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Released by: Encore Filmed Entertainment
Released on: 11/11/2006
Director: Jean Rollin
Cast: Sandra Julien, Jean-Marie Durand, Jacques Robielles, Michel Delahaye, Marie-Pierre Castel, Kuelen Herce, Dominique
Year: 1971
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The Movie:
Shiver Of The Vampires is, in Rollin's own words, his 'most accomplished film' and while the man would make more interesting and often more accessible movies later in his career, it's hard to argue with him. Those who appreciate Rollin's truly unique style will find much to love about this movie, his third feature length production, as it really typifies what he's become best known for over the years.
The story follows a young couple, Antoine (Jean-Marie Durand) and Isla (Sandra Julien of I Am Frigid… Why?), who have just been wed. They're off on their honeymoon and she insists that they stop off at an old decrepit castle so that she can visit her two cousins who she hasn't seen since she was a young girl. When they arrive, one of the locals tells Antoine that his wife's cousins are dead. She's distraught by the news but they opt to spend the night anyway and thanks to the unusual hospitality of the two female servants (Marie-Pierre Castel and Kuelan Herce) they're allowed to use the facilities as they see fit.
Later that night, Isla is taken by a woman named Isolde (Dominique of Requiem For A Vampire) who emerges out of a creepy old clock to cast her otherworldly spell. Once this happens, things begin to get increasingly stranger until it turns out that Isla's cousin's aren't quite as deceased as she was lead to believe. She and Antoine learn this the hard way when the two men (Jacques Robiolles and Michel Delahaye) show up and insist on having dinner with the couple. The more Isla interacts with her cousins and their servants, the more odd her behavior becomes until she no longer wants to go out during daylight, claiming that the light hurts her eyes. Antoine knows that something is up, as does Isabelle (Nicole Nancel), a woman who was once in love with both of Isla's cousins, but figuring out just what exactly is happening is going to prove to be far more difficult than Antoine could ever imagine.
Rollin's style would mature and he'd make more polished films than this, but Shiver Of The Vampires is really a superb example of his aesthetic and of the elements that would go on to become so associated with his work. It's also interesting to note that the finale, like many important scenes from his filmography, plays out on a beach. The film's narrative is an interesting blend of surrealist nonsense and standard horror movie trappings, which when combined result in a truly unusual story that seems to operate very much on its own plain. While the creepy gothic castles that much of the film takes place in are a standard enough location to place a horror movie, having an antagonist emerge from a clock is certainly a rather odd way to introduce a character, made all the more unusual when we learn who this character really is and what she's after in the first place. There are a few kinky set pieces here that artfully blend the sex and violence that later films like Living Dead Girl would take to the next level, such as the death by spikey bra scene and a nasty little rape. Lesbian vampirism is of course a big deal in the film, and that remains what the director is best known for despite doing plenty of work outside of that sub-genre.
What makes the movie work is the visuals. If you put too much thought into the movie, it becomes too cluttered and too nonsensical to work. It's easy to find yourself wondering aloud about the logic of the film, like why if this old castle has been inhabited for so long is there so much graffiti evident on the walls or why Antoine stops to put on his fancy sheer scarf before reaching for his pistol. Shiver Of The Vampires is a movie that works more as a treat for the eyes and the soul, rather than the brain. There doesn't appear to be a deeper meaning to any of it, and it might seem that things happen in the film for no reason. Everything feels like a strange dream and on that level it works really well. This dream-like atmosphere is further enhanced by the use of some unusual primary lighting effects, the kind that Italian directors like Bava and Argento would use. While many of Rollin's movies are quite colorful, Shiver Of The Vampires differs in the way that he uses the color to bath the locations in red. It's a nice touch that sets the gothic castle apart from other horror movies that make use of similar settings. It's a much brighter film than many of his other works.
As far as the cast is concerned, Julien and Durand are decent enough in the lead roles. Castel and Herce are quite mesmerizing, spending most of the film in quite revealing attire and looking perpetually stoned, in their own world. The most unusual performances in the film belong to Robiolles and Delahaye who play their parts with so much flamboyant enthusiasm that one has to wonder if it's meant to be taken seriously or not. Dominique is their equal, in terms of bringing a truly odd screen presence to the movie, using her gaunt face and lithe body to do most of the acting as her part has little dialogue. Placing these performers in the odd locations and setting everything to a fuzzed out, guitar heavy soundtrack (courtesy of a French band called Acanthus) was a great movie, as Rollin achieves some impressive, if weird, results.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Despite a few scratches and some mild print damage present throughout, this is a very nice transfer. There are some compression artifacts present in the darker scenes that you'll notice in the first few minutes of the movie but these don't last too long. Comparing this to the Image release of a few years back (which was not anamorphic, as opposed to this disc which has been enhanced for 16x9 sets and is properly flagged for progressive scan playback) it's much more colorful and detailed. The opening scene, which looked sepia toned on that previous release, is now definitely in black and white (assuming that's how it's supposed to be) and the color timing looks much more natural and vibrant, making the previous release look washed out by comparison.
For a film more than three decades old that was low budget to begin with, the French language Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono track sounds pretty solid on this release. There is some mild background hiss in a few scenes and if you listen for them you'll pick out the occasional pop here and there but for the most past, things sound all right. Dialogue is fairly clean and pretty consistent even if sometimes the levels fluctuate just a little bit - the fuzzed out acid rock soundtrack, on the other hand, sounds almost perfect. The extensive selection of optional subtitles for the film includes choices in English, Dutch, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian and Polish. A German language Dolby Digital 2.0 dubbed track is also provided for the feature.
It should also be noted that the English dubbed track has been included her as well. While the film obviously plays far better in its native French, the English track is not without its own odd charm and it includes some instances where the spoken dialogue differs a fair bit from the subtitled French track (the scene where Antoine, or Anthony, and his bride are at the table with the two cousins features some internal narration from him that is nowhere to be found on the French track, for example).
The first disc contains the movie only, alongside some menus and a chapter selection option. The rest of the supplements are found on the second disc in the set, starting with a Jean Rollin commentary that plays over top of scenes from the movie.
Rounding out the extra features is a huge still gallery of over one hundred behind the scenes and promotional pictures relating to the film, and the film's original theatrical trailer. The two discs in the set are housed inside an attractive digipak that fits inside a slipcase featuring alternate cover art. Also included inside the digipak is a booklet of liner notes containing an essay on the making of the film from Jean Rollin himself that is accompanied by some excellent photographs, as well as ___
It's a shame that the soundtrack for the film couldn't be included with this release.
The Final Word:
The wealth of interesting extras and the inclusion of the English track give this Encore two-disc special edition of Jean Rollin's Shiver Of The Vampires the edge over the previously released Image. The movie itself holds up really well as a superlative example of how 'out there' Rollins films can get while still playing within the established confines of the horror movie genres. Collectors take note - this release is limited to only 2000 copies.