Grapes of Death

Director Jean Rollin is one of the cinema's true iconoclasts. Even in his home country of France, Rollin is a cult figure at best, if he's even considered at all. But in the rest of Europe and abroad, Rollin has garnered a rabid following that can attest to his wild, idiosyncratic, surreal hybrid horror films of sex and death. He's an acquired taste, but for any lover of Euro-styled horror, he is a must. The Grapes of Death is one of his more commercial productions and has been branded as the first French gore film as well. It also marks the first time the director worked with the beautiful actress Brigitte Lahaie (who was working as a porn star at the time). The film is also notable for its eco-horror plot, and joins other likeminded productions such as Let the Sleeping Corpses Lie, Day of the Animals, The Crazies, and Prophecy. Synapse Films' DVD is superb and will hopefully convert many new fans to the peculiar talents of Rollin. Offered in its proper letterboxed aspect ratio of 1.66:1 (enhanced), the picture is very sharp and stable. Colors are nicely balanced and the image really puts to shame all previous "gray market" videotapes. The French language soundtrack (with optional English subtitles) sounds great, and along with the picture, has been given an excellent remastering. The disc also contains a very nice video interview with Rollin and star Lahaie (in English), a couple of original theatrical trailers, a photo slide show, director bio and filmography, and liner notes by genre critic Nigel J. Burrell. There are plenty of Rollin's films on DVD, but this release tops them all. Great stuff.