ANGUISH

(A.k.a. ANGUSTIA; IN ANGUISH; IM AUGENBLICK DER ANGST; THE EYES OF THE CITY WILL BE MINE)

Corpulent loner John (Michael Lerner) lives nervously with his mother, Alice (Zelda Rubinstein). Their home is teeming with ornamental furniture, live snails and restless birds.

When not tending to obsessive Alice and her curious menagerie, John works nearby at a swanky optician’s office. The irony is that John’s own sight is failing, on account of his diabetes.

While his boss is away, John tends to a rich bitch client who wants contact lenses inserting in time for a posh dinner date that evening. He makes a mess of the task, and calls round the lady’s grandiose abode later that evening to make amends. This involves killing both the lady and her partner, and then removing their eyes.

Why has John committed such a heinous crime? Because Alice has instructed him to do so, via a spiralling hypnotic device a ’la THE HYPNOTIC EYE which enables her to control his thoughts.

But then … the camera pulls back. And all is not quite what it seems.

It’s a genuinely audacious twist, but one that comes so early into the film (about 20 minutes in) that it’s impossible to provide any further synopsis without being completely spoilerific.

For the benefit of those who are yet to see this highly entertaining 1987 film, all I’ll say is the action then shifts dramatically and, although John and Alice’s story does continue, we meet a new bunch of protagonists and the audience’s perception of events is constantly toyed with from thereon in.

Spanish director Bigas Luna (or Big Arse Looney as I like to refer to him) found international acclaim during the 1990s with world cinema hits such as THE AGES OF LULU, JAMON JAMON and THE TIT AND THE MOON. Before he made any of those though, he wrote and directed this English language film (with help on the dialogue from Michael Berlin) and scored a minor hit among the horror community.

The film is visually striking from the off, the set design of Alice’s house dazzling with its Gothic drama and busy, suggestive ornaments. Luna’s camera has a distinct eye for both stylish colours and minute detail, akin to the way Dario Argento used to at his peak.

Shot largely in Barcelona, the limited exterior scenes do impress in their composed splendour. But it’s the claustrophobia of Alice’s home that registers most highly. Conversely, Luna doesn’t make as much of the potentially haunting later cinema environment as you know he could’ve.

There’s little sense to be made of the escalating action, some of the plot points being so bizarre that they border on being surreal. But Luna seems unconcerned with any such lapses in logic: his film is highly stylised and rich with metaphor (the trapped bird at the start representing Alice’s hold over John; the numerous gougings signifying John’s failing sight etc). It’s a nightmare within a nightmare with PEEPING TOM-esque commentary on the voyeuristic nature of watching movies … and the filmmaker’s cruel, consequential removal of the optical tools required to do so.

Performances are all adequate, although it’s only Lerner and Rubinstein who come across as being memorable. Which is ironic really, once their true purpose in ANGUISH becomes clear. This may explain why the latter half of the film, which broadens its horizons and pulls away more from John and Alice’s story, is less gripping than the preceding 40 minutes.

Still, ANGUISH emerges overall as a successful example of style and verve over logic. The hypnosis sequences are beautifully orchestrated (in one of the film’s many nods to the theatricality of legendary filmmaker William Castle, original marketing warned viewers that they too may become entranced during these scenes), while the murders are shot from creative angles that lend the fleeting moments of grisliness (stabbings, throat-slashings, eye-gougings) greater impact.

The ambitious plot does get a little confused towards the end and the finale unfortunately can’t live up to the build-up. But ANGUISH doesn’t suffer a great deal for these shortcomings. It’s a playful, distinctive horror film the likes of which we see all too rarely these days.

This region B blu-ray from Sunfilm Entertainment is a German release, but thankfully the bulk of it is English friendly.

First off though, the picture. While the cover title is (understandably) the film’s German moniker, IM AUGENBLICK DER ANGST, the onscreen title is ANGUISH. The film is presented uncut as an MPEG4-AVC file, in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio and enhanced for 16x9 televisions. The onscreen resolution is full 1080p HD, and the print used is in very good shape.

Resultantly, the transfer here is extremely satisfying. Later scenes in the film that had come across as a tad over-dark in previous releases are now bright and clear; earlier scenes exhibit a new level of opulence in their translation of Luna’s vivid colour schemes and artful compositions. Excellent contrast, accurate flesh-tones and solid blacks all contribute further to what is a HD transfer with very little room for complaint.

Audio comes in options of German (2.0 and 5.1 Master HD), and an English Master HD soundtrack. Naturally, I gave the latter my attention and it satisfied with evenly balanced channels, ensuring a clean and consistent playback throughout. Optional German subtitles are also provided.

The disc opens with an animated main menu page. Pop-up menus include a scene-selection menu allowing access to ANGUISH via 24 chapters.

Luna turns up for an engaging 22-minute video interview in the best of the disc’s bonus features. Thankfully, the director speaks in English and the German subtitles can be switched off.

This is a marvellous accompaniment to the main feature, the director taking us back to a time when he lived in America during the 1980s and talking us through the making of the film. We learn of how he intended to make the film in 3D, and get some interesting thoughts on his colourful cast. The female interviewer is a tad annoying though – especially when she asks Luna if it’s true that he considered making ANGUISH in 3D … just a few minutes after he’s told us he did!

The film’s original German theatrical trailer follows. This is 2 minutes in length and comes with German mono audio.

Two TV spots and a teaser trailer round things off.

It’s possibly also worth noting that the cover art, horrible though it is (shame they didn’t utilise the old UK VHS artwork), is reversible. The reverse has the same cover, only without the unsightly ‘FSK-16’ classification notice or the ‘uncut’ declaration.

ANGUISH is a rare example of a quality horror film from the late 1980s, a notoriously barren time for good, serious-minded genre films. It remains as innovative and quirky today as it always has been. This blu-ray comfortably represents the best domestic release the film has ever had.

Review by Stuart Willis