I vividly remember seeing Disturbing Behavior for the first time when it opened theatrically on July 24, 1998. Scream’s success helped launch a massive amount of these glossy horror flicks, and while it wasn’t quite as good as I remembered, it’s still much better than most.
David Nutter was fresh off his stint working for Chris Carter on The X-Files and Millennium before making the leap to the big screen with Disturbing Behavior. With the success of Dawson’s Creek, Katie Holmes made her lead debut in the film while being accompanied by two other rising stars, James Marsden and Nick Stahl. Part science fiction and part horror, the MVD Rewind Collection brings the ’90s classic to Blu-ray in a decent little package.
A small coastal town prides itself on how its high school students strive for excellence. The question should be, are they really striving for it on their own, or is there something else at work? Steve Clark (James Marsden) and his family move to where he must enroll in Cradle Bay High. At Cradle Bay, the Blue Ribbon club is the epitome of perfect students. When Steve meets Gavin (Nick Stahl) and Rachel (Katie Holmes), he begins to question why these students seem farther off the deep end than they let on.
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Disturbing Behavior could be considered a sister film to something like Invasion of the Body Snatchers or Village of the Damned. I’m not as nostalgic about the ’90s as I am about the ’80s and this film is without question a product of its era. Some things feel dated but are easily overlooked. The acting is solid. The story is just compelling enough to keep you interested, even though some character actions don’t seem to make sense.
David Nutter discussed in an interview how heavily cut this film was and that he preferred his longer Director’s Cut, which has never been released. Perhaps sometime in the future, it will see the light of day.
The bonus features are a nice addition, but most of them are available on the original DVD as well as the Scream Factory release. It includes a Nutter commentary, deleted scenes and an alternate ending, a trailer, reversible artwork, and a mini-poster. Overall, it’s a solid release for a film that I wouldn’t consider classic, but still something worth remembering.
