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Released by: Vinegar Syndrome
Released on: August 25th, 2017.
Director: Arthur Nouveau
Cast: Kim Pope, Michael Gaunt, Levi Richards, Lynn Bishop
Year: 1975
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The Movie:
Directed by Arthur Nouveau and written by one Nelson Decco (it's understandable why the people behind this nasty roughie would use pseudonyms… and those are obviously pseudonyms!), 1975's The Intrusion opens with a scene in which a car drives through the Queens/Long Island border (a sign for Douglaston Parkway is a dead giveaway as to the area this was shot in despite claims elsewhere online that this was shot in upstate New York) into a residential upscale suburb. The car stops on the opposite side of a house and we see a man (Levi Richards) step onto the stoop in his bathrobe to get the morning paper. He heads back inside and tells his wife Ellen (Kim Pope) that he has to go away for business. She assures him she'll be fine, after all her friend Gail (Lynn Bishop) will be coming by to keep her company while he's gone.
They have sex in the kitchen and then on the rug before he gets dressed and heads out, and shortly after he does Ellen answers a knock at the door. A man (Michael Gaunt) gives her an insurance pitch but she's not interested. He gets pushy and tries to make his way in, as he does and she moves back just enough, he coldcocks her to the ground. From there, he takes her upstairs, undresses her, slaps her around and then brutally rapes for a good long while, verbally abusing her and then even going so far as to penetrate her with the handle of the switchblade he's been brandishing. Eventually Gail comes to the door - the man answers, tells her 'Mrs. Anderson is right up stairs' and he lets her in. As they get closer to the bedroom door he attacks her too and then forces them into a three-way.
As to how it ends, well, there's only one way that it can end, and once it does, the camera simply pulls back, leaves the house and, to the sound of a serene and pastoral suburban neighborhood, calm as calm can be, the movie simply finishes.
Presented in what has to be a completely uncut version on this DVD, The Intrusion is a seriously nasty hour long roughie that deserves to be every bit as well known (and in most circles reviled) as better known pictures like Waterpower, Sex Wish and Forced Entry. While it may not be as polished as those films or use inner city locations, it definitely operates on the same disturbing level. The direction from whoever on Earth Arthur Nouveau is might not reinvent the wheel but the movie is well paced. The opening scene between husband and wife is well handled and they seem to be enjoying themselves and there's no reason we can't by them as completely involved in an act of marital bliss.
Of course, once the 'intruder' shows up, it's a different story. Gaunt might be decked out as the consummate seventies goofball in terms of his outfit and hairstyle but he's disturbingly convincing as the demented rapist. The passion that Pope's character showed in the first scene pretty much disappears here and is replaced with a look of fear and panic as he has his way with her. Once Lynn Bishop joins in things do get a little bit porny but that doesn't last too long and the film ends on a freakishly strong note. Credits to all involved in the action in front of the camera for staying in character and creating something genuinely frightening.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The Intrusion arrives on DVD in its original 1.33.1 fullframe aspect ratio from Vinegar Syndrome transferred 'in 2k from 35mm vault elements.' Previously released by Alpha Blue Archives (reviewed here) and that transfer was watchable enough but this is definitely an improvement. While there's still some print damage evident, there's a lot less of it and when it does show up it's minor. Colors look much better here too, far less faded and quite a bit more natural. Detail is pretty good as are black levels and there are no noticeable issues with compression artifacts, edge enhancement or noise reduction to complain about. The image is fairly grainy, but naturally so - all in all, this one looks pretty solid on DVD.
The Dolby Digital Mono track on the disc has a bit of hiss here and there but it's well balanced and the dialogue is easy enough to understand. Range is understandably limited by the source but what's here is fine - it's solid, single channel mix for an older, low budget XXX obscurity and judged by those standards it's pretty tough to take issue with anything.
The main extra on the disc is a good one - Becoming The Intruder: An Interview With Michael Gaunt. Over the span of eighteen and a half minutes he talks about growing up in Manhattan, how he got into acting (and being denied for the role of Joseph in a Christmas pageant!), and some of the early roles he took in his high school and college years doing various plays. From there we hear how after going to the School For The Arts for two years, wound up doing more theater and how he was a bit of a trouble maker during this period in his life. Eventually he'd burned a few too many bridges and wound up getting cast in The Intruder after doing an audition and being cast as the villain in the picture. He talks about what it was like on set, the locations that were used for the shoot, how long it took to shoot the picture, what it was like working on his first professional shoot, the inexperience of some of the other cast and crew members in the picture, working alongside Kim Pope and quite a bit more.
Aside from that, we get a trailer for the feature, menus and chapter selection.
The Final Word:
The Intrusion is a legitimately rough roughie, a disturbing and gritty rape-sploitation picture that's a fairly convincing, and as such, disturbing watch. Vinegar Syndrome presents the move in nice shape and with an interesting interview with the film's male lead as its only extra feature.
Solid review, Ian.