Movies
[Blu-ray Review] AMC’s ‘The Killing: The Complete First Season’
When the The Killing premiered in its native homeland of Denmark in March 2007, the first series was split into two parts, with the second run of episodes set to air the following year. But the ratings were through the roof, which caused the network to run them almost six months early. With press like that, it’s easy to see why The Killing garnered stateside attention and was remade for AMC. It’s essentially a police procedural, with a strong emphasis on how the murder of 17-year-old Rosie Larsen (Katie Findlay) affects her family, her community (by way of a mayoral election), and the detectives trying to close her case.WARNING: SOME SPOILERS
The approach makes the drama seem more organic, giving it a slight edge over the multitude of other investigative shows currently on the air. Brent Sexton and Michelle Forbes are fantastic as the grieving parents trying to rebuild their lives and find peace by whatever means necessary, and the once and forever Rocketeer Billy Campbell gives a great turn as the politely suspicious Darren Richmond, who the case seems to revolve around in one way or the other. The Killing even manages to use a location and setup similar to Twin Peaks, minus the Lynchian tone.
And yet, despite its supporting performances and heavy lean on collateral damage of the emotional kind, The Killing has a huge fatal flaw: it wears out its welcome 5 episodes in. The show, while trying its best to be dark and different, pigeonholes itself by adhering to formula which has its lead investigators hot on a suspect one episode and ruling them out the next. After a few red herrings, the writers realized they were just spinning their wheels and decided to dedicate an ENTIRE EPISODE to Linden (Mireille Enos) looking for her runaway son so she could vomit up exposition about stuff that’s not even relevant to the plot – aside for bookend scenes, there’s no forward traction on the case. It’s also really disappointing that Linden and Holder (Joel Kinnaman) are so unlikable as the leads; they’ve both had hard lives and have a lot on their plates, but they come off as pricks and treat the people most important to them like they don’t even matter.
The Killing is an extremely straight-faced interpretation of Twin Peaks, minus the likable leads, character idiosyncrasies, and sense of humor and wonder that made Mark Frost and David Lynch’s creation an overnight water-cooler sensation. The community drama is there on a larger scale and the investigations are engaging enough; it’s just when it does the same song and dance several times in a season, you can’t really help but wonder what the show would’ve been like as a ten-episode arc without the fluff. The season ends with a cliffhanger, which isn’t exactly a weird thing to do, except that it potentially rules out yet another suspect, meaning that season two has a strong chance of being the same sort of meandering mess. If you keep something going, keep it engaging and not a chore to sit through.
A/V
The Killing is shot on 35mm, rather than the “digital” norm for modern shows, and has a noticeable layer of grain throughout. Fox’s 1080p transfer is stunning in spots, but the grain seems particular heavy during certain scenes, which prevents the detail from being as fine as it could be. Thank God Fox didn’t pul la Predator; I prefer actual grain over washed-out B.S. The color scheme of a dreary Seattle is captured wonderfully, with grays and greens making up much of the color palate. In the end, it looks only slightly better than it did on TV. The DTS-HD 5.1 lossless tracks are strong and give the background noises great emphasis, mostly during the investigation and bayside scenes. The score and dialogue seem to be balanced pretty well, with only a few instances of music overpowering spoken word.
Special Features
Commentary – Two commentary tracks are included with the set. Producer Veena Sud chats during the pilot episode about the challenges of adapting the show for American audiences and points out a few of the things they changed. During the extended finale, writer Nicole Yorkin and actress Mireille Enos give their take on the entire season, but are careful not to go into too much detail about what’s to come when the show picks back up.
An Autopsy Of The Killing (16:53) – Executive Producer Sud is at the center of this featurette, in which she talks about how she got the show off the ground. Other writers, producers and stars chime in, talking about character motivations and what they did to make the case seem as realistic as possible. Sud notes the “passion” fans have for the series and its conclusion, but I think what she really meant to say is “fiery, unbridled hatred.”
Deleted Scenes (13:21) – Some are short with no dialogue, and others don’t have the sound synched up properly, but NONE of them add anything. Actually, a good chunk of them seem like B-roll.
Gag Reel (4:53) – Can’t believe these still get included on releases…
Score: 2/5
Blu-ray: 2.5/5
The holiday weekend means a light week for new horror releases, but it does bring the return of Dark Castle Entertainment to select theaters. It’s being joined by 6 new horror movies.
Here’s all the new horror releasing June 29, 2026 – July 3, 2026!
For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.
You wished for it. The highest-grossing horror movie of the year (so far), Curry Barker’s Obsession, arrived on Digital on June 30.
In Curry Barker’s theatrical debut Obsession, after breaking the mysterious One Wish Willow to win his crush’s heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.
Michael Johnston (“Teen Wolf”), Inde Navarette (“Superman & Lois”), Cooper Tomlinson (“That’s a Bad Idea,” Milk & Serial), Megan Lawless (The Death That Awaits), and Emmy Award-nominee Andy Richter (“Conan,” Elf) star.
Based on a story by director James Kondelik (Behind The Walls) and a screenplay by Canadian writer Victor Rose, survival thriller Pitfall headed home to Digital on June 30. Family is murder in this Cineverse release.
In Pitfall, a young man becomes separated from his friends in the woods and plunges into a ten-foot pit lined with spikes, impaling his leg and leaving him helpless. As reality sinks in and his situation grows dire, he realizes the fall wasn’t an accident.
The film stars Richard Harmon (Final Destination: Bloodlines), Alexandra Essoe (The Pope’s Exorcist), and UFC champion Randy Couture (The Expendables) as the ruthless killer who stalks his prey in the woods. Marshall Williams (The Ice Road), Jordan Claire Robbins (The Umbrella Academy), and Matt Hamilton (Murder for Sale) also star.
The Amityville IP leans into Jaws with Amityville Shark House, just in time for the Fourth of July holiday too, as it released on Digital June 30.
Will Collazo Jr. (Amityville Thanksgiving) and Shawn C. Phillips (Amityville Karen) co-direct from a script they wrote with Julie Anne Prescott.
In the movie, after discovering an ominous shark idol hidden beneath the decaying floorboards, Richard unknowingly awakens an ancient and savage force. As the entity begins to merge with him, a quiet coastal town descends into blood-soaked chaos.
With each victim claimed, the monstrous predator grows stronger, fueling a cult’s belief that their dark god has been reborn. Now, the race is on to stop the carnage before evil consumes everything in its path.
Phillips and Prescott also star alongside Tasha Tacosa, Maritza Brikisak, Gigi Gustin (The Retaliators), Adam Marino, and Carl Solomon.
Available on Digital, Blu-ray, and DVD as of June 30 is Jacked, directed by John Fucile from a script he co-wrote with Simon Fraser.
The synopsis: “Set in the summer of 1987, JACKED follows two small-town teenagers whose day at the lake turns into a fight for survival after their car breaks down and they encounter a violent stalker.”
Marla Jean Robison, Tom Koch, Anthony Cipriani, Wynn Reichert, Kam Perez and Bella Marie star.
Get ready to work up a killer sweat and maybe spill some blood with Slashercise, a workout meets slasher hybrid that arrived exclusively on Bloodstream on July 1.
Written and directed by Ama Lea (Deathcember), the retro-styled feature follows “a masked killer known only as Meathead as he stalks the fitness clubs of Los Angeles, turning workout sessions into blood-soaked nightmares. As the city’s top trainers are picked off one by one, a group of determined fitness fanatics must fight back before they become the next bodies on the mat.”
Vanessa Decker (Stiletto), John Bloom (The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs), Spencer Charnas (Ice Nine Kills), Sarah French (Blind), Kelli Maroney (Night of the Comet), Sarah Nicklin (V/H/S/Halloween), Diana Prince (The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs), Jared Rivet (The Once and Future Smash), Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp), Tiffany Shepis (Victor Crowley), and Lisa Wilcox (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master) star.
After a record-breaking box office run, A24 and director Kane Parsons’ feature debut is heading back to theaters with bonus footage. AMC Theatres is unleashing Backrooms: Everything Must Go Editiontoday, July 3.
In the film written by Will Soodik, the owner of Cap’n Clark’s Ottoman Empire discovers a strange doorway in the basement of the furniture showroom. He sets out to explore the mysterious, liminal space, walking headfirst into a creepypasta nightmare.
Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsvestar.
AMC describes this release as a “theatrically exclusive post-credit” with additional footage from Kane Parsons. Expect 16 minutes of bonus footage, with the new version clocking in at 2 hours and 6 minutes.
The Last Exorcism director Daniel Stamm and Dark Castle Entertainment are back with Lockbox, in select theaters July 3. It adapts Soren Narnia‘s Knifepoint Horror Podcast story “Winthrop” by Emmy-winning playwright Justin Yoffe.
In Lockbox, “Seeking peace after her mother’s death, Ellen retreats to a rural town and takes in her severely traumatized cousin Winthrop. Their fragile domestic balance shatters when an erratic neighbor warns that Winthrop is dangerous. As strange phenomena escalate, Ellen must put everything on the line to defend Winthrop from a dangerous otherworldly entity determined to track him down.”
Lou Taylor Pucci (Touch Me, Evil Dead), Carla Gugino (The Haunting of Hill House, Gerald’s Game, The Fall of the House of Usher) and Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps, Backrooms) star.
This week’s new release roundups are presented by Lockbox.
Be careful who you let in. Carla Gugino and Lou Taylor Pucci star in Lockbox, only in select theaters this Friday. Get tickets.
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