy colors and plenty of blacks. There’s some minor graininess, but otherwise, this is a great transfer. The special effects look incredible despite the pre-CGI era. The soundtrack is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and Maurice Jarre's original soundtrack is incredible as well. He did a fantastic job of adding to the chills that this film already produced years ago and it sounds even better now. There’s nothing in the track that will really work over your speakers but it’s great nonetheless.
Special Features and Packaging
Jacobs Ladderon Blu-ray comes as a single disc collection in a standard recycle case with the feature and the following extras:
- Building Jacob’s Ladder Making of Featurette
- Commentary with Director Adrian Lyne
- Deleted Scenes
- Theatrical Trailer
The commentary track present here only features the director, but he does a fantastic job of providing tons of information on the film while avoiding the droll that plagues many commentary tracks. He explains everything from how special effects were used, how he cut a scene, why he chose the actors and even why he likes close up shots. If you’re a fan of learning how films like this are made and what tricks are used throughout, then you’ll appreciate what this track offers.
The making of featurette runs about a half an hour and covers a lot of what director Adrian Lyne speaks about in the commentary. It provides more details on how the special effects were used and how many of the more exciting scenes were created. The three deleted scenes focus on an expanded story arc where Jacob finds out what has happened to him, traveling back home and Jezzie’s transformation into a beast from Hell. They are worth a look, but don’t really add much to the film.
Overall
Jacob’s Ladder is an exceptional film that follows one man’s journey through Hell with intense and scary results. It’s a film that no one should miss and Lionsgate and StudioCanal have offered up the best version you’ll find.
ComicsOnline gives Jacobs Ladder on Blu-ray 4 out of 5 PTSD victims.
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