The 1996 thriller "Thinner" releases on a single-disc Blu-ray package featuring a tale of karmic retribution against a foul man, which brings about a whole series of horrifying events. This movie is based on the best-selling novel of the same title by horror-meister Stephen King under his pseudonym Richard Bachman. This supernatural flick by Tom Holland centers on the story of an overweight mob lawyer cursed by a vengeful centenarian gypsy.
As the initially bulky and compulsive overeater finds himself shrinking away toward nothingness, he calls friends in organized crime to help him persuade the gypsy father of the woman he ran over and killed from a road accident to lift the jinx. The film's narrative progression focuses on how this man drops many pounds at an alarming rate. This cinematic adaptation stars Robert John Burke, Joe Mantegna, and Lucinda Jenney. King also appears in the movie through his cameo role as the town pharmacist.
Visuals
Most notable for its fantastic makeup effects, this supernatural terror offering received a nomination for Best Make-up at the prestigious Saturn Awards. The creepy effects, including the main actor's transformation from an obese to almost a corpse, look remarkable in this Blu-ray edition. For such a dated piece, the transfer maintains a nicely filmic appearance with hardly any hint of dirt, scratch, or grain problem. Considering the movie's age, the images remain sharp and clear with high level of object detail, strong contrast, and bold colors throughout the picture's running time.
Audio
The lossless mono soundtrack faithfully reproduces the modest sonic appeal of the film's original sound mix. The horrific aspects of the story's ultimate payback theme match the limited range of this mono work. As the man continuously loses weight, his desperate struggle against his closing death depicts a form of bizarre torture that fittingly sounds claustrophobic in this audio presentation. The speaking lines are always aptly prioritized in the mix. This 1990s material has little to no aural issues that can end up seriously distracting the people watching the movie.
Supplements
It is quite disappointing that the disc doesn't offer any kind of supplements. Even an option for subtitles is absent in this Blu-ray package.
Final Thoughts
"Thinner" suffers from a shallow tone and some pacing and tonal concerns, especially when compared to the many cinematic masterpieces originating from King's renowned body of work. However, it is still a fairly decent film for the willing audience. Some may describe it as a creepily funny and freaky piece, while some may find it as an unsettling chiller. The story's simple premise provides an interestingly menacing concept directed at society's obsession with dieting -- where the root word "diet" gets rid of its last letter to impose the tragic fate meant for the main character. Amidst its basic narrative flaws, this motion picture is still able to maintain such a psychologically disturbing demeanor meant for the consumption of the general public.
