The Shiver of the Vampires Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

The Shiver of the Vampires Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 20, 2017

Jean Rollin's "The Shiver of the Vampires" a.k.a. "Le Frisson des Vampires" (1971) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of German label Wicked-Vision Media. The supplemental features on the disc include a massive collection of promotional materials; audio commentary by Jean Rollin; reconstructed German version of the film; alternate footage; audio commentary by film historians Christian Keßler and Pelle Felsch; and a lot more. In French, with optional English and German subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

There are horror films, there are Gothic horror films, and then there are Jean Rollin’s films. There are a few of Rollin’s films that perhaps fit nicely between the first and second group, but the majority of them don’t. They are quite simply in a category of their own, bending genre rules in unique ways that make them virtually impossible to compare to other genre films. This does not automatically make them brilliant, they are just very different films that demand to be viewed and appreciated without traditional genre expectations.

The Shiver of the Vampires was completed in the early ‘70s, at a time when Rollin was already playing with different themes and looking to alter the type of ambience that traditional Gothic horror films promoted. There is a whiff of the dark elegance that defines some of Mario Bava’s early films in it, but halfway through it Rollin dramatically shifts its tonal balance and turns it into a wacky psychedelic rebel that might have had a few too many joints. It is true. The film’s entire attitude changes, and at one point it looks like Rollin might have been only a reel away from asking the stars to get rid of their clothes so that he can continue shooting an adult fairy tale of some sort. (By the way, some decades later Italian director Joe D’Amato, who earned the respect of many horror and exploitation fans with several wild films during the ‘70s and ‘80s, actually did precisely that and ended his career in the adult business. Rollin also did some adult films, under an alias, but he went back and forth between softcore and hardcore material while continuing to shoot standard films). So, the film undergoes a very significant transformation and in the end leaves its audience in a very different place.

So how effective is this shift?

The general rule with all of Rollin’s films is that the bolder they are, the more interesting they become. However, there are films in his oeuvre where the ‘different’ material becomes either too silly or the production values are so poor that the entire project essentially self-destructs. (Once Upon a Virgin is a perfect example of such a film). The Shiver of the Vampires is one of the more entertaining Rollin films, though not one of his most effective. It follows closely two newlyweds (Sandra Julian and Jean-Marie Durand) who have just started their honeymoon trip but temporarily change their plans and decide to visit an ancient castle somewhere in the countryside owned by distant cousins of the bride. Shortly after they enter the castle, however, they discover that the cousins have disappeared and that a mysterious beauty (Dominique) who emerges from a giant clock is now calling the shots. The newlyweds still decide to spend the night there and by the early morning hours, their relationship is forever changed.

The title of the film makes it obvious that there will be at least one vampire that will do some naughty things, so what is unclear is just how much fun there really is to be had. Some quite bizarre twists poke fun at horror/vampire film clichés but ultimately this isn’t the wild psychedelic romp that Rollin likely would have delivered with a bigger budget. So, expect to see a very different film that does not play by the rules, but at the same time keep in mind that as wacky as the narrative might be, this isn’t one of Rollin’s wildest efforts.

The Shiver of the Vampires Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.64:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jean Rollin's The Shiver of the Vampires arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Wicked-Vision Media.

I own the North American release that Redemption produced in 2012 and after doing some direct comparisons between the two I have to say that I am undecided as to which one has a more accurate presentation of The Shiver of the Vampires. This German release is apparently sourced from a new 2K master struck from the original camera negative and the overall appearance of the film is really quite different. The most drastic change is the new color scheme, which promotes a stronger and better saturated range of yellow and brown nuances while it tones down the red hues in key segments (compare the screencapture where the two girls have the candle holders). Brightness levels are also rebalanced and in quite a few segments the change is indeed positive. Furthermore, depth actually appears slightly improved, with shadow definition also becoming more convincing during the darer/indoor footage. There are no traces of recent problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments, but it is quite easy to tell that ideally grain exposure and density should be quite a better. Image stability is good, but as it was the case on the Redemption release some shaky transitions remain, and there are also light scratches and specks that still pop up here. Finally, there appear to be some minor but noticeable framing discrepancies, but I just can't definitively tell which ones are correct. In fact, while viewing the two releases to take notes for my comparisons it was almost impossible to tell where they exist. All in all, I think that this more recent transfer has a very pleasing organic appearance and I even prefer some of the coloring choices here as they seem more in sync with the psychedelic nature of the film, but there are also a few segments where the current color grading looks a bit too strong to be entirely accurate. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

The Shiver of the Vampires Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, and German: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English, French, and German subtitles are provided.

I viewed the film with the original French track. Some minor unevenness is again present but overall balance is still pretty good. What is more important to note is that there are no distracting distortions or audio dropouts. In fact, for he most part the French track is actually surprisingly good, with dynamic intensity in particular being pretty much where it needs to be for a period film of this caliber.

The Shiver of the Vampires Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction - a quick introduction to the film by Jean Rollin. In English, with optional German subtitles. (5 min).

• German Version - presented here is a German reconstruction of a German version of the film, which includes additional explicit footage shot by a German director. It is a strange reconstruction that reminds of the many different more explicit cuts that Jess Franco's films had in France. In German and French, with German and English subtitles. (85 min).

• German Version with Audio Commentary - the German version of the film is presented with audio commentary by film historians Pelle Felsch, Daniel Pereé and Ludger Holmenkamm In German.

• Audio Commentary by Jean Rollin - this is arguably the most valuable feature on the entire release. Director Jean Rollin discusses in great detail how the film was shot, lit, and edited, as well as the unique tone of the narrative. The commentary is in French, with optional English and German subtitles.

• Audio Commentary by Christian Keßler and Pelle Felsch - audio commentary for the main version of the film.

• Alternate Scene - this alternative scene features additional explicit footage, which might have been intended for the German version but turned out to be too strong. (5 min).

• Alternate Footage/German Version I - additional alternative footage for the German version. (6 min).

• Alternate Footage/German Version II - additional alternative footage for the German version. (6 min).

• Alternate Footage/German Version III - additional alternative footage for the German version. (3 min).

• Alternate Footage/German Version IV - additional alternative footage for the German version. (3 min).

• Rouge Vif - Le Frisson des Vampires - this new featurette includes clips from new interviews with production assistant Jean-Noël Delamarre, production assistant Natalie Perrey. and others. In French, with optional English and German subtitles. (21 min) .

• Liberta - a very interesting short film directed by Jean-Noël Delamarre about people's perception of the power of cinematic images. In French, with optional English and German subtitles. (26 min).

• Foreword by Jean-Noël Delamarre - a new introduction to the short film by Jean-Noël Delamarre. In French, with optional English and German subtitles. (5 min).

• French Trailer - original French trailer for The Shiver of the Vampires. In French, not subtitled. (5 min).

• German Trailer - reconstructed German trailer. In German, not subtitled. (3 min).

• German Recut Trailer (2015) - different recut German trailer. In German, not subtitled. (4 min).

• U.S. Trailer - original U.S. trailer. In English, not subtitled. (5 min).

• Artwork Gallery - a collection of original promotional materials. (3 min).

• Lobby Cards - a collection of original German lobby cards. (2 min).

• Press Photos - a collection of original stills and photographs. (7 min).

• Additional Promotional Materials - additional original printed materials. (2 min).

• Booklet - 24-page illustrated booklet with writings on the film, in German, and promotional materials.

The Shiver of the Vampires Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I already had Redemption's release of Jean Rollin's The Shiver of the Vampires, but this German release truly treats the film in a completely different fashion. It is sourced from a recent 2K master that gives the film a very different look -- and perhaps rightfully so -- and has an extensive selection of bonus features, including a very illuminating audio commentary by the French director which comes with optional English-subtitles. It is really quite impressive. The best news, however, is that it is also Region-Free, which means that it can be played anywhere in the world. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.