The Midnight Man

"Don't say his name five times," "Don't fall asleep," and "Don't feed them after midnight" are just some of the rule slogans found in certain horror movies from the past. In 2016 yet another urban legend style film with convoluted rules came out, and makes its Blu-ray debut in the form of "The Midnight Man."

The selling point of Scream Factory's new Blu-ray puts the name Robert Englund in a star-billing status. But Freddy Krueger himself has a mere two scenes - basically, an elongated cameo. Lin Shaye ("Insidious") fares much better in her role of a creepy grandmother in "The Midnight Man," a movie that tries quite hard to be a modern-day take on Englund's villain in "A Nightmare on Elm Street."

Instead of invading victim's dreams, the murky and CGI-looking demon known as "The Midnight Man" comes, shockingly enough, at the stroke of midnight. After discovering a long-dormant game in her grandmother's attic, Alex (Gabrielle Haugh) unleashes demons from the past and learns the shocking secret of how her suicidal mother really died. The rules of this game are as follows: Knock on a door 22 times, light a candle, and avoid the Midnight Man at 3:33 am. If these regulations aren't followed, game players can surround themselves with a ring of salt. Say what?

The film does has a sense of style and atmosphere, but doesn't make a lick of sense. So before a Blu-ray purchase gets made, a strict horror fan must make a decision: Do I want to see a film that has respected horror icons but is mostly generic in tone and execution?

A bonus on Scream Factory's Blu-ray is the inclusion of the original 2013 Irish version of "The Midnight Man." There's frustratingly little information of this little-known version, but horror fans can do a side-by-side comparison of the two films. That little game would be more fun than the one portrayed in "The Midnight Man" movie.

"The Midnight Man"
Blu-ray
$24.99
www.shoutfactory.com