Should anyone expect a film entitled The Reaper Man to offer anything other than supernatural horror? Of course not, and we get that sort of story from this 2023 movie.

When Joseph Cole (Kenon Walker) ends up murdered as part of a robbery gone wrong, his widow Jessica (Jessica Jai Johnson) finds herself consumed by grief. Eager for some resolution, Jessica goes to Sheba (Tarsha Gibson), a woman who claims to possess powers that could bring back Joseph.

This turns into a bad call on Jessica’s part. Rather than restore her loving relationship with her deceased husband, Sheba’s actions conjure a dark, vengeful spirit.

Nothing about that synopsis implies Reaper Man will offer a horror story that finds fresh new ways to explore its material. That doesn’t mean it couldn’t still deliver an engaging take on its themes.

Unfortunately, Reaper Man never gets there, partly due to a muddled script. Unmentioned in my overview, a decent chunk of the narrative relates to a police investigation into Joseph’s murder.

This bogs down the story and seems wholly unnecessary. Yes, these cops tie into the overall tale once Ghost Joseph creates a body count, but this still feels like a total “who cares?” aspect of the film.

Not that the main plot ever becomes especially interesting. Again, the basic conceit brings plenty of potential intrigue, as an undead man intent on revenge provides more than enough horrific drama to sustain a film.

Especially a fairly brief movie like Reaper Man. At a mere 88 minutes, it feels like we should find little to no flab.

Unfortunately, Reaper Man often seems padded. The film meanders with unimportant scenes that fill out the running time but add nothing to the narrative.

Even without those unnecessary detours, Reaper Man feels oddly sluggish and without drive. For a horror movie about an undead killer, the end result tends to lack obvious urgency or tension.

Seemingly endless scenes of folks as they putter about their regular lives fill space, with only occasional moments of violence to act as respites. These pop up too infrequently to add much charge to the proceedings.

Clearly show on a miniscule budget, I don’t fault Reaper Man for its lack of funds. However, I do dock some points because it feels like a cheaply-made film.

Reaper Man doesn’t come across as unprofessional, though it lacks polish. Effects feel the sting here, as the supernatural violence falters due to the unconvincing gore elements.

Still, you’ll discover low-budget efforts that seem truly chintzy, and that doesn’t turn into a real issue here. Nonetheless, the project does make its lack of dollars obvious, as the filmmakers can’t find a way to deliver a flick that ever looks like anything more than a glorified home movie.

The actors tend to seem stiff and unconvincing. Walker does manage his best Tony Todd impression and gives Ghost Joseph a hint of menace, but no one else in the cast rises above the level of community theater level performances.

Even superior acting wouldn’t fix the multiple problems with Repear Man, unfortunately. A horror movie without thrills or tension, it just goes nowhere.

The Reaper Man appears in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This turned into a pretty solid presentation.

Overall delineation worked fine. Some wider shots felt a little soft, but the majority of the film boasted solid accuracy.

I witnessed no issues with jagged edges or shimmering, and edge haloes failed to interfere with the image. Source flaws also never cropped up along the way.

Much of Reaper Man opted for orange/amber or red, though a fair amount of blue/teal appeared as well. The colors seemed vibrant and well-reproduced within these stylistic choices.

Blacks felt deep and dense, while low-light shots brought good clarity. I felt pleased with this solid image.

I expect at least 5.1 audio from a circa 2023 movie, but Repear Man only offered DTS-HD MA stereo material. Obviously this meant a restricted soundscape.

Within those confines, the movie showed good imaging across the front. Music and effects meshed in a positive manner and showed appealing localization.

Audio quality generally satisfied, as speech remained intelligible and without obvious flaws. I did think some awkward looping occurred, though, so the lines didn’t always come across as especially natural.

Music showed solid range, while effects brought good accuracy. Though quality largely appeared positive, the absence of a multichannel soundfield left this as a “C+” mix.

Zero extras pop up on this disc.

Despite a less than creative premise, I thought The Reaper Man came with a concept that could deliver solid horror. Unfortunately, the end result seems padded, plodding and almost wholly devoid of fright and tension. The Blu-ray brings positive picture as well as adequate audio and no bonus materials. This turns into a dull stab at a supernatural scary flick.