suspiria

With the release of his fifth feature film, Deep Red (1975), Dario Argento was probably starting to believe his own hype. As the “Italian Hitchcock,” he’d proven himself a bankable director of international thrillers (and one obscure Western) who’d inspired hundreds of imitators in his own country and abroad. The competition was getting fierce. So Argento fired off one last salvo into the crowded giallo genre that would end the debates and put him firmly back on top.

Deep Red is one of those films that catch a director working at the top of his game working with deceptive ease. David Hemmings, in a variation of his role in Blow Up, is the witness to a brutal crime who believes he saw a vital clue to the killer’s identity…but can’t quite recall the evidence of his own eyes. With the help of a nosy reporter (possible killer #1) and a fellow musician (possible killer #2), Hemmings stays one step ahead of a string of vicious murders that target anyone involved in the crime. Unlike many giallos to follow (even Argento’s) the plot of Deep Red actually makes sense and serves as a template for Italian filmmakers in the second half of the decade. Starting with a creepy childhood flashback (with equally creepy music to match from Goblin), several operatic murder sequences punctuated by Argento’s unmatched visual flourishes, the film is exactly what the director set out to create: a giallo to end all giallos.

Arrow Video's release uses a new 4K scan of the original negative, bouncing back and forth between undubbed sequences (using subtitles) and the English language track...or you can go the full Italian route and skip the headaches altogether. Extras include a commentary with Argento expert Thomas Rostock, several featurettes and interviews, a new visual essay and the Italian trailer.

In retrospect Argento's next film, Suspiria (1977), set the high water mark for the rest of his career, but also pulled the plug on any potential he had for straightforward commercial filmmaking. A Technicolor psychedelic nightmare set to an equally unsettling music score by the rock group Goblin, there is no other film quite like it in the horror genre. Yet its success encouraged Argento to drift away from traditional narratives, vivisecting his films into stylish highlight reels with few, if any, attention given to compelling characters.

But that doesn't make Suspiria any less essential. The plot involves the arrival of Suzy Bannion (Jessica Harper) at a prestigious German ballet school, which happens to coincide with a series of brutal murders. Together with a fellow student, she discovers the staff is actually a coven of witches who will do anything to protect their corrupt conspiracy. With Hitchcock's eye for interesting architecture and flair for grand guignol, Argento creates a dangerous fairy tale world that seeps into our reality. The use of color is unprecedented, awash in primary reds, greens and blues that only now, with the technological advances of blu-ray, can be accurately represented. The camera does most of the heavy lifting, but Jessica Harper's performance is an essential anchor for an audience under constant visual and aural attack. Suspiria transcends cinema's 24 fps barrier to become a true experience; and you owe it to yourself to see it at least once.

But for most horror fans, once just isn't enough. Especially when Synapse Film's long awaited blu-ray looks this good! The new 4K restoration is just a good as you might have heard and so is the beefed up soundtrack. Extras include two audio commentaries by Argento scholars, a 30-minute visual essay, tour of the German locations, interviews, alternate opening credits and an all-new anniversary retrospective. The supplementary material from Blue Underground's original DVD release is not duplicated here - neither is the accompanying soundtrack CD - so you might want to hang onto that one for a while.

While Shorts Programs are a common fixture at film festivals, most of the work simply disappears once the fest has wrapped up. But Path of Blood (2016), Eric Power's love letter to the classic samurai film created entirely out of South Park-style cut paper animation, actually evolved into a short feature after his initial short played at various festivals. Telling the story of a wandering ronin who undertakes a journey to challenge a legendary warlord, the film is rife with graphic dismemberments, jets of blood and deadly booby traps, lifting the formula of films like the Lone Wolf & Cub series with obvious - and ingenious - affection.

But expanding the running time steals away some of the impact; what was fascinating and clever at 10-minutes becomes a chore stretched out to 60. A true labor of love, Power learned new techniques as the film evolved, which makes for some truly eye-catching moments of surreal beauty and dimensionality mixed with an equal amount of tediously static dialogue (all admirably recorded in Japanese with English subtitles). Path of Blood ticks a couple of boxes for fans of animation and ultraviolent swordplay, but is a tough sell for anyone else.

Synapse Films' Blu-ray is a nice piece of work all the same, awash in the colors of animated sunsets and geysers of gore. Extras include a Making Of Featurette, trailers, image gallery and the original short that inspired it all.

The evolution of home video “extras” probably deserves a documentary all to themselves. Logically Unearthed & Untold: The Path to Pet Sematary should be attached to a special edition of Mary Lambert's 1988 film, but since there is no such thing, this in-depth breakdown is finally available on physical media all by itself. Beginning with the genesis of King's novel (which he shelved for a couple years because of the subject matter) and quickly shifting gears to cover the filming in his home state of Maine, directors Justin White and John Campopiano gather interviews from just about everyone involved, from the head greens keeper to the shuttle bus driver...everyone, that is, except King himself.

King's absence - along with the lack of any clips from the film - isn't as big an issue as you might think. Once the filmmaking machinery starts in motion, the project becomes collaboration; and Unearthed captures the logistical and creative challenges quite well. The decision to shoot in Maine gets most of the attention, using local talent and the unique New England scenery to try and come closer to King's vision. Lambert's film is by no means a classic, but she brought out the humanity in story in a way even George Romero (who was originally slated to direct) might not have achieved. Unearthed & Untold is obviously biased, but it should be! This is no critical analysis; it's a celebration of a film that has its fair share of superfans.

And they'll be happy to note even more extras on Synapse Film's blu-ray, including two audio commentaries, alternate scenes, interview, photos, more rare on-set footage and trailers.