The Guardian (1990) (Blu-ray Review)

The Guardian (1990) (Blu-ray Review)
Directed By: William Friedkin
Starring: Jenny Seagrove, Dwier Brown, Carey Lowell
Rated: R/Region A/1:85/1080p/Number of Discs 1
Available from Scream Factory

A handsome young couple finds the perfect live-in babysitter to look after their newborn child. It seems like a fairy tale, until ancient, supernatural forces turn the couples dream into a nightmare. In his first horror film since The Exorcist, Oscar®-winning* director William Friedkin spins a terrifying tale based on every parent’s worst fear. Jenny Seagrove (Local Hero) portrays the enchanting guardian who enters the home of new parents Dwier Brown (Red Dragon) and Carey Lowell (Licence to Kill) possessing impeccable references and an affinity for children. But as her true intentions are revealed, the battle for the child’s soul begins in this chilling film based on Dan Greenburg’s popular novel, The Nanny.

We got an evil tree on our hands here in The Guardian! The 1990 film from the director of The Exorcist was (like many horror films) released to mostly negative reviews, but has since found a home in the ranks of the cult films. I remember the box of the VHS often sitting in my local video store, but I never got to check this one out until now. Basically we have a crazy babysitter that has a bad habit of getting in good with folks, getting close to the babies, and just when the time is right she makes the sacrifice in the woods to the creepy tree. A creepy tree that really is something to see and even gets a few cool moments of gore attached to it as well. I mean, yes, the plot here is pretty darn silly, but it is different and different can go a long way with most folks and it does with this reviewer. Just don’t go into this looking for logic or a film in the quality area as The Exorcist. This is your typical horror setting with people being too dumb for their own good, nobody believing anyone until it is too late, and a woman villain so one with nature and her big tree friend that she can summon coyote to help do her dirty work. Maybe that last part there isn’t as typical, but it seems like it is worthy of note regardless.

Tense moments and suspense is still to be found here, as the final act gets you a bit more invested in things than you might expect yourself to be when you hear of the film’s plot. This might not be a five-star classic by any means, but it can be enjoyable anyway for a number of reasons, both good and so silly it is still kinda good. Acting is what it is, but we do see some pretty cool effects, some of which comes at us once this big mean tree comes into play. So, so for one reason or another, of both the for better or for worse variety, I still think you’ll enjoy what you see here to some extent. The Blu-ray release from Scream Factory comes by way of a deal they made with Universal. Most Universal catalog titles have the same look to them when you see them in HD, it looks good, but you can tell it is a Universal title easily. I’m half-way shocked they didn’t give this one the Collector’s Edition treatment just based off the extras alone. There have been some Scream titles a little light on supplements as of late, but you should be happy to know that The Guardian isn’t one of those, as it is pretty much packed. A great release for a pretty nice little film all in all.

Extras

– NEW A Happy Coincidence – An Interview With Actor Dwier Brown
– NEW From Strasberg To The Guardian – An Interview With Actor Gary Swanson
– NEW A Mother’s Journey – An Interview With Actress Natalija Nogulich
– NEW Scoring The Guardian – An Interview With Composer Jack Hues
– NEW Tree Woman: The Effects Of The Guardian – An Interview With Makeup Effects Artist Matthew Mungle
– Return To The Genre – An Interview With Director/Co-writer William Friedkin
– The Nanny – An Interview With Actress Jenny Seagrove
– Don’t Go Into The Woods – An Interview With Co-writer Stephen Volk
– Still Gallery Of Behind-The-Scenes Photos

Quality of Transfer: 90%