Blue Sunshine — Blue Sunshine( UHD, Blu-Ray, CD boxset)
Blue Sunshine is a difficult-to-bracket late 70s film that sits somewhere between a conspiracy thriller, drug-fueled drama, and deranged horror film. It regards a batch of bad acid, which, ten years after being taken, is causing those who took it to turn into bald & demented killing machines. Here from Synapse Films is a new classy three-disc set of the film, taking in a UHD, Blu-Ray, and CD soundtrack, taking in 4K restoration of the film, a good selection, inlay booklet, foldout poster, slip case/ sleeve.
From the year 1977, Blue Sunshine was the second feature-length film from New York-born Jeff Lieberman. One of the more creative genre directors; he’s not hugely prolific, but pretty much everything he’s put out has been worthy. Going from the man-eating worm horror of Squirm (1976), classic backwoods slasher Just Before Dawn (1981), and mask serial killer befriends a child horror/ dark comedy Satan's Little Helpers (2004).
The film opens in a nicely mysterious/intriguing manner- as we get a blend of haunting & electronic scored credits featuring footage of a blue moon, cut with a selection of people who are on the edge of losing it/ thier hair coming out.
As we get into the film, we drop into a seemingly cozy and laid-back meeting of friends, in a log fire-lit house. One of the party pulls at the hair of one of the male friends, pulling off a wig, with a mostly bald hair stripped head underneath- their eyes are deranged, and they rush out. One of the party, Jerry (Zalman King), goes looking in the nearby woods for his friend, while the other group go off in a car, leaving three women in the house. In time, a knock comes at the door of the cabin- the women open it believing it’s Jerry- it’s not, and they end up being thrown about/ killed by the deranged man, with one of them being thrown in the fire.
Jerry panics and runs out soon, becoming the main suspect for the murders. He hooks up with one of the surviving members of the party/ possible love interest Alica(Deborah Winters), and the pair try to figure out what caused their friend to snap, as well as several other people who have done similar in the LA area. With it becoming clear it’s down a batch of LSD known as 'Blue Sunshine'.
Over the film's length, we get snapshots of a few people who may/ or may not have had a connection with the drug, so there’s a great line of paranoid tension present throughout. And when/ if they switch, we get a great blend of stalking/unpredictable bald head derangement, and uneasy vibe/electronic scoring.
King pulls you in/ sells the film- as he shifts from being normal, to being twitchy/on-edge, to ultimately focused & determined. Winters is fine in her supporting role, though a little flat at points. Other notable mentions go to Ann Cooper, as babysitting for a friend who sudden snaps, and sleazy-to- deranged ex jock Ray Young.
I must have first seen Blue Sunshine about twenty or so years ok, and it was both impactful and chilling. It still maintains its power as a distinctive, at times tense, uneasy genre film that truly defies genre brackets.
Moving onto this new three-disc/ deluxe set, on the UHD and Blu-ray, we get a new 4 K scan from the original 35mm negative. And this is a wonder to see- with such clarity of colours, and depth of picture. Yet it still retains its 70’s patina, and mood very well- Synapse Films have done a wonderful job here.
On the extra wise on the discs- we get a huge selection of things, though most of these, aside from one thing- a minute & a half intro from Jeff Lieberman is( as far as I can gather) all archive stuff. First off, there are two Jeff Lieberman commentary tracks- one with film historian Howard S Berge, one with filmmaker Elijah Drener. 2003 interview with director Jeff Lieberman(40.43). Channel Z “Fantasy Film Festival” interview with Mick Garris and Jeff Lieberman(14.03). “Lieberman on Lieberman” video interview(30.13). Fantasia Film Festival 4K Premiere Q&A with moderator Michael Gingold and director Jeff Lieberman(36.26). There are two LSD shorts from the 60s LSD-25 (26.41) and LSD: Insight or Insanity? (18.03).
We have three versions of Lieberman’s first short, The Ringer, from 1972- I watched the longest cut of the three- this came in at the nineteen forty-four minute mark. The film is a great cutting/ darkly amusing satire of marketing to teens- the product is a nose ring, with various designs, with some troubling drug use woven in. Lastly, we have a theatrical trailer and a stills gallery.
The CD takes in the original score by Charles Gross. This is a thirteen-track affair; aside from a few tracks, it’s a mix of eerier vibes, creepy synths, uneasy searing and haunting percussion. The three tracks that don’t follow this mold are “Part II” which is a short slice of vibe-lined jazz funk, “Part VIII” a sing-song theatrical track which later moves into a Frank Sinatra send-up, and “Part IX” which is a jiving soul track with female vocals.
The set is finished off with a twelve-page booklet- this takes in a write-up about the making of Blue Sunshine. There’s a large fold-out poster of the original artwork. The whole thing comes presented in a card slip and an outer slip featuring new art by artist Wes Benscoter.
All told, this is a very classy presentation of this one-off/difficult-to-classify film. If you enjoy unsettling/intriguing ’70s films, Blue Sunshine is a must- and what better way to experience it than this new release from Synapse Films.