Horror

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Fall of the House of Usher (TV-MA)

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Fall of the House of Usher (TV-MA)

Based on various works by Edgar Allen Poe, this gothic horror mini-series is bound to send chills down your spine. A mysterious slew of deaths strikes the Usher family, all of which are explored in grotesque detail throughout the show. In episode 7, when a certain character meets his end, listen out for the haunting, slow strike of a pendulum through your center channels. Chunks of huge debris fall from above, with sounds of impending destruction recreated through your height channels. Your subwoofers will rock your room at ominous intervals, before the inevitable collapse of the building, while the character finds himself helpless to do anything but meet his imminent doom.

IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐

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47 Ronin (PG-13)

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47 Ronin (PG-13)

Inspired by Japanese folklore, this diamond in the dark definitely deserves a place on your Blu-ray mantle. Embracing true Japanese spirit, it showcases a variety of tactfully programmed surround sound effects that will give your surround speakers a run for their money. Every mystical transformation provides excellent directionality that lingers long enough for you to discern the discrete separation of each channel. Background dialogues in crowd heavy scenes are realistically rendered while the thunderous thumps from the beasts flood the floor of your soundstage with warm resounding bass.

IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐

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Annihilation (R)

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Annihilation (R)

With its well-orchestrated sound effects, this sci-fi horror film could literally take your breath away. By placing a huge emphasis on ambient sound effects, you will arrive at The Shimmer in no time. Intricate layers of very discrete surround sound provide not only directionality and depth but also builds a mood that creates a lasting impression, taking you further into the character’s position. During action-driven scenes, bullets will puncture through your surround sound bubble, drawing a very distinct contrast that will shock you.

IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

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A Quiet Place (PG-13)

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A Quiet Place (PG-13)

(42:00 - 55:00), (1:19:00 - 1:24:00)

Who would have expected a movie based on being quiet to have so much sound. Get ready for some jump scares as noise-sensitive creatures are hungry for humans. The first recommended scene is super intense, where you will hear spine-tingling screeches of the creature from all directions very abruptly, as it tries to hunt a lady in her home. Soon afterward, you will hear whistles and explosions from behind you, as the family tries to distract the creature with noise to make it go away. In the second recommended scene, one of the characters attempts to agitate the creature's sensitive hearing by playing a high-pitched feedback noise, which is reproduced by all surround speakers, truly putting the high-frequency reproduction capabilities of your surround speakers to the test.

IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

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Bird Box (R)

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Bird Box (R)

(48:28 - 43:03), (55:35 - 1:03:08), (1:42:32 - 1:52:39)

This movie will give your surround speakers a real treat. It has many layers of surround effects, both ambient as well as directional, that will surely impress. Listen to the aggressive movement of water from all directions and hear the rapid bubbles when you are trapped underwater. Hear the gushes of wind causing the rattling of leaves beside you in a forest, and birds chirping behind you at a distance. As the last scene intensifies, you will hear jingling bells and panicky whispers coming from all directions, so clear and crisp that you will think they are actually real!

IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐

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Cloverfield (R)

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Cloverfield (R)

Through the clever use of viewing the whole film through the character’s handheld camcorder, J.J Abram’s most experimental piece to date will delight anyone, seeking for an adventure from their couch. Bass heads will LOVE the smooth and warm reproduction of various tremors from earth-shaking bomb explosions and buildings collapsing - with these scenes happening frequently to tease your senses. A diverse ambient mix creates sound dimension to submerge you into the destruction and panic that will stimulate the mind into believing that everything is happening around you, especially with the varying dialogue volumes based on how far the subjects are in focus on the camcorder. It heightens your surround experience by placing directional overhead sounds from the choppers and bombs that drop onto the cityscape. It a reference masterpiece of how sound and sight can result in a truly frightening experience when done right.

IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐

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The Covenant (PG-13)

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The Covenant (PG-13)

When a group with supernatural powers find themselves forced into locking horns on a mysterious entity that is even more powerful than them, expect nothing but an epic listening experience. The force and impact from every spell cast (and at some points, the level of creepiness) can be clearly felt through your subwoofers, with the sound of falling debris, explosions and licking flames clearly heard through every speaker channel. The movie is also topped off with the sound of rain and stormy weather to add depth to the scene and showcase your speaker's ability to reproduce height effects, with moments of clear dialogue and old school rock-and-roll recreating the club atmosphere within your home.

IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐

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Deep Blue Sea (R)

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Deep Blue Sea (R)

The sound effects in this classic stress the power limits of your sound system's subwoofer(s). Many scenes feature low, floor and soul-shaking rumbles that virtually renders the need for deep diving to have an ocean-good time unnecessary. Together with your surround speakers, all channels are effectively used to fully submerge every listener into the moment when bloodthirsty, savage sharks preying on a team of researchers. Every predator movement and squelch is clearly distinctive through the surround channels, making this movie one of the most nail-biting shark-related movies that still hold out today.

IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

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Guardians of the Tomb (PG-13)

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Guardians of the Tomb (PG-13)

Caution, this movie is not friendly to people that can't stand creepy crawlies. A large section of this movie revolves around a legion of spiders that lurk within the caves, with every stealthy movement of these arachnids distinctly heard around every speaker channel, with enough bloodthirsty action from these tiny monsters to add fuel to your wildest nightmares and imagination.

IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐

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The Haunting of Hill House (R)

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The Haunting of Hill House (R)

SEASON 1 EPISODE 8 (21:40 - 22:40)

The subwoofers and surround speakers take center stage in this chilling minute. Depending on how many subwoofers you have, the reverberation from the hostile door knocks and bangs will send fill your entire living room and send chills from below to your spine. The scene then breaks into directional and rhythmic pounding pounds on the windows that will most definitely have you jumping and turning to yours. Altogether, the terrifying sounds combine to command all of your subwoofers and surround speakers to create a 360-degree bubble of intense surround sound. The sudden silence that follows leaves you to hear and feel your heart pound.

IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

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Hellbound

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Hellbound

Netflix has gone all in on Korean Dramas, and like Squid Game, this series does not disappoint. As if the menacing demonic voices of these monsters weren't enough, the movie features brutal killings of people that are guilty of evildoings. Should such acts be called murder or judgement? One thing's for sure - the action on screen translates into a great workout for your subwoofers and surround speakers, as they work in harmony to deliver sounds that are eerie enough to give you sleepless nights.

IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

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Monster House (PG)

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Monster House (PG)

"There are no ghosts", Everyone would say. As the angsty voice of an unfriendly neighbor and family members being apathetic towards the warnings of a mere boy wavers through your center channels, expect horrified screams as the monster house rudely unleashes its paranormal abilities against the grown-ups. As the main cast battles to be free from this evil house, expect a captivating Halloween experience as the main cast engages in daring escapades, with the impact and debris from paranormal abilities and careless retaliation being clearly felt through every surround channel.

IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐

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In the Tall Grass (TV-MA)

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In the Tall Grass (TV-MA)

(00:19:50 - 00:20:40), (01:24:00 - 01:25:14)

Feel the chills go down your spine with the eerie background music that accompanies the sibling pair as they enter a field of tall grass. Inaudible whispers will surround your listening seat and add the right amount of tension to the movie scene. With horrible screams, deadly fistfights, and the rustling sound from the tall grass field emanating through your surround speakers, prepare to have your living room transformed into the dark environment that truly makes this a nail-biting experience that horror movie fans will enjoy and perhaps, be creeped out by.

IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐

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IT (2017) (R)

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IT (2017) (R)

Bringing everyone’s clown nightmare to life, IT centers its ability to create goosebumps from under your skin through meticulous mapping of atmospheric sounds. This movie proves that sticking to horror sound classics - such as the rain’s light patter from above and ghostly echoes wrapping you from your surround speakers, will never fail to keep you at the edge of your seat. Its superb use of sound tension to terrorize you from your mind, immerses you deeply before jump scares pound through your subwoofer(s), sending chills right down your spine.

IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

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The Shining (R)

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The Shining (R)

Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is a timeless (and aesthetically pleasing) horror classic that showcases the director’s signature use of timing in sounds to ramp up fear and escalate emotions. No matter the scene, a sense of space can be detected, and with the carefully planned sound timings as well as the little ambient details present before the growing dominant sound travels from the surround speakers to the frontal array. You will find yourself biting into your nails, as you come face to face with the Grady Twins, stand before the blood elevator, or even the frightening Room 237. Its dramatic shift from ambient to frontal not only accelerates menacing situations but keeps you glued no matter how much you try to look away.

IMMERSIVENESS RATING: ⭐

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