Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

The Other Side of the Underneath Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 25, 2022

Note: This version of this film is available on Blu-ray as part of House of Psychotic Women Rarities Collection.

Kier-la Janisse has been on the busy side for Severin Films lately, what with any number of supplemental productions as well as both this latest collection and the earlier, in some ways more grandiose, All the Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium of Folk Horror. In that regard, it's kind of ironic in a way that at least some "folk horror" outings tend to feature women who are perceived to be psychotic, or perhaps if not afflicted to that level, emotionally troubled, in plot devices that see "innocents" confronted with some otherworldly horror that no one else believes is real. The "psychoses" in this set are probably more overtly manifest, in that they seem to be objective (mis?)behaviors rather than how others are interpreting those (mis?)behaviors, but one way or the other this is another rather remarkable collection of films curated by Janisse that should attract some niche attention. This set is kind of a companion piece to the eponymous tome Janisse published around a decade ago, which she termed "an autobiographical topography of female neurosis in horror and exploitation films", and which is being republished in tandem with this set in an expanded version (Severin is offering a deluxe bundle featuring the book).

Films documenting ostensible insanity and institutionalization have been a mainstay of film at least since The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, but that story of course featured a male protagonist. Films focusing on women suffering from some kind of mental and/or emotional issues who end up in an asylum are a bit of a subgenre unto themselves, and it's rather interesting to see how films featuring this setup have approached the subject. Some, like 1946's Bedlam, posit a mad doctor who conspiratorially commits a young woman to his "house of horrors". Others, like 1948's The Snake Pit, took a more "clinical" approach, offering a portrait of kindly, helpful psychiatrists who were attempting to aid a troubled woman sort through her issues. While many of these "damsel in [institutional] distress" have painted damning pictures of hospital life (Frances is another example, albeit one highly fictionalized), kind of interestingly, these films almost always offer an "outsider's" perspective of what life for a supposedly "crazy woman" in an institution might be like. And that's where The Other Side of Underneath radically reinvents this subgenre.

The Other Side of Underneath is on its (rather opaque) surface a "simple" story about a troubled woman (portrayed by Susanka Fraey) who has attempted suicide as the film opens and who then finds herself (or does she?) in what can only be described as a madhouse in any of its connotations. But what's so viscerally striking about this film is how "interior" it is with respect to how it depicts the fractured psyche of its main character. This is in some ways the most intense presentation of what actually being mentally ill is like (the "diagnosis" here is schizophrenia, for what that's worth) that may have ever been committed to celluloid. The film began as a theater piece done by writer-director (and unbilled co-star) Jane Arden, and it does offer a blatant theatricality, albeit kind of in a drug addled Commedia dell'Arte way (as some of the supplements on this disc get into, there was rampant drug use, including liberal megadoses of LSD, during the shoot).

With a soundtrack filled with brittle, atonal string music and a variety of weird, hallucinogenic effects, along with a visual presentational style that can only be termed psychedelic, The Other Side of Underneath may frankly not make much "sense" in the traditional way, but perhaps appropriately it almost sidelines the rational brain to appeal directly to the Id. It's an unforgettable viewing experience, though one that few would probably instantly term "enjoyable".

The Other Side of Underneath is the outlier in this set in terms of its previous availability, in that it has had a prior Blu-ray release in the UK courtesy of the British Film Institute. Those interested may want to look at Svet Atanasov's The Other Side of the Underneath Blu-ray review of that release.

The Other Side of the Underneath Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Other Side of Underneath is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.34:1. The back cover of this release states that this was "recently restored in 2K by the British Film Institute", and judging solely by screencaptures and some of Svet's comments about the UK BFI release, I'd say this one is virtually interchangeable in terms of video quality. The palette is rather nicely suffused throughout, and some of the outdoor material, while patently bizarre (as if the indoor material weren't), pops very well, with some vivid greens and reds in particular. The 16mm source means grain can be quite gritty looking at times, but I noticed no real compression issues. As Svet mentioned in his review of the BFI release, there is some recurrent age related wear and tear, but nothing I'd personally term overly distracting.

The Other Side of the Underneath Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Other Side of Underneath features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track which, much like the visual component, is a virtual kaleidoscope of sonic weirdness. String cues, some of which at least sound sul ponticello (i.e., that dry, abrasive sound resulting from drawing the bow across the bridge of an instrument), are blended with everything from animal noises to clanging metal to bizarre ritualistic gobbledygook (a technical term), making the listening component as overwhelming as the watching side of things. Dialogue is only offered in dribs and drabs here, but is presented cleanly for the most part. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Other Side of the Underneath Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction by Kier-la Janisse, Author of House of Psychotic Women (HD; 9:03) is accessible as either a standalone supplement under the Bonus Menu, or under the Play Menu as an option, which is authored to lead directly to the feature (the Play Menu also offers a Play Without Introduction option).


• Extended Workprint Version of the Film (HD; 2:09:38) is a fascinating "early draft" of the film.


• Sheila Allen Interview (HD; 28:35)


• Natasha Morgan Interview (HD; 9:48)


• Extended Sequences (HD; 33:59)


• Penny Slinger Live at the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies (HD; 2:14:19) is a really interesting if also intermittently disturbing interview with Slinger, who recounts some of the trauma surrounding the production and its aftermath.


• Penny Slinger: Out of the Shadows Trailer (HD; 1:25)

The Other Side of the Underneath Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Other Side of Underneath is virtually a paradigmatic example of "experimental film", and it needs to be accepted on its own decidedly peculiar terms. This is not an "easy" watch (and/or listen), but it's unusually provocative and it certainly makes the case that so-called "hysterical" women may in fact not be controlled by The Man, even if in this case The Man happens to be a female "therapist". Technical merits are generally solid, and the supplements well done. With caveats noted, Recommended.