der your After raising an unnervingly talented spider in secret, 12-year-old Charlotte must face the facts about her pet—and fight for her family’s survival—when the once-charming creature rapidly transforms into a giant, flesh-eating monster. – Synopsis via Well Go USA
STING is the 2024 horror movie both written and directed by Kiah Roache-Turner. As the film opens over a snow-covered city, the audience is shown the random crashing of an object from space. This is reminiscent of John Carpenter’s THE THING and mentioning this does not give any of the plot away.
There are a few minor elements that I enjoyed and they are things that stand out to me. The first thing to mention is the comic book art. It reminds me of Jhonen Vasquez’s artwork but I can’t find any information on it. It is included in the release cover and it looks creepily perfect for the movie.
Also, I appreciate that the production used practical effects with a peppering of CGI. I have always been a fan of this style because there are a lot of examples of filmmakers going full CGI. Never go full CGI.
Cast
Ryan Corr as Ethan
Alyla Browne as Charlotte
Penelope Mitchell as Heather
Robyn Nevin as Gunter
Noni Hazelhurst as Helga
Silvia Colloca as Maria
Danny Kim as Erik
Jermaine Fowler as Frank
Tony Black as Officer Miller
VIDEO QUALITY. 4/5
The video is a 1080p AVC presentation and it has a clean look to it. The best comparison I can make is something you might see on Netflix or possibly a different streaming service. Almost the entire movie is shot in the shadowy dark or near dark with nice contrast and some of the black are inky. The details are sharp and give the setting a slum-like apartment feel. Colors have been graded well to fit the setting. Some colored clothing is bold like the reds but blue is the most common color here. The skin tones are natural unless a character is looking purposely pale.
AUDIO QUALITY 4/5
The audio is a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. It has an intense track with constant movement from the creature traveling and scampering through the vents of the building. Other effects in the rest of the channels are clear and layered well. The dialogue is prioritized and clear.
SUPPLEMENTS & PACKAGING
-Behind the Scenes: This three-part featurette is a typical extra.
Creating the Monster
The Director
The Cast
-Trailer
Disc Details
1 Blu-ray Disc
Slipcover included with the initial release
Running Time
91 mins
Edition Ratings
R
Region Coding
Region A
Blu-ray
Video Resolution
1080p AVC MPEG-4
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Audio Mixes
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles
English SDH
French
THE FINAL WORD. 3.5/5
STING is a good little horror movie that reminds me of the ALIEN franchise and a story of an anthology series like CREEPSHOW or CABINET OF CURIOSITIES. It is entertaining and easy to follow. Both the audio and video have been authored well so that they suit the movie. The extras are very light and I would’ve liked more information on the creature creation. It is a consistent showing from Well Go USA and worth looking at.
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