Mausoleum — Mausoleum(Blu Ray)
Mausoleum is schlocky, campy, and at points nonsensically OTT shot of 1980’s horror. It blends glowing-eyed demonic possession, gore-bound telekinesis, and hammed-up/mist-flowing gothicness. Here from the relatively new cult/exploitation boutique label Treasured Films is a new UK release of the film. With the Blu-Ray featuring a 4k scan, a new commentary track, and a good selection of both new & archive extras.
Mausoleum (aka Mausoleum Of Death) is a US production from the year 1983- though it often feels rather euro horror bound, with its nonsensical unfold and often lack of logic. It was directed by Michael Dugan- who has just three feature-length directors’ credit to his name-these go from Super Seal (1975) which is a family comedy regarding an abandoned baby seal, to teenage sex comedy Raging Hormones (1999).
The film opens with a flashback to when ten-year-old Susan is at the funeral of her aunt- she suddenly feels the pull from the nearby Mausoleum. She goes inside, and it’s all glowing green & pink mist/ camp gothicness. With one thing leading to another, she becomes possessed by her family’s demonic curse.
We then jump forward twenty years- Susan (Bobbie Bresee) is now all grown up, with big blond hair & shoulder pads. She lives in a large white mansion with her businessman husband Oliver ( Marjoe Gortner) who looks/ acts like a low-grade Matthew McConaughey.
As things unfold Susan’s curse kicks in- as her eyes start glowing green & teeth gnashing. With a neat selection of deaths/ kills brought about by Susan’s telekinesis powers. A man bursts into flame to be cooked alive in his car. Another is gorily attacked by rake, folks are floated mid-air- before either having their chests brutally open or getting bloody impaled on spikes. There is a kitchen-bound bludgeoned-to-pulp kill, and a bloody ‘n’ flesh-ripping bathroom attack. With later on some neat demonic transformation going on with Susan getting green glowing eyed ‘n’ mothed breasts. The effects are by the highly respected John Carl Buechler (From Beyond, Dolls, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master)- and are very well realized/ done.
To start with both Bresee & Gortner rather feel like they have wandered off a glitzy US 80’s soap- but as we move along, she gets to nicely ham things up with the demonic shenanigans, while he gets a little concerned and then panicked regarding his wife’s behaviour. Other worthy mentions are LaWanda Page, as the family’s maid Elsie- who gives a rather comedic edge to the proceedings.
All in all, Mausoleum is an entertaining slice of 1980s schlock- with brutal & well-realized effects, and a blend of the camp & the nonsensical.
Moving onto this recent Blu-Ray release. We get a 4k scan of the film- this looks very good with nicely defined colours, even tonal balance, and all-round great picture clarity. This film was released on Vingure Syndrome a few years back- so it may well be that print, but it doesn’t matter as it looks wholly wonderful.
On the extras side, we get a nice selection of new things- we get a commentary track from respected genre writers/ critics by Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw. They start by discussing how the film was prosecuted in the UK in the 80s- meaning it never got a release at the time- with Newman recalling how he got the review tape sent to him in 1984, but of course never reviewed it- as it was taken off the market. They move on to compare the UK video nasty panic of the 1980s to that of the panic around horror comics in the 50s in the US. We find out that the scriptwriter of the film- had only this as her writing credit, with one of her other credits being an unnamed bit part in UK sitcom Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em. We find out the cemetery in the film was used for other films like Nightmare On Elm Street, Lethal Weapon 3, and Don’t Go In The Park. They move on to discuss the film's female lead- giving her bio, and we find out she was pushed for a time as a scream queen, she turned up in Playboy Centrefolds, and had bit parts in TV/ film- she was thirty-eight when she appeared in the film to hand. They discuss how the film featured more than a few enduringly awkward acting in the film's smaller roles. Later on, they comment on effects secens, and ponder if they were filmed by the effects artist- as these scenes differ from the rest of the film. They chat about how the film deals with the concept of possession and other films that do it better. They talk about this print of the film/ how good it looks, and of course much more. All in all a most informative & entertaining track from these two pros.
Otherwise, on the new side, we have the following: A Damn Good Reason( 52.38) which is an audio interview with actress Bobbie Bresee- this is visually backed by a good selection of photos, press clipings, etc. When You Comin’ Back, Marjoe?(19.46) a video essay on the life and career of actor Marjoe Gortner by author John Harrison. Babysitting Monsters (22.43) interview with special effects artist Christopher Biggs. Cursed Auras (29.48) which finds genre expert/ author Stephen Thrower giving his usual in-depth look at the film- moving from its troubled production, onto discussing the cast, and of course the film in general. So all in all an excellent selection of new extras.
We also get a few archive extras from the Vingure Syndrome release. Taking in a commentary track with Bobbie Bresee and Lee Christian, an eight-minute interview with effects artist John Carl Buechler, trailers, TV spots, and a promotion gallery.
The finished release is ltd to 3000 copies. With a rigid slipcase with exclusive artwork by Graham Humphreys. A Perfect-bound book with essays by John Martin, Darrell Buxton and Mikel Koven, and six collectors’ art cards.
If you enjoy whacked-out 80’s horror schlock with some neat effects, and not much logic/sense- then Mausoleum is for you. With Treasured Films giving us another stellar reissue- with great extras/ bonuses- so they are very much a label to keep an eye on!.