The Lighthouse

Director– Robert Eggers

Starring – Willem Dafoe, Robert Pattinson

Country of Origin - U.S.

Distributor - Lionsgate

Number of Discs - 1

Reviewed by - Scott MacDonald

Date- 01/01/2020

When Robert Eggers' The Witch came out in 2015, I waited on Blu-ray to finally see it. I have a hard-time with modern horror films. I've seen thousands of genre films over the last 30 years, and as time goes on it takes more to impress me. Needless to say I ended up falling hard for The Witch, it had tension, claustrophobic, and paranoid mixed with supernatural elements creating a truly excellent cinematic experience. 

    Needless to say I had to see whatever Eggers did next, and not only did he match my expectations with his new film the Lighthouse, he exceeded them. The Lighthouse is show in the style of early 20th silent films with a 100 year old lens and an OAR of 1:19:1 adding to the claustrophobic visuals of the film. The film stars Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson as a pair of lighthouse keepers who must spent a month isolated at a New England lighthouse on an island. Pattinson plays Ephraim Winslow, a rookie lighthouse keeper while Dafoe plays Thomas Wake, a veteran lighthouse keeper, who is a stickler for the rules.   The two clash immediately, as Ephraim feels he is meant to do the grunt-work while Tom does the easier more relaxed work. The tension between the two exist on both an emotional and physical level. After the pair fail to leave the Lighthouse at the correct time, tensions further rise, and things truly reach a horrible apex between the two men.

    The Lighthouse has solid, black and white visuals, that serve the bleak atmosphere of the film while. Eggers direction is simple, but elegant and works in favor of the content, and keeps things paced with a sense of tension at all times. However, this film is truly the Robert Pattinson/Willem Dafoe show. These 2 (and the resident dream mermaid) truly make the Lighthouse what it is. Dafoe is easily one of the great actors of his generation, and Pattinson after escaping "Twilight" has managed to carve out an interesting career for himself in films like Good Time, Cosmopolis, and now this. The two have excellent chemistry and work together (And against one another) quite well. At this point Eggers is 2 for 2 and I can't wait for his next film.

    The Blu-ray of The Lighthouse is presented 1:19:1 pillarboxed. For anyone expecting a traditional looking film, this is not it. However, it looks fantastic. The film was shot on film, and looks every bit of it. Grain is natural and solid, textures are filmlike and stunning, detail is excellent, as is the contrast. Audio is handled by a DTS-HD MA track in English that helps convey the audio ambiance of the film quite clearly, and without issue. Extras include a commentary, deleted scenes, and a making of. The Lighthouse