Normally a right-after-New Year’s release date would spell doom for a movie, but 2019’s Escape Room managed to find an audience. No, its $154 million worldwide didn’t break records, but for a cheap horror flick tossed onto screens immediately after the holidays, it seems like a solid sum.

Six strangers receive an invitation to participate in an “escape room” situation. This places them in a location that forces them to solve puzzles to leave.

Unlike most escape rooms, though, this one comes with a deadly twist. If the participants don’t find the necessary solutions, they’ll die.

Movies like this require a massive suspension of disbelief, as they force the viewer to accept that some unknown off-screen entity boasts virtually god-like abilities.

In the real world, there's no way some group could pull off all the machinations this one provides, and the film barely even attempts an explanation. We just need to swallow the premise without questioning if we want to enjoy the story.

For the most part, I did that and thought Room offered a reasonably good thrill ride. Not one second of it holds up to any form of scrutiny, but it provides a pretty taut, tense experience nonetheless, and that makes it worth a watch,

God knows I've seen enough bad horror films to realize how far into the crapper this one could've gone. It's a minor miracle that it works as well as it does given all the aforementioned suspension of disbelief it requires.

I could live without the groan-worthy sequel-bait ending, though. Granted, virtually ever film of this genre moves toward another chapter if the box office warrants - and sometimes when it doesn't, as low-budget fare like this can prompt sequels even if audiences don't flock to the original films.

As mentioned, Room didn't break attendance records. However, it turned a tidy profit and clearly will push toward a second film.

I just wish the filmmakers allowed that to happen without such an obvious nod in that direction. The basic premise doesn't need the sequel-bait finale, so we could get a second film without such cheesy techniques.

Iffy ending aside, Room offers decent horror fare. It never re-invents any wheels but it delivers enough thrills to satisfy.

Escape Room appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The movie boasted a pleasing image.

Overall sharpness worked well. Some wider shots veered a smidgen toward the soft side, but they remained in the minority during this largely accurate presentation.

I saw no shimmering or jaggies, and edge haloes remained absent. Print flaws also failed to become an issue.

Like most modern movies, Room went a lot of orange and teal, as those tones dominated the presentation. A few reds popped up as well. Predictable as the colors tended to be, the Blu-ray rendered them in an appropriate manner.

Blacks looked dark and deep, while shadows seemed smooth and concise. I felt happy with this high-quality presentation.

As for the film’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, it added involvement to the proceedings. The five channels used music in an involving manner, and various effects also broadened the soundscape in a winning way.

While not a film packed with action, Room came to life enough to work the speakers well. Various horror elements related to the thrills moved around the room in a convincing pattern to contribute life to the tale.

Audio quality worked well. Speech seemed concise and distinctive, while effects appeared accurate and natural. Louder moments boasted fine punch.

Music was warm and full, with a good level of punch from percussive elements. All of this left us with a satisfactory “B+” soundtrack.

The disc comes with a few extras, and we find three featurettes. Game, Sets, Match runs four minutes, 55 seconds and includes notes from production designer Edward Thomas, director Adam Robitel, special effects supervisor Max Poolman, and actors Deborah Ann Woll, Logan Miller, Tyler Labine, Nik Dodani, and Jay Ellis.

“Match” examines the movie’s sets and design choices. It delivers a moderately engaging piece, though one with a lot of happy talk involved.

The Lone Survivors spans four minutes, 19 seconds and features Robitel, Miller, Woll, Dodani, Ellis, Labine, production manager Rebecca Rivo, producer Ori Marmur, stunt coordinator/2nd unit director Grant Hulley, and actors Taylor Russell and Yorick Van Wageningen. “Lone” covers cast, characters and stunts. It seems fairly superficial.

Finally, Will You Ever goes for one minute, 58 seconds. It features Robitel, Woll, Ellis, Miller, Dodani, and Labine.

“Ever” splits into two parts, and both offer thoughts about escape rooms. They’re promotional but enjoyable.

Eight Deleted Scenes fill a total of 19 minutes, two seconds. Of most interest, we find both an “Alternate Opening” and an “Alternate Ending”. Neither works especially well, but both offer intriguing clips.

As for the other six scenes, these tend to expand characters in a few ways. They seem moderately interesting and that’s about it.

The disc opens with ads for Searching, The Intruder, Slender Man, Miss Bala and Ruben Brandt Collector. No trailer for Room appears here.

As horror thrillers go, Escape Room doesn’t blaze any new trails, and the ways it stretches reality can prompt eye-rolling. That said, it boasts a relentless pace and enough excitement to keep the viewer with it. The Blu-ray offers very good picture and audio along with minor bonus materials. Go into Room with the right expectations and you may enjoy it.