Locker 13 DVD Review
DVD Review- Locker 13
Distributor: Arc Entertainment
Street Date: April 29th 2014
Technical Specifications: 480P Video, English 5.1 Dolby Digital, Color, Anamorphic Widescreen
Runtime(s): 103 Minutes
Locker 13 (Arc Entertainment)
The Film:
In Locker 13 we’re introduced to Skip, the scruffy ex-con recently employed as a nighttime custodian at a Wild West Theme park. It’s the kind of joint you might run into every ten miles or so in the American Southwest. Skip’s manager shows him around the grounds, waxing philosophical and explaining the rules to maintain the “effect” for visitors. As he’s shown around, Skip encounters various items and keepsakes that spark the series of anthology stories that follow.
In the first story, we get to know down and out boxer Tommy “The Trigger” Novak (Ricky Schroder) in the midst of a comeback bout. Unfortunately, his lucky gloves start getting him into trouble when he can’t finish a match without killing his opponents.
Other stories involve an initiation into a secret society where things get slightly out of hand, a suicidal man attempting to jump off of his apartment building when he’s interrupted by a talkative stranger, and a hit-man providing a running commentary to three female victims in chains. Like most anthology series, the filmmakers take us home to finish the story of the Wild West theme park custodian, albeit with an added twist.
Playing like a low budget modern day Twilight Zone episode, Locker 13 starts out promising but just doesn’t have much strength in the individual anthology segments to merit a recommendation. Most anthology films have at least a couple of duds, but I didn’t find any of the stories in Locker 13 either original or entertaining. By the time the narrative gets back to Skip the nighttime custodian, the film starts to get really tedious and repetitive.
The key to a good Horror or Thriller anthology film is for the screenwriters to make sure that each segment is engaging and unique from the one preceding it. Both Trick ‘r’ Treat and Creepshow are good examples. Unfortunately, Locker 13 lacks the right combination.
Video Quality:
As I’ve mentioned before, it’s always a little difficult for me to fairly evaluate the picture quality of a DVD in an age when 1080P High Definition is the standard. Locker 13 looks about as good as it can on the format, with a muted color scheme and solid black levels. Definition is never crystal clear, lacking the resolution and fine detail that Blu-Ray provides.
Audio Quality:
The 5.1 Dolby Digital track works well here, with some nice balance on display. Each segment of the film presents various unique sound effects and background noise to play with, and all of the punches, gun shots, musical inflections, and dialogue come through clear. Again, it lacks the power of a DTS-HD track that a Blu-Ray would provide, but it is what it is.
Special Features:
Arc Entertainment has included the theatrical trailer for the film as the lone special feature, which provides a fairly thorough look at the film and the basic gist of what you’re getting into. For a movie with various directors, screenwriters, and stories involved, it would have been nice to see a behind-the-scenes featurette or making-of documentary.
The Packaging:
As you can see from the “Unboxing” pictures below, this Arc Entertainment DVD release comes with a nice slipcover featuring some of the supporting cast, a plot synopsis and technical specifications on the back, and the disc with plain artwork on the inside.
Locker 13 (reverse)
Locker 13 (interior)
Final Report:
I always enjoy a good Horror/Thriller anthology, but Locker 13 is lacking in just about every area. The film has a cheap look to it, with individual segments that fail to entertain or captivate, and characters that we have a hard time caring about. The DVD from Arc Entertainment features a presentable video presentation and fine audio, but lacks any worthwhile special features. Skip this one.
Yours Truly,
Doctor Macabre
Doctor Macabre's Laboratory 
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