P2 (DVD)

Movie critics are no different from anyone else when it comes to filmic first impressions. It can be tricky because we have to write reviews based on the first blush, often on a short deadline. Then, just a few months later, we see the movie again on DVD for round two. Once in awhile, I'll have a "what was I thinking?" moment, but that's not the case with the mostly-maligned P2.

I liked it when I first saw it, and I still do. Yeah, it's "the parking garage horror movie", and it's pretty predicable, but it's also suspenseful, well-acted, over-the-top gory cat-and-mouse fun.

Co-written by Alexandre Aja (High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes remake) and helmed by his longtime associate (Franck Khalfoun, making his directorial debut), the movie follows a lone businesswoman who finds herself trapped in the parking structure underneath her office building on Christmas eve. There's less than a skeleton crew, leaving just one lowly security guard to help her out. Of course, he has no intention whatsoever of helping her out of anything (except her clothing… "that dress" is talked about in horror.com's exclusive interview with stars Rachel Nichols and Wes Bentley, and also in the DVD extras).

Read horror.com's theatrical release review here

The DVD offers several extras. Best of all is the collective commentary by Aja, Khalfoun, producer Gregory Levasseur. They talk about everything from the aforementioned bosom-baring threads, dealing with the vicious Rottweiler, the casting of Bentley as the baddie, the extreme stunt orchestration required for the brutal gore scenes, and more.

The rest of the additional release material is loaded with major spoilers, so watch it only after you've viewed the film.

• A NEW LEVEL OF FEAR: THE MAKING OF P2—Behind the scenes featurette. This has some on-set interviews with the actors, director, and screenwriters. Khalfoun and Aja stress about the importance of intensity, and it comes across that the collaborators enjoy a very symbiotic working relationship.

• DESIGNING TERROR—How they made a simple parking garage seem so scary. There's some very basic info on how they flipped the car, worked on the cringe-factor, orchestrated the fight scenes, etc.

• TENSION NOUVEAU: PRESENTING FRANCK KHALFOUN—In case you're wondering who he is. This is a puff-piece, so it's not essential viewing.

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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson