‘Did you ever hear the words’
Blue Sunshine is a 1978 American science-fiction horror film directed and written by Jeff Lieberman (Squirm, Just Before Dawn) and starring Zalman King and Deborah Winters.
The film has become a cult item among horror fans, remembered mainly for its creatively weird atmosphere and offbeat plot.
In October 2014, it was announced that Lieberman and Edgar Lansbury were developing a remake. Lieberman commented: “Edgar and I agree that the theme of the film—decisions we made in our youth coming back to haunt us in horrific ways as adults—will resonate well with Millennials…”
In the midst of a party, a reveller croons to the rest of the room and has his hair suddenly pulled off by a curious friend. The bald crooner then has a psychotic break and starts killing everyone.
Jerry Zipkin (Zalman King), is wrongly accused of the murders and tries to gather evidence to prove his innocence with the help of Alicia Sweeney (Deborah Winters). He discovers that ten years earlier, a group of college kids had taken a new form of LSD called “Blue Sunshine,” which causes its users to lose their hair and become homicidal maniacs many years after their trip is over…
Reviews:
“When characters start sweating or complaining about noise, you know it’s only a matter of time before they peel off a wig, roll up their eyes, and go bonkers. The over-the-top killing-spree set pieces are really entertaining and satirical—the noises that trigger the insanity include disco music and overly chatty, cutesy children.” DVD Verdict
“Blue Sunshine is a miraculously brilliant low budget feature that revels in its inability to be classified. It’s a prime example of filmmaking simply for the sake of filmmaking…no more and no less. The ’70s certainly were a glorious time for cinematic wonders!” Monsters at Play
“There’s a touch of artfulness to the direction and the tone is good and I like this whole deal of a number of characters, any one of which might snap and go totally homicidal. I did get a little tired of Jerry and his inarticulate moping.” Cinema de Merde
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“Blue Sunshine proves baffling, shocking and unintentionally hilarious from moment to moment, as Lieberman’s direction works both for and against his high concept premise. King’s performance is laughably bad, but wholly in keeping with the film’s wayward tone. What emerges in the end is a truly unique late night experience…” Screen Anarchy
Release:
Blue Sunshine was released on special edition DVD by Synapse Entertainment in 2003.
In June 2016, FilmCentrix released a Blu-ray/DVD:
“The presumed lost negative was found in 2014 and Lieberman took the 10 reels and supervised a 4K scan using Kodak’s Digital ICE system. The results are stunning, with the normally muted looking film bursting with color and detail … You get the DVD, the Blu-ray, a separate CD of the Gross’ stunning soundtrack, a wealth of special features (including new interviews with Lieberman, script supervisor Sandy King and stars Robert Walden and Richard Crystal) as well as a new Lieberman commentary.” Shock Till You Drop
