7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A young woman discovers that the pesticide being sprayed on vineyards is turning people into killer zombies.
Starring: Brigitte Lahaie, Marie-Georges Pascal, Félix Marten, Serge Marquand, Paul BiscigliaHorror | 100% |
Foreign | 51% |
Supernatural | 8% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.62:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
French: LPCM 2.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Kino-Lorber and Redemption Films are back with another round of films by low-budget Euro-sleaze auteur Jean Rollin, best known for his many, many, many lesbian vampire movies. His penchant for sapphic bloodsuckers certainly defined his early career—which blended le fantastique and dreamy surrealism with campily erotic softcore—but by the late 1970s, Rollin had transitioned to shooting more straightforward grindhouse pornos, making eleven in two short years under the pseudonyms "Michael Gentil" and "Robert Xavier." His following three movies under his own name are among his most unusual, and show a willingness to explore some new thematic territory. 1978's The Grapes of Death is a kind of French-ified version of George Romero's The Crazies, the following year's Fascination looks at sanguinary obsession from a different and surprisingly elegant perspective, and 1980's The Night of the Hunted is a strange piece of proto-Cronenbergian psycho-oddity. Kino/Redemption released Fascination a few months ago, but this week we'll be taking a look at Grapes and Hunted.
If you've been following Kino-Lorber and Redemption Films' series of Jean Rollin releases, you'll already know what to expect from The Grapes of Death's Blu-ray treatment—a 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer of a print that's essentially presented "as-is." White and black specks, bits of debris, small scratches—the age-related damage is near-constant. As regrettable as it may be, no one is going to spend the time and money to do a frame-by-frame restoration of a niche title like this. As I've argued before, though, I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing. For one, the gritty print does enhance the mood of the film in a way—it has a grimy authenticity—and two, the lack of any digital cleanup means less room for other picture quality blunders like overzealous digital noise reduction and edge enhancement, neither of which are present here. The simple act of remastering the movie in high definition yields wonderful results. While there are plenty of amateurishly out-of-focus shots, clarity is greatly improved from DVD, and color is vibrant and stable, with good contrast and image density. The Grapes of Death certainly looks better on Blu-ray than it has since it first made the rounds on Europe's grindhouse circuit.
Like the print, the The Grapes of Death's uncompressed Linear PCM 2.0 audio track also has its age-related issues, although none are overtly detrimental to the viewing experience. You'll hear a low-level hiss that's near constant for the duration of the film, accompanied by occasional crackles and splice pops, but again, this seems appropriate somehow considering the subject matter. I just don't know if I'd even want a Jean Rollin movie to sound pristine, you know? I do love the film's score—all organs and synthesizers doing eerie minor key arpeggios—and the music has has a wobbly, textured quality that's perfectly creepy. Since the film was shot silently, the French dialogue was all dubbed in post, and it's bright and fairly clear at the top of the mix. The disc includes optional English subtitles.
One of the more unusual zombie movies of the 1970s, The Grapes of Death makes up its own rules for the afflicted-but-not-quite-undead and shambles along at Jean Rollin's typically dreamy, unhurried pace. Still, compared to some of the director's earlier and more surreal films, this one is practically commercial. Consequently, The Grapes of Wrath makes a good entry point into Jean Rollin's body of work. Kino-Lorber and Redemption Films deliver another "as is" Blu-ray transfer—the print is covered in debris and the audio has its own age-related issues—but this is certainly the best the film has ever looked on home video, and I'm glad someone is taking the time and effort to release these cult titles in high definition.
La morte vivante
1982
Zombi 2 / Zombie Flesh Eaters
1979
50th Anniversary Edition
1968
Standard Edition
1985
2018
2010
Dèmoni 2... l'incubo ritorna | Standard Edition
1986
La noche del terror ciego | Standard Edition
1972
La rose de fer
1973
哭悲 / Ku bei | Includes Clearwater and Fiendish Funnies | Slip on retailer press
2021
Cuando acecha la maldad
2023
Revenge in the House of Usher / El hundimiento de la casa Usher
1983
E tu vivrai nel terrore - L'aldilà | Glow in the Dark Cover | Limited Edition to 3000
1981
곤지암
2018
Grave
2016
부산행 / Busanhaeng
2016
2020
Paura nella città dei morti viventi | Standard Edition
1980
창궐 / Chang-gwol
2018
Quella villa accanto al cimitero
1981