Verdict
Summary
Synapse has just released a premium 4K Ultra HD / Blu-ray 3-disc box set of Blue Sunshine that has both the ultra HD 4K disc, the standard Blu-ray, and a CD soundtrack, and this is by far the most comprehensive and deluxe treatment this film has ever received. The presentation is stupendous, and all three discs are encased in a gorgeous slipcover, which fits snugly inside a hard shell case with original artwork. This release rivals anything Vinegar Syndrome or Blue Underground, or any other boutique label has ever released, and should be counted amongst the best releases of the year. It’s simply that awesome.
Plot:
A man finds himself on the run for murders he didn’t commit and he realizes that he’s part of a conspiracy.
Review:
Jerry (Zalman King, who later became the king of mainstream erotic films) is a yuppie with a girlfriend who adores him, and they’re at a get together at a cabin in the woods one evening with some friends when all of a sudden one of their friends completely flips out when his hair falls out (literally all at once), and he becomes a crazed-eyed wacko who sprints off into the darkness. Thinking that it was some kind of prank, Jerry’s friends all leave and go home, leaving Jerry alone with three female companions. He goes off to search for their friend in the woods, but the guy returns before he does, and brutally murders all three of the women in the cabin and burns all their bodies in the fireplace. When Jerry comes back, he is stunned to find what has happened and he chases the wacko out to the nearest road where the guy gets run over by a semi truck, but Jerry is then blamed for the murders. Instead of sticking around to answer some questions, he sprints off, wounded and afraid, and suddenly there’s a manhunt for him. Simultaneously, there are other remarkably similar events going on: Murders committed by bald psychos are being reported, and as Jerry slinks around town under the radar, he does some investigating: Ten years ago, some young people at Stanford University all partook of a psychedelic drug called “Blue Sunshine” (LSD) that is having a serious side effect now of all times. Everyone who took the drug is now experiencing intense migraines, sudden hair loss, culminating in a complete psychotic breakdown with murderous tendencies. Is there a conspiracy? Well, as Jerry gets closer to the truth he crosses paths with a politician who is about to be elected to office, and the man has connections to Blue Sunshine …
From writer / director Jeff Lieberman, Blue Sunshine is a cool little horror film that feels like a slasher at times and a conspiracy thriller at others. It’s not a perfect movie by any means, and it ends on a totally unsatisfying note and tries to cover it up with some text that explains what happens next, but it has a weird, off-kilter style of its own that really belongs only to itself. Lieberman always made interesting little films, and I don’t think he ever made a bad movie and Blue Sunshine is one of his best-known films, and rightly so. It’s got a ’70s vibe that resonates.
Synapse has just released a premium 4K Ultra HD / Blu-ray 3-disc box set of Blue Sunshine that has both the ultra HD 4K disc, the standard Blu-ray, and a CD soundtrack, and this is by far the most comprehensive and deluxe treatment this film has ever received. The presentation is stupendous, and all three discs are encased in a gorgeous slipcover, which fits snugly inside a hard shell case with original artwork. This release rivals anything Vinegar Syndrome or Blue Underground, or any other boutique label has ever released, and should be counted amongst the best releases of the year. It’s simply that awesome.
Bonus Materials
- 4K restoration of the original 35mm camera negative mastered in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
- Lossless English DTS-HD Master Audio original theatrical mono and a 5.1 surround sound mix supervised by director Jeff Lieberman
- Two audio commentaries featuring director Jeff Lieberman
- New introduction to the film by director Jeff Lieberman
- Archival 2003 interview with director Jeff Lieberman
- “Lieberman on Lieberman” video interview
- Channel Z “Fantasy Film Festival” interview with Mick Garris and Jeff Lieberman
- Fantasia Film Festival 4K Premiere Q&A with moderator Michael Gingold and director Jeff Lieberman
- Anti-drug “scare films”: LSD-25 (1967) and LSD: Insight or Insanity? (1968), courtesy of the American Genre Film Archive
- Jeff Lieberman’s first film The Ringer (Remastered in 4K by Synapse Films from the original camera negative)
- Theatrical trailers
- Still gallery
- Liner notes booklet by Jeff Lieberman, featuring a chapter on the making of Blue Sunshine from his book Day of the Living Me: Adventures of a Subversive Cult Filmmaker from the Golden Age
- Limited edition fold-out poster
- Limited edition remastered CD soundtrack (13 tracks)
