All kinds of movies were made and released in the 1970s, but if you had to pick one genre that reigned supreme, well, you probably couldn't.
The closest you might come would be the realm of paranoid conspiracy thrillers -- a subgenre that's existed in every decade but found its most classic examples in the 70s -- and if you had to pick just one example that doesn't get the love it deserves? Well, again, there are a lot of films that fit that description.
Ask me, though, and I might just choose Jeff Lieberman's trippy tale of drugs, psychos, and unexpected hair loss, 1977's Blue Sunshine.
Jerry (Zalman King, future director of late-night classics like Two Moon Junction and Wild Orchid) is having a good time at a friend's party when one of the guest's wigs falls off accidentally. The woman panics, kills several partygoers, and then dies in traffic before she can off Jerry too. This seems weird to Jerry, so he looks into the woman's past and discovers a group of people who sampled a special batch of LSD the decade prior and are only now experiencing some unexpected side effects. They're losing their hair, and they're becoming homicidal maniacs.
Lieberman's six feature films see him working and finding success within genre constraints with films like Squirm and Just Before Dawn, even as the bulk of his filmography lands as cult favorites at best. Both his killer worm horror and his slasher made him a known entity in the realm of low-budget horror, but it's Blue Sunshine that proved he could stretch beyond those strict limitations.
Horror runs through the film in its killings and hairless terrors, but there are other genres and themes at play here as well. It's a paranoid thriller, a conspiracy thriller, and a cautionary tale about the need for guard rails on our idealism. It's also a bit messy and underbaked, and it's clear that Lieberman's ideas, interests, and ambitions dwarf his available budget. Clear limitations aside, though, Blue Sunshine still delivers with some chilling, thrilling, and unforgettable sequences.
King was probably miscast here, as his performance is a bit too lifeless and listless, but that lack of mooring finds some benefit as Jerry is left on the run. Instead, it's the growing situation that powers the film, as a politician on the rise enters into the mix as well. The paranoia comes through increasingly well, as there's almost a cult-like feel to those who partook in the special LSD, and the bald, maniacal rage is legitimately frightening at times. The end result is a strange descent into the fear that past choices and current secrets will be your downfall.
Synapse's 4K offering brings the film to renewed life with sharp clarity and bold colors. There's a vibrancy here that was missing from past releases, and it works to enhance the impact of bloody kills, crazy eyes, and bald domes. It looks and sounds great, and that visual appeal extends to the packaging, as a hard slipcase with art on both sides houses a traditional slip (with more new art) and a three-disc (4K UHD, Blu-ray, soundtrack CD) case including a poster and a booklet with an excerpt from Lieberman's book.
Extras are a mix of the mostly old and occasionally new supplements, including commentaries with the director, interviews and Q&As, and old short films from Lieberman's early career.
Another cult favorite that found new life on 4K from Synapse last year is 1986's rock and roll nightmare, Trick or Treat. It's heavy metal horror poking fun at the daytime TV panic over devilish music corrupting the youth, and it's directed by... Charles Martin Smith?
Eddie Weinbauer (Marc Price) never stood a chance. He looks kind of nerdy, he lacks self-confidence, and his taste in music leans towards the loud, raucous, and "dangerous." He takes a hit when his favorite heavy metal rock star, Sammi Curr (Tony Fields), dies in a hotel fire, but things get weird when Eddie gets his hands on Sammi's final, unreleased album. He plays it backwards -- as you do -- and soon Sammi is back from the dead and unleashing carnage on those within earshot.
The conservative, daytime talk show furor over heavy metal music in the 1980s might be difficult to imagine in these more enlightened times [pause for grumbled disagreement], but it was an absolute circus. Uptight parents, fearful politicians, and daytime hacks turned the issue of violent, dirty lyrics and devil worship into a big deal, and Trick or Treat pokes good fun at all of those losers while also telling the story of a lonely, misunderstood teen.
Neither element is great, necessarily, but both deliver enough entertainment value to make the film enjoyable. Gene Simmons plays a shock rock DJ, and Ozzy Osbourne goes even further by portraying a man of the cloth who takes issue with the devilish music. It's a fun bit.
Sammi's return from the dead also brings some entertaining thrills, although if you're like me, you'll wish his kills were less about electrocuting people into vapor and more about exploding them into gory giblets. That last point probably speaks more to Smith's demeanor than anything else, as graphic violence seems well outside his wheelhouse. This was Smith's first feature as a director (before finding success with family friendly franchise starters like Air Bud and Dolphin Tale), and you can also see him finding his footing with pacing and tone.
Synapse brings Trick or Treat to 4K with a new restoration from the 35mm negative mastered in Dolby Vision, and it's a definite visual improvement over previous releases. It's a colorful film, at times, and the picture presents them with detail and vibrancy where appropriate. Similarly, the new 5.1 DTS audio track improves the clarity and presence of the film's various music interludes.
The 4K UHD disc comes with some worthwhile extras, including two commentary tracks -- one with Smith and one with the film's producer Michael S. Murphey and writer Rhet Topham -- and a separate audio track featuring the authors of a book on the satanic panic of the 1980s.
The big one is a feature-length documentary on the making of the film called Rock & Shock that includes new interviews with several key players in the film's production. We also get a featurette on the late Tony Fields, another on the film's shooting locations, and a selection of music videos, trailers, and marketing.