Laurin

For any physical media collector how one organizes that collection is an intensely personal decision. Alphabetical by title? Grouped by genre? Year of release? Separated by director? Either way, shelving and rearranging new purchases is an important part of the process. But where do you put a film like Laurin (1989), director Robert Sigl’s slightly supernatural serial-killer period piece that slips between the cracks of easy description and seems to demand a category all its own.

Essentially orphaned after the death of her mother, Laurin (Dora Szinetar) is convinced that her new teacher, Mr. Van Rees (Karoly Eperjes), is responsible for the disappearance of several children in the village. And her suspicions makes her a vulnerable target as the killer attempts to cover his tracks.

A German film shot in Hungary with English-dubbed dialogue, Laurin feels out of step with reality from the get-go. Sigl mixes and matches visual influences ranging from Bava to Bergman almost indiscriminately while keeping a surprisingly tight rein on the dreamlike narrative. It feels like an authentic period piece set in 1903, complete with detailed props and costumes, but could also be taking place entirely inside its characters’ heads.

The plot itself is a variation on the boy-who-cried-wolf scenario with cinematic echoes stretching from Tom Sawyer and The Night of the Hunter to the recently re-released Lady in White. But Laurin is a different sort of protagonist: emotionally fragile yet inexplicably wise. Young actress Dora Szinetar’s eyes are deep pools of mystery that Sigl’s camera drowns in at every opportunity. While the movie treads on familiar ground, the path it chooses leads you into a dark forest with no trail of breadcrumbs to follow.

Visual Vengeance’s collector’s edition celebrates the film’s 35th anniversary with a director-approved 2K HD Blu-ray, complete and uncut, taken from the original 35mm elements. It’s got a gorgeous “European” look, intensely cinematic but with no trade-offs in detail, clarity or color (horror fans will love the pops of oh-so Italian reds, greens and blues). The slate of extras is equally impressive, including two of Sigl’s short films, interviews, archival Making Of, commentary and VHS rough cut that runs ten-minutes longer but looks to be captured off a flatbed editor. Packaging includes slipcover, liner notes and set of collectible postcards.

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