When I first read the announcement for The Tall Man, I was flummoxed. To any horror fan worth his salt, "The Tall Man" is the villain from Don Coscarelli's Phantasm series. He may not be a household name like Michael Myers or Freddy Krueger, but he's well known in horror circles and the title seemed someone pointless. It's like naming a movie "The Shark From Jaws" -- it's simply going to give people the wrong idea. Well, as it turns out, Writer/Director Pascal Laugier should have given his movie a different name, as The Tall Man is an exemplary thriller and that moniker is only going to scare people off.

The Tall Man takes place in the small town of Cold Rock, Washington. The closing of the mine has left the town in ruins, and many of its residents are very poor. The town has also been plagued by a series of kidnappings and the children are never found, dead or alive. The locals believe that a mythical creature called "The Tall Man" is responsible for the disappearances. Julia Denning (Jessica Biel) is a nurse who runs the local free clinic and does what she can to help the people of Cold Rock. These residents loved her late husband, who was the town doctor. Julia works hard at her job, and loves returning home to her son, David (Jakob Davies), and her housekeeper, Christine (Eve Harlow). However, when David is taken in the night by a stranger clad in black, Julia's world is turned upside down. With the help of Lieutenant Dodd (Stephen McHattie) and Sheriff Chestnut (William B. Davis), the search for David is on, but what they'll really discover is the truth behind the disappearances and "The Tall Man".

Often it takes the viewpoint of an outsider to get a unique perspective on a situation, and that's what we get with The Tall Man. French Writer/Director Pascal Laugier makes his English-language debut here, and he brings his European approach to a film which examines some American issue. (I say English-language debut, as opposed to U.S. debut, as The Tall Man was shot in Canada, as was Laugier's last movie Martyrs.) Cold Rock is similar to many rural towns in America -- when the primary employer left, the town slowly began to rot. There situation here may be slightly exaggerated, but it does illustrate the sort of loss of hope and desperation which can sink into this kind of setting. I wouldn't go as far as calling this "unflinching", but there's no doubt that some are facing serious economic issues in America today, and the film is giving us a reflection of that. The movie also looks at how superstition and myth can overtake common sense in grave situations. It's unclear if the legend to The Tall Man existed before the children started disappearing, but it's obvious that en lieu of a rational explanation, the townspeople have bought into this myth as a source of their problems. This actually feels like a combination of American folklore with a more traditional European view of the evil things which lurk in the forest.

But, this film is far more than Laugier's views on small-town America. The Tall Man also brings us a surprisingly interesting and unique story. At first glance, the concept is both familiar and simplistic -- an evil entity is taking the children for reasons unknown. However, about half-way through the film, Laugier completely turns the tables on us. The story goes in a totally different direction and we learn that there is much more happening in Cold Rock than we first expected. I really can't say anymore, as I don't want to give too much away. Suffice it to say that the twist is very original and even the must astute viewers won't see it coming. Not only does this shift add a new dimension to the movie, it creates a discussion point. Is Laugier saying something here about a liberal agenda? Laugier also does a fine job of creating a film which is almost a throwback. Many of the new crop of French horror directors love their gore, but this is a low-key film which does contain a fantastic action set-piece, but relies more on atmosphere and suspense.

The Tall Man is being marketed as a supernatural thriller, but it's actually much more than that and it's one of the most satisfying movies which I've seen recently. Despite the presence of Jessica Biel (who actually does pretty well here), this movie by-passed theaters and went directly to VOD and home video. Thus, we have yet another Blu-ray Disc "diamond in the rough". I knew very little about this movie going into it (save for my aforementioned distaste with the title), so I was pleasantly surprised to find a film that shocked me and kept me on the edge of my seat. Horror fans need look past the title and embrace what The Tall Man has to offer.

The Tall Man took my baby on Blu-ray Disc courtesy of Image Entertainment. The film has been letterboxed at 2.35:1 and the Disc contains a VC-1 1080p HD transfer which runs at an average of 20 Mbps. The image is very sharp and clear, showing only trace amounts of grain and no defects from the source material. The film is filled with shots of both lush mountains and bleak landscapes. These shots show nice depth and crispness. The nighttime chase scene is never overly dark. The level of detail is very good and there is no blurring of the image. The Disc carries a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which runs at 48 kHz and an average of 4.0 Mbps. The track provides clear dialogue and sound effects. This is a powerful track which offers great surround and stereo effects during the big action scene. The effects are nicely detailed and show good separation. There are also many quiet moments in the film and these offer audible dialogue which is never overpowered by the music.

The Tall Man Blu-ray Disc contains only a few special features. We get one DELETED SCENE which runs about 4 minutes. This is a brand-new scene which shows Julia squaring off against The Tall Man. I can see how it could have been cut for pacing, but it does help to show Julia's determination. "Visual Concepts" is a still gallery which shows concept of the town of Cold Rock, as well as The Tall Man. This would make a great comic book. The final extra is the TRAILER for the film.