THE LIVING DEAD GIRL

(a.k.a. LA MORTE VIVANTE)

As I've previously reviewed Rollin's enjoyable gore flick when it was released by Encore/Redemption Europe as a 3-disc edition, I've taken the liberty of pasting across my thoughts on the film itself (as a rewatch leaves me with pretty much the same opinion). My thoughts on the new Redemption UK disc follow later in this review.

A van pulls up outside an old chateau one sunny afternoon. Two men struggle to carry a large vat of chemicals down into the castle's vaults. Once they have stored the barrel in place, they make their way deeper into the vault and toward two coffins where the building's previous owner and her daughter Catherine (Francoise Blanchard, CALIGULA AND MESSALINA; REVOLT IN THE HOUSE OF USHER) rest.

The two men begin to prise the coffin lids open, hoping to loot the corpses of the priceless jewellery they are said to have been buried with. But a minor earthquake causes the chemical barrel to topple and leak - the fumes emanating from it reaching Catherine's cadaver and re-animating it. Moments later, one of the men has had his eyes gouged out, while the other's throat has been torn apart.

The action then cuts to an American couple visiting their favourite cafe, only to find it has closed for an hour while the owners repair the damage the earthquake has caused. The couple decide to pass their time by venturing to a nearby field and taking some photographs. Barbara (Carina Barone, EROTIC TALES) spies a wistful Catherine walking barefoot through the distant undergrowth, and is immediately intrigued by her demeanour.

Catherine finds her way to her old home's main entrance and lets herself in. She hides while an estate agent shows a couple of prospective buyers around the premises. While taking cover upstairs, Catherine finds a music box that reminds her of her childhood friend Helene (Marina Pierro, BEHIND CONVENT WALLS; THE ART OF LOVE).

Back in the nearby village, Barbara shows her photograph of Catherine to the cafe owner. He recognises her, but states categorically that she died two years earlier. Barbara becomes determined to learn more about the mysterious figure she has seen.

After a bloody double murder designed to satiate Catherine's newfound lust for blood, she answers a telephone call to the chateau from Helene. Helene recognises the music box's tune as it plays over the phone and knows instinctively that Catherine is listening silently on the other end of the line. She, in turn, rushes to the castle and into the arms of her old friend.

What follows is essentially a tragic love story as Catherine struggles to come to terms with her affliction, and Helene lures victims to the chateau for her friend to feed her bloodlust on.

Co-writer/director Jean Rollin (FASCINATION; REQIUM FOR A VAMPIRE) has always been capable of dividing audiences. He has an international cult following that demands his films be taken seriously as lyrical, poetic hymns to the Gothic and the ethereal. And then there are those who decry his work as incohesive messes with nothing but fetishistic nudity to warrant their 'arty' reputations.

I just find his work, for the most part, boring. However, LA MORTE VIVANTE is definitely his most accessible film. Its story is straightforward and more evenly paced than a lot of other Rollin films. The script is tight and there's more dialogue than usual.

The performances and widescreen photography combine to consolidate a sense of mourning and solitude that imbues the film with a darkness that stays with the viewer after the end credits roll. And speaking of photography, it is often well lit and beautiful - despite the film's obvious low budget.

LA MORTE VIVANTE is also an exceptionally bloody film. While the FX work is ropy at times, it is at least of the gore-soaked, arterial-spraying variety. There are a couple of standout set-piece murder scenes that hold up against anything that Eurohorror offered us in the early 1980s.

Poignant, dark and decidedly European in flavour, LA MORTE VIVANTE is an immensely enjoyable vampire flick that eschews the trappings of the genre by focusing instead on the subtle romance that lies beneath Helene and Catherine's friendship. Surprisingly graphic and yet unexpectedly atmospheric.

The first thing that deserves a special mention about this Redemption UK release is that it's fully uncut, marking the first time THE LIVING DEAD GIRL has been made available uncensored in Britain.

The film is presented in its original 1.66:1 aspect ratio and looks very good here, with a clean and relatively sharp transfer. Colours are a tad washed out but overall this is a solid presentation, superior to the old R1 transfer. Okay, it's not 16x9 enhanced and not a patch on the stunning Encore release - but considering the difference in price between the two, this will good enough for many.

The original French mono audio track holds up very well throughout, and there's optional English subtitles on hand.

Static menu pages include a scene-selection menu offering access to the main feature via 6 chapters.

Extras include:

A stills gallery, offering 8 photographs. One is foreign release artwork, while the other 7 are screen grabs from movie.

A 3-minute trailer for THE LIVING DEAD GIRL , in 1.66:1. Images and audio are on a par with the main feature here, in a visually arresting and occasionally gory appetiser.

LES PAYS LOINS, Rollin's 16-minute short from 1965. Shot in attractive black-and-white and making great use of its rural French locations, it's a stylish Godard-esque potboiler with little dialogue but great funky music. Presented in French mono with forced English subtitles, this is also available on Redemption UK's release of Rollin's obscure LOST IN NEW YORK.

There's also a brief 7-strong stills gallery of images from LES PAYS LOINS.

Next up are trailers for CITY OF THE DEAD, SACRED FLESH and BELCEBU.

Finally, there's a selection of audio tracks from a handful of albums from Redemption's own record labels Triple Silence and Hydra. Artists featured include The Courtesans, New York Vampires, Jezebel and the fantastically noisy Torturecide.

Sadly, the exclusive Rollin interview that was promised on the press release does not materialise.

Still, this is decent release of an excellent film long overdue uncut on UK shores. Redemption should be applauded for getting the film out, and LES PAYS LOINS is an interesting extra for those who don't already own it.

Review by Stu Willis