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Released by: Kino Lorber
Released on: June 23rd, 2015.
Director: Paul Maslansky
Cast: Marki Bey, Robert Quarry, Don Pedro Colley, Betty Anne-Rees, Richard Lawson
Year: 1974
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The Movie:
When Paul Maslansky's AIP produced voodoo zombie thriller beings, beautiful Sugar (Marki Bey) and her loving husband Langston are a happy couple, running Langston's nightclub business and very much in love. That is, until a group of punks are hired by an evil businessman named Morgan (Robert Quarry of The Deathmaster) who wants to buy Langston's club. Langston won't sell, so they make short work of him and send him off to the big discothí¨que in the sky.
Rather than go to the police (like I would), or pull a gun out of her afro and fight the man (like Pam Grier would), she enlists the aid of Mama Maitresse (Zara Cully….. yes, that's right, Mrs. Jefferson herself), an old voodoo queen. Mama helps Sugar contact Baron Zamedi (played by Don Pedro Colley, who played Sheriff Ed on a few episodes of The Dukes of Hazard), a voodoo priest with the ability to raise the corpses of the dead slaves buried in the area to do his bidding. The Baron makes Sugar a deal - in exchange for her immortal soul, he'll raise this army of zombies with strange metallic paint jobs to exact her revenge on Langston's killers.
One by one, Sugar has her army of the undead take down the punks who killed her man, and even manages to make some time with a cop guy along the way. When all the punks are dead, she tracks Morgan down and the final face off ensues.
While this isn't the type of zombie film that Euro-cult fans or Romero buffs are going to expect, Sugar hill is still a lot of fun. There's very little gore in the film (it's a safely rated PG affair through and through) but that doesn't really take away from it. There is some nice atmosphere created and a lot of cool scenes that nicely mix the blaxploitation genre with the zombie film quite effectively. On top of that, the film makes great use of its Deep South locations, from the manor Sugar calls home to the surrounding swampy areas that always seem to be foggy or misty or covered in moss and cobwebs.
The real star of the show though is Marki Bey. She's got a commanding screen presence and is well cast as the sympathetic but revenge driven lead. She's foxy, smart and the camera loves her and the script gives her some pretty memorable scenes. The supporting cast are also great, especially Don Pedro Colley as the mysterious voodoo master and Quarry, typecast a bit here as the main bad guy. It's fun to see Charlie Robinson of Night Court fame pop up in a small role here though! In the end, however, it's Bey who makes this movie what it is. And if that's not enough, well, the movie has one of the coolest opening songs ever - Supernatural Voodoo Woman - which plays over the opening and closing credits. Good stuff!
Video/Audio/Extras:
Sugar Hill arrives on Blu-ray in an AVC encoded 1080p high definition transfer framed at 1.85.1 widescreen. This looks like it was taken from the same source used for the MGM Limited Edition DVD-R/MOD release that came out a few years ago, albeit obviously a 1080p version of that source. Softness is inherent in the elements themselves to a certain extent - look for certain shots of our female lead that use soft focus here and there - but even without those scenes taken into account the image here isn't as detailed as it could or should have been. It definitely does provide a nicer looking picture than that aforementioned standard definition release but the rich textures and eye popping clarity you hope for on a nicely authored Blu-ray disc never appear. On the plus side, close up shots tend to look decent and scenes that take place outside and in nice lighting look okay, though those in dimly lit interiors suffer a bit. Is this the worst Blu-ray transfer you'll ever see? Not by a long shot. Is it a bit of a disappointment as a picky self-entitled Blu-ray nerd? A bit, yeah.
Thankfully the English language DTS-HD 2.0 Mono audio track on the disc is rock solid. Not only do we get a well balanced mix that features clean, clear dialogue but we get a fair bit more depth here than we did on DVD. The fuzzed out rock guitar score also sounds better than ever, as do the various sound effects used throughout the movie. Some hiss is present as is the occasional pop, but it's nothing too serious. There are no alternate language or subtitle options provided.
Here's where fans should be really pleased, as Kino have supplied some impressive supplements for this release, starting with a really great commentary that comes courtesy of Paul Maslansky moderated by William Olsen. Maslansky's memory is sharp as a tack and he's evidently very keen on sharing his story on this track, as he covers pretty much everything you'd want him to and maybe just a little bit more. He talks about the locations, AIP's involvement in the movie, the effects work (including the infamous 'eyes' featured in the movie!) and loads more. He's got a real enthusiasm here which makes this a track that is both interesting and fun to listen to.
Maslansky also shows up for an interview running sixteen minutes. It covers some of the same ground as the commentary but there's enough 'new stuff' in here to make it worth a watch. He speaks more about working with Arkoff and about his thoughts on the zombies in the film. Actor Charlie Robinson spends fifteen minutes discussing his experiences working on the film, how he was cast, his character and more. Don Pedro hangs out for nineteen minutes and follows suit, sharing stories about the research he did on voodoo practices for the role, what he tried to bring to his character and his thoughts on the various people that he worked with on the movie. We also get a piece with Richard Lawson who spends fourteen minutes praising his time on the movie but also not shying away from some of the difficulties he experienced as a black actor in the industry.
Outside of that we get a trailer for the feature, static menus and chapter selection.
The Final Word:
Sugar Hill finally gets the special edition treatment that it's always deserved. While the transfer definitely leaves room for improvement the audio is solid and the extras are both plentiful and interesting. As to the movie itself? It's as atmospheric as it is unique and bizarre, a really well made and entertaining slice of seventies horror absolutely worth adding to your collection.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
