The story opens in a police interrogation room where Emily Gray (Rena Owen) is being held. After some cryptic background on an earlier crime, she says, "What if I told you I know the meaning of life?"

Cut to a downtown comic shop where college student Sara Novak (Carly Pope) is becoming more involved with a mysterious game where the answers to riddles are clues that lead the player on to more serious matters.

As long as the details are being laid out, writer-director Jesse Warn keeps the action fresh and interesting. But, as is so often the case, the resolution of those ideas is much weaker.

The DVD

Video:

Image transfer appears to be flawless but so much of the action is set in dark or dim interiors that it's difficult to make out details. Production values are excellent for modestly budgeted horror.

Sound:

Dolby 5.1 replicates the image, for better and for worse. Sound is completely clear and the Surround channels are nicely utilized to build suspense and to provide a few scary moments. Even so, much of the whispered dialogue is very difficult to decipher and I found myself toggling to the subtitles. By the way, the subs clean up some of the needless profanity.

Extras:

We've got a commentary track from Warn and producer Matthew Metcalfe. It begins as a typically enthusiastic everyone-worked-hard-and-was-wonderful conversation that's aimed primarily at other young filmmakers. I was not sufficiently intrigued by the film to give it a complete, second viewing with reminiscence. Ditto the "making of" feature.

Final Thoughts:

Considering the general level of "video premiere" horror movies these days, "Nemesis Game" is an overachiever. It focuses on interesting characters, looks terrific and avoids the exploitative elements of the genre. Acting is generally good, too, but star Carly Pope over-relies on one irritating mannerism. In almost every close-up, her lips and teeth are slightly open, so you can see her tongue flickering behind her bicuspids. I'm not sure what the expression is meant to convey. Fear? Curiosity? Forgot to floss?

Whatever, it's off-putting.

Similar material is handled in the Spanish "Thesis" and German "Anatomy."