By Melissa Antoinette Garza
I first heard about Blue Sunshine 5 or so years ago. I rented it and thought it was absolutely fantastic. While attending a horror convention, I found the 2 disc special edition and couldn’t help but pick it up. I spent more than what I would have had I purchased it from Amazon or most bigwig online dealers, but sometimes I’d rather give money to the little guy.
Even at the higher price, it was well-worth the buy. The film has so many unique qualities. In a lot of ways it’s a dialogue driven zombie film. Though some have compared it to The Manchurian Candidate (1962) and Altered States (1980), I really disagree. All three are great movies in their own right and there are certainly small similarities, but Blue Sunshine has a different tone and atmosphere. If anything, I would say the film that it reminds me the most of is one of my personal favorites, the timeless classic The Stepford Wives (1975). The protagonists in both films share the same level of intensity while attempting to discover the truth before it’s too late.
Blue Sunshine opens as a man goes insane and kills three women. The main character Jerry (Zalman King) is accused of the crime. Rather than go to the police to proclaim his innocence, he goes on the run deciding to prove it himself.
Soon, more murders take place. The killers have all lost their minds and all of their body hair seemingly out of nowhere. They also have one other strange connection. Ten years prior, they had all gone to college together and taken the same strain of LSD.
The pace of the movie is fantastic, the acting is above-par and the plot is fascinating. The conclusion is absolutely fantastic and makes for one of the coolest scenes ever.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The strongest and best horror films emerged from the 70s. We were gifted with Black Christmas (1974), Race with the Devil (1975), Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things (1973), Halloween (1978), Messiah of Evil (1973) The Sentinel (1977) – the list goes on and on. Whether a mainstream success like The Omen (1976) or a barely known gem like Drive-In Massacre (1974), the 70s just GOT IT.
To this day, if I see a horror movie was made in the 70s, my expectations are elevated. I expect far more from one back then than anything now. The filmmakers back then understood the genre far better and always delivered smarter productions. That isn’t to say that there aren’t times when I’m pleasantly surprised nowadays. It does happen. Though there is an occasional mainstream big-budget film that is good, nowadays it’s typically the lower budget productions that deliver. When watching movies like Headspace (2005), Brainiac (2004), Her Heart Still Beats (2011 – a short), The Shadows (2010), etc., it’s easy to see that the creators love the genre and put their heart into the production. Unlike, individuals like Michael Bay who just sees dollar signs everywhere.
I do long for the days when horror reigned as King and the theaters were filled with great movie to offer. Maybe one day, once the general public gets sick of torture porn and found footage, real horror can take its rightful place on the big screen again. Until then, I will hope for the best and keep my fingers crossed that Insidious Chapter 2 (2013) and the new adaptation of Carrie (2013) are going to be worthwhile.
If not, I still have the 70s and great flicks like Blue Sunshine.
Scared Stiff Rating: 8/10 Blue Sunshine is one trip worth taking!
