Product Details

• Released on: 2003-11-04
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Special Edition, NTSC, Import
• Original language: English
• Running time: 90 minutes

Review
This odd yet intriguing blend of horror and thriller trappings lacks the craftsmanship to live up to its potential, but has won a cult following thanks to its mix of shocks and social commentary. The best element is director Jeff Lieberman's script, which infuses its drug/political paranoia plot with an undertone of criticism toward the wild hippies who became placid yuppies and populate the script with quirky but believable characters. Unfortunately, Blue Sunshine suffers from inconsistent acting; the biggest problem in this area is leading man Zalman King, who overdoes the method-acting theatrics in an attempt to make his character seem intense. However, Robert Walden turns in a witty, low-key performance as helpful doctor David Blume and Ray Young is downright terrifying as an ex-drug addict turned brutal bodyguard. Blue Sunshine also dilutes its effectiveness with some experiments that don't work (for example, a scene where King enters the house and "relives" the murders that happened there) and an anti-climactic ending that leaves too many loose ends untied. However, it remains compelling despite these flaws thanks to Lieberman's ability to create taut suspense set pieces; highlights include a scene in which a deranged victim of the title drug pursues the children she is babysitting with a butcher knife and an unexpectedly brutal attack that happens in a placid condo setting. Ultimately, Blue Sunshine is too uneven to please a general audience, but offers enough moments of interest for fans of horror films and offbeat cult items. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide

On the DVD
New anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1), supervised by director Jeff Lieberman
Brand new Dolby Digital 5.1 remix created and mixed for home video environments
Original mono soundtrack
Full running audio commentary by director Jeff Lieberman
Original short film "The Ringer" directed by Jeff Lieberman
Still gallery
Rare original theatrical tailer
Liner notes
30-minute video interview: "Lieberman on Lieberman"
Never-before-released original soundtack CD available only in this package

Synopsis
Several former college students find their former drug experiences catching up with them in an unexpected and terrifying manner in this clever horror outing. Jerry Zipkin (Zalman King) is a bright but troubled man in his late twenties who graduated from Stanford University in 1968 but hasn't had much luck getting his life in order since then. One night Jerry attends a party with a few old college buddies, and is shocked when one of them, Frannie (Richard Crystal), suddenly loses all his hair in a single lump and goes on a bloody rampage. When circumstantial evidence makes Jerry a key suspect in the murders of three women at the party, he sets out to find out what happened, and with the help of another school friend, surgeon David Blume (Robert Walden), he discovers a link between Frannie's bizarre behavior and several similar incidents which recently occurred. In each case, the killers attended Stanford in the late '60s, and all had used Blue Sunshine, a potent but tainted variety of LSD sold by Ed Flemming (Mark Goddard), a bootleg acid chemist who is now a respected mainstream political candidate. Jerry struggles to stay one step ahead of the law as he tries to piece the story together, knowing that another victim of the drug could go insane at any moment. Blue Sunshine was directed by Jeff Lieberman, who has two other cult favorites to his credit, Squirm and Just Before Dawn. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Customer Reviews

Tune in, turn on, and get bald...
The late 60's...a time of rebellion, psychedelic rock 'n' roll, free love, and day trippin' with the help of mind bending, consciousness altering narcotics. To quote Timothy Leary, counterculture icon of the time, "We are now in the psycho, chemical age. In the future it's not going to be what book you read, but what chemical do you use to open your mind to accelerate learning." But what of the harmful effects? Oh, we were warned...Jack Webb did so on a weekly (or weakly, if you're so inclined) basis on TV's Dragnet. Even Wavy Gravy warned us to avoid the brown acid. Sometimes we found out where it was at wasn't where it was really at, if you get my drift.

Blue Sunshine (1976) tells a story that involves the physical and psychological effect of a particular kind of drug many years after its' initial use. The film starts out at a party, a real groovy happening, that soon evolves into a massacre as a guy, who looks a lot like actor John Cryer but isn't, becomes unglued and goes on a psychotic killing spree. Jerry Zipkin, played by Zalman King, who was at the party, soon finds himself in the position of being falsely accused of the crimes and on the run from the police.

Jerry, unable to fathom why his friend went completely bonkers and killed those people and then attacked him, is searching for answers in a desperate attempt to not only clear his name, but also learn exactly what happened. As Jerry delves deeper and deeper into the mystery, more unusual killings occur. The nature of the attackers is similar, right down to certain physical characteristics, alopecia (a loss of hair), glassy-eyed stare, super human strength, and homicidal tendencies. It's soon found that all the people who went schizoid have a common denominator in that they all attended the same university at the same time and all have a link to a politician currently running for congress. Will Jerry learn the meaning of Blue Sunshine before any more killings take place, and before the police capture him?

Blue Sunshine, written and directed by Jeff Lieberman, does have Hitchcockian elements with the whole 'falsely accused man trying to clear his name' theme, but also adds horror elements, giving the film a nice slant and a sense of originality. Lieberman also wrote and directed the creepy crawler Squirm (1976), a horror pic about flesh-eating earthworms. Blue Sunshine also stars Deborah Winters as Jerry's girlfriend Alicia Sweeney, Mark Goddard, who many, including myself, remember as Major Don West in the 60's television sci-fi show Lost in Space, as politician Edward Flemming, and character actor Charles Siebert as Detective Clay. Siebert's name may not ring any bells, but if you've watched television in the 70's, you will most likely recognize his face as he appeared on show like All in the Family, The Rockford Files, Police Woman, Barnaby Jones, Good Times, and a slew of others.

While the film does contain some plot holes, they are easy to overlook, especially as the story tends to move pretty quickly, and the instances where the psychosis sets in, causing various individuals to lose it and go on a murderous rampage are exceptionally creepy. This is especially true of the scene with the woman babysitting the two, highly annoying children and her chasing them around with a large knife. Surprisingly, there is very little gore involved, much less than I had expected. Zalman King's performance is fairly odd and discordant, along with the delivery of a lot of his dialogue. It's hard to describe, but I had the feeling he seemed always just of out sync with the film, creating a bizarre element that would normally work against a picture, but here, it seemed to complement the plot as it unraveled. The film did seem to end rather abruptly, hinting at the chilling notion that the instances of violence may only be the tip of the iceberg, so to speak.

The film, which has been out of circulation on home video for about a decade, looks really clean and clear in this anamorphic wide screen (1:78:1) release. Some very minor speckling and damaged to the print is evident, but one of the special features shows a comparison to the original print and this cleaned up print, exhibiting the amazing restorative work done, supervised by the director himself, on the film for this release, which entailed about 17 hours of intensive labor. Other special features include a new Dolby Digital created especially for home video environments, the original mono soundtrack, a full commentary by director Jeff Lieberman, an original short film directed by Lieberman, a still gallery, the original theatrical trailer for the film, comprehensive liner notes, and a 30 minute video interview with the director. This is a two disc set, with the film and special features on the first disc, the second disc being a never before released original sound track CD. All in all, an excellent release of a creepy, rarely seen film that looks at the possible residual effects of the free love generation.

Cookieman108

An Undiscovered Gem Of '70s Horror Movies!
Jeff Lieberman's BLUE SUNSHINE is the ultimate anti-drug message and a fine horror movie. It's all about an LSD-type drug made in 1967 made in Stanford University that causes the user to spontaneously go berserk (and bald) ten years later to the date of its ingestion. Now a friend (RED SHOE DIARIES Zalman King) of one of the users must get to the bottom of this tangled web. The best thing about BLUE SUNSHINE is that Lieberman evokes Alfred Hitchcock almost without trying; one of his inspirations was Brian DePalma (who made CARRIE the same year this was made) and Lieberman lays on the style much like DePalma did. BLUE SUNSHINE is also a brilliant commentary on the transition of the social climate from the 1960's to the 1970's and the consequences of the '60s movements, mainly drug-related, and it's just as relevant today (especially after 28 DAYS LATER) as it was in 1976! The music is also creepy and creates the perfect atmosphere of tension and paranoia necessary for the subject matter at hand (the soundtrack is included in this fine DVD limited edition). BLUE SUNSHINE is a movie that is definetly worth discovery, especially with remakes of '70s gems THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE and DAWN OF THE DEAD! Definetly check this one out; your life may depend on it!

Interesting 70's horror film
The first horror movie about going bald, Blue Sunshine is an original and interesting b-grade horror film. At one time this used to be shown regularly on channel 9 in Southern California (where I saw it as a kid)and has now resurfaced in a quality remastered DVD package with some good extras.

The story is really about the delayed effects of some bad acid called Blue Sunshine, which, years after taking it, suddenly makes you hairless and homicidal. The film has a cool, creepy style to it and the performances are good, except for Zalman King who is really jaw-droppingly over the top in some scenes. However, director Lieberman's audio commentary helps to illuminate why he's so bad, and is generally interesting throughout.

Also included is a 30 minute interview with Jeff Lieberman that is very good. He has some interesting things to say about his films, his career and the film business in general. His first 16mm short film, The Ringer, is on the DVD as well. I couldn't get into it, but you might get a kick out of the 70's fashions and hairstyles. There is a CD of the film's soundtrack as well.

If you've never seen this before, you might want to rent it or get it used (like I did). I hadn't seen it in years, but it doesn't quite hold up over time that well- a lot of it doesn't really make much sense. Let's just say I still like the film,...