For those unfamiliar with THE CORRUPTION OF CHRIS MILLER, I did a little news blurb about it over at my Cinema Arcana FB Page:
Separate soft announcements this week regarding two import psycho-horrors that’re finally gaining their domestic disc debuts – a pair that should definitely please stalk-and-slash fans craving things a little more obscure.
“Evil erupts in a house of death.” Tony Williams’ much-requested retirement home horror NEXT OF KIN (1982) is getting its belated U.S. Blu-Ray from Severin Films! Inheriting the family business after the death of her mother, Linda returns to Montclare, now a functioning old folks home, to tie up loose ends and prepare for a sale. She soon becomes drawn into the mysteries of the estate following the discovery of a diary, indicating history may be repeating itself – but nothing can prepare her for the shocking truth. A beautifully shot slow-burn thriller from Down Under that successfully ratchets up the tension before finally revealing all, exploding into full-blown nightmare, NEXT OF KIN is genuinely unnerving and supremely underseen. Issued on VHS with horribly misleading cover art, the film never saw a DVD release in the States, meaning Severin’s Blu will be the first time most have had a chance to see it. I imagine it’ll gain a lot of new fans.
“When it rains, it pours… blood.” Digging even deeper, Vinegar Syndrome have acquired Juan Antonio Bardem’s Spanish giallo THE CORRUPTION OF CHRIS MILLER (1973) – just one of several Euro titles they’re rescuing! Chris Miller lives with her stepmother Ruth at an isolated villa, both suffering mental woes after being abandoned by Pops. When a handsome stranger finds his way to their country house, he seduces the pair, unaware of past traumas. Then there’s also that deranged murderer who’s been stalking the area. A wonderfully deranged sickie with no shortage of savage bloodshed, THE CORRUPTION OF CHRIS MILLER never gained a domestic home video release and has stayed off DVD worldwide – effectively rendering it an unknown to all but the most astute worshippers of cinema arcana. Let’s hope Vinegar Syndrome’s much-needed restoration finds it a new, appreciative audience.
It’s too soon for details, but both titles are expected to street in early 2019. Watch this space for further news!
© Bruce Holecheck, 2018