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THE BLOCK ISLAND SOUND (2020)
Label: Synapse Films
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 98 Minutes 36 Seconds
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: HDR10 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (2.35:1)
Director: McManus Brothers
Cast: Chris Sheffield, Michaela McManus, Neville Archambault, Willie C. Carpenter, Jim Cummings
The Block Island Sound (2020), directed by McManus Brothers’, is an ecological sci-fi thriller that originally aired in Netflix in 2020, set on and around Block Island of the coast of Rhode Island, where strange things are afoot, including large swaths of dead fish washing up on shore and birds dropping dead out of the sky. Local fisherman Tom (Neville Archambault) wakes up on his boat with no memory of how he got there or what happened. At home his son Harry (Chris Sheffield , TV's Aquarius) notices his dad has been zoning out, being forgetful, acting strange, and occasionally slipping out of the house at night and taking his boat out into the Block Island Sound, doing who knows. Harry notes the behaviors but is unaware that his father is hearing a odd low sound that seems to be beckoning to him, telling him to do things. Meanwhile, Tom's daughter Audrey (Michaela McManus, Into the Grizzly Maze) who works for the EPA in Rhode Island is tasked with investigating the wave of fish kills on the island. She's brings along her young daughter Emily (Matilda Lawler, TV's Evil) and subordinate Paul (Ryan O'Flanagan), and they all reluctantly stays at her father's place, which quickly establishes that she is somewhat estranged from her father and brother, and particularly from her brother, their relationship is very strained and mutually combative. Tom's behavior continues to become increasingly erratic, and eventually he takes the boat out one night and does not return. The next day they find his boat in the sound but it's empty, he's missing, with local Police Chief Rogers (Willie C. Carpenter, Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood) telling the sibling to prepare themselves for the worst. Harry refuses to believe his father could have drowned out there, and around this time starts hanging around a local conspiracy theorist named Dale (Jim Cummings, The Wolf of Snow Hollow) who tells him that Block Island is a hot bed of odd phenomena, and that he thinks his dad had discovered something out there. Later Harry dons scuba gear and makes a dive near where his father's boat was found, while submerged he encounters something unseen in the water, waking up on the boat with no memory of how he got there.
After his own odd encounter in the sound Harry starts to exhibit the same strange behaviors as his father, missing time, and experience strange hallucinations and that same odd sound, and we are left to think that either there's some sinister dark force in the waters around the island that is causing this dissonance and killing the fish, or something is, ecological or otherwise, is causing Harry to lose his mind.
The Block Island Sound takes it's sweet time getting to the bottom of this mystery-puzzle, but there's enough happening outside of the mystery of it all that it kept be on the hook, I never grew tired of trying to figure out what teh heck was happening. The complex family drama and tensions within the family, and dealing with grief, are all well played by the small cast who are terrific. Eventually the crumbs do lead somewhere, and where it went was quite satisfying for me, and I loved that it kind of caught be surprise. There's some very chilling and dread filled moments here, the atmosphere and tension builds and builds, there's an occasional burst of violence, and a couple of terrifying visuals that pop-up, but this is more of a eerie chiller than a truly frightening horror flick, and that might not be enough for some who come into it looking for more of a horror thriller, but as a well-made slice of dread and tension this low-budget flick delivered the goods, and then some, with some interesting sci-fi bends and interesting meditations on grief.
Audio/Video: The Block Island Sound (2020) makes its worldwide physical media debut on 4K Ultra HD from Synapse Films, presented in 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (1.78:1) with high-dynamic range (HDR10). The image not surprisingly looks flawless, the 4K presentation with HDR10 surpassing the Netflix 1080p streaming version easily with superior depth and contrast, colors are more saturated and deeper hued, and the black levels are far deeper and inkier. Additionally, we get a terrific DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround mix that delivers a nuanced audio experience with some eerie sound design that enhances the unknown weirdness of it all, with sound laying an integral role,
For it's physical media debut Synapse offers an array of extras, we start off with an Audio Commentary with directors Kevin McManus and Matthew McManus, plus a selection of featurettes; the 3-min A Practical Apocalypse, 9-min Finding the Cast, 7-min Filming on the Water, 8-min Special Effects on a Shoestring, 2-min Los Angeles Behind-the-Scenes (Super 8mm), and the 6-min McManus Family Home Movies, plus the 1-min Original Trailer.
The single-disc release arrives in a black keepcase with a s-sided artwork the original key artwork, plus a new art from Joel Robinson. The 4K Ultra HD also comes with a First Pressing Only Slipcover featuring the same Robinson artwork. Also tucked away inside is a 28-page Synapse Films 2025 Product Catalog.
Special Features:
- Audio Commentary with directors Kevin McManus and Matthew McManus
- Original Trailer (1:25)
- A Practical Apocalypse (3:22)
- Finding the Cast (9:22)
- Filming on the Water (6:55)
- Special Effects on a Shoestring (8:03)
- Los Angeles Behind-the-Scenes (Super 8mm) (1:42)
- McManus Family Home Movies (5:59)
- Special Limited Edition Slipcover featuring new art from Joel Robinson (First Pressing Only)
It's great to see this former streamer exclusive finds it's way to disc from Synapse Films looks solid with a terrific selection of extras. There's are loads of terrific contemporary flicks that are still only available through streaming services, and in this digital age we've already seen movies and series disappear from those services as they lose favor, so I do appreciate this recent surge of boutique labels rescuing them from the digital abyss with physical releases, and The Block Island Sound is quite a gem, well-worth owning on disc. The flick is also available on a separate Blu-ray release from Synapse Films.
