Julie Darling Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Julie Darling Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf June 4, 2017

Writer/director Paul Nicholas had quite a year in 1983. He’s most famous as the helmer of “Chained Heat,” the controversial women-in-prison picture that starred Linda Blair and Sybil Danning. Lesser known is his other contribution to the film year: “Julie Darling,” which maintains the collaborative process with Danning. Ignoring good taste to run full steam ahead as an exploitation distraction, Nicholas cooks up a somewhat icky premise to play with for 90 minutes of suspicion, murder, and sex, toying with concepts of innocence and jealousy which, because this is a B-movie with little interest in morality, leads directly to incest, or at least the fantasy of it. “Julie Darling” isn’t polished work, and it certainly isn’t lovable, but for those with the ability to free themselves of expectation are likely to find a compelling offering of illness, and one that gleefully merges moves from “The Bad Seed” and softcore pornography to create a strange chiller that never bores.

Julie (Isabelle Mejias) is an introverted teenager who adores her surgeon father, Harold (Anthony Franciosa), and hates her judgmental stepmother, Irene (Cindy Girling). Making a world for herself in her bedroom, joined by pet snake Petey, Julie is horrified to learn that Irene is planning to send her to boarding school, pushing her into a social situation she doesn’t want. Instead of confronting her dismissive guardian, Julie gets her revenge through stillness, watching Irene as she’s murdered by Weston (Paul Hubbard), a violent grocery store delivery guy whose advances were rejected. Refusing to identify Weston to the cops, Julie prepares for alone time with her father, only to watch him move on to Susan (Sybil Danning), a single mother to young Dennis (Benjamin Schmoll). Bringing Susan into the household dynamic, with plans to marry her, Harold triggers Julie’s evil side, with the juvenile refusing to play nice as she menaces Dennis and rejects the possibility of a new mother, eventually searching for Weston, who’s on the run from the law, making more trouble for himself.

There’s nothing subtle about “Julie Darling,” which opens with a main title sequence that tracks Petey’s progress as he escapes from his cage and makes his way down to the dinner table, freaking out Irene, which delights her stepdaughter. The coiling serpent as symbolism isn’t profound, but Nicholas returns to it a few more times to sell the idea of biblical evil in the household, while Julie’s fascination with chess is also a favorite visual representation of the child’s intelligence against domestic opponents. And when higher-minded attempts at character shading don’t work, the picture goes all-out with Julie, imagining her as a gee-willickers figure of incorruptibility who’s slavish to her father’s approval and fond of guzzling chocolate Quik. That she’s not dressed in a romper and wearing pigtails is a surprising offering of restraint from Nicholas -- the last the movie sees.

Julie hates Irene, refusing to intervene with a hunting rifle when she discovers her stepmother suffering through a sexual assault orchestrated by Weston, a lowlife who sprints out of town when his life is spared by the kid, commencing a subplot that follows his misadventures with bar floozies and random cops, getting himself in more trouble. Julie is disturbed, lavishing Harold with attention, and her sexual interest in her own father isn’t downplayed, watching the teen request cuddle sessions in bed. It’s a genius move on Nicholas’s part to cast Danning as the new competition for Harold’s heart. Instead of yet another trophy wife to growl at, Julie is pitted against SYBIL DANNING, making her understandably nervous when dear old dad sexually responds to his new partner in ways she literally dreams about (the film isn’t good with simple suggestion), setting up a war of wills that could be more energetic, but “Julie Darling” provides some effective manipulations, including Dennis and his bad idea to hide inside an old refrigerator during play time with his new stepsister.

Julie Darling Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation is a little rough around the edges, but it offers a bright, clean look at the weirdness of "Julie Darling." Sharpness is maintained throughout, bringing out facial textures, making close-ups compelling, and costuming sustains fibrous qualities, offering detail on sweaters and suits. Locations are also open for survey, preserving distances. Colors are capable, best with bursts of primaries from clothing and greenery, and skintones are natural. Delineation is strong, securing evening activities. Grain is fine and filmic. The source isn't pristine, highlighting jumpy splices, minor blips of damage, and a faint yellow emulsion scratch that runs through a few reels. A couple of wiggly hairs are detected as well.

Julie Darling Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA has the advantage of being loud, and while it's not precise, clarity is generally good. Dialogue exchanges are confident, handling violent outbursts and hushed confessions. Scoring is supportive with adequate instrumentation, surging when necessary and never reaching distortive extremes. Atmospherics are inherently thin, but they remain understood. Hiss and pops carry throughout the listening experience, and there's a slight, very brief synch issue around the ten minute mark.

Julie Darling Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Intro (:28, SD) features a welcome from Sybil Danning and Isabelle Mejies, who encourages a viewing of "Julie Darling," but only if there's "nothing better to do."

• Commentary #1 features Mejies.

• Commentary #2 features Danning.

• Interview (15:37, SD) with Mejies is classic, as it's rare to come across a discussion of a movie with a lead actress who absolutely hates it. Mejies isn't a fan of "Julie Darling," mocking its terrible screenwriting and exploitation imagery, making it clear that her participation in the project was a career move, not a labor of love. Mejies discusses her career trajectory, with adventures in auditioning and the "Julie Darling" offer, which gifted her ten weeks in Berlin, becoming the highlight of the shoot. The actress offers some light commentary on her co- stars and the production's absence of tonality, eventually using the interview as "closure." Mejies goes on to discuss other professional accomplishments, including "Unfinished Business," "The Bay Boy," and "Meatballs III."

• Interview (20:36, SD) with Danning isn't quite as juicy as Mejies's contribution, but the genre icon remains interesting, exploring her early career, which put in her various disaster movies in the 1970s, and her transition to sex bomb status in films like "They're Playing with Fire." Danning also shares her thoughts on various co-stars, including the "Julie Darling" team.

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included.

Julie Darling Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Julie Darling" develops into a psychological game for a few brief moments, studying the titular teen's plans to get rid of Susan through a blackmail scheme, determined to reclaim all that was lost. Obviously, it's a ridiculous film, but Nicholas doesn't emphasize the campiness of Julie's actions, taking the material as seriously as one can while still offering gratuitous violence and sex to appease the effort's target demographic. It's an amusing feature, just ugly enough to beguile not repulse, and Mejias is quite effective in the lead role, using her big-eyed presence to project the proper amount of sugar and spice, while Danning grows more empowered as Susan begins to figure out what's going on. "Julie Darling" is the good kind of tastelessness, and while production might periodically lacks, Nicholas keeps the movie rolling along, finding enough weirdness and psychological disease to sustain entertainment value.