Starring - Zalman King (Galaxy of Terror, Trip with the Teacher), Deborah Winters (The Outing, Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo), and Mark Goddard (Strange Invaders, Lost in Space)
Release Date - 1977
Genre - Horror/Sci-Fi
Tagline - "After blue sunshine you're better off dead!"
Format - UHD (Personal Collection) (Screener)
Rating (out of 5):
I've been accused of writing positive reviews for money which is absolutely absurd. I wish I could get paid to do this but the truth is I do this for fun. I've never received a cent from my work on Horror Society and all my reviews are my honest opinion. I like what I like and some of my readers believe that my reviews are paid for. Honestly, I just have weird taste in movies and I'm not ashamed of that at all. The reason I'm saying this is because I'm about to write a review for Synapse Film's release of Blue Sunshine. This is a film I first watch many years ago thanks to Elvira's Movie Macabre. Since then I have snagged the DVD release of that episode along with a standard DVD release of the film. I know many genre fans dislike the movie but I fucking love it and couldn't wait to check out this release from my friends over at Synapse.
The film follows a man who is on the run after falsely being accused of murder he did not commit. His friend, the real murderer, lost all his hair before going mad and killing their mutual friends. Knowing something is going on, he starts investigating by himself while avoiding arrest where he uncovers a connection between him and other murders like it where the person lost all their hair and went mad. He then learns that all the murderers had taken a drug called Blue Sunshine years before that may have triggered the murders.
I know Blue Sunshine has it's fans but I was under the impression that it was a genre title that was genuinely loved. That changed after I posted on social media that I was checking out this release. While no one said anything about the UHD release from Synapse, some genre fans were quick to bash the film. This was shocking to me as I had always thought it was a film many of my like minded friends loved. The movie itself is an awesome horror thriller that almost plays into the anti-drugs propaganda of the time. It's extremely dated but that is what makes this one so much fun. The acting in this one is great. Zalman King is a fantastic lead. He reminds me a lot of a young Sean Penn in some of the scenes which has always been a bit of a surprise to me. His character doesn't show a wife range of emotions but he carries the film. The supporting cast is great as well but it's King who is a one man show. The story for this one is a horror thriller following a man trying to clear his name and get to the reason his friend snapped and killed several people before trying to kill him. Toss in a "drugs are bad" message and you have a film that is frozen in time but is still extremely enjoyable. It has great pacing and while it is predictable it still delivers a fun ride to it's destination. Finally, we do get some blood but this is not a gruesome flick. the film relies heavily on the story itself and the mystery surrounding the murders instead of the murders themselves. It's because of this that we don't get memorable deaths. Overall, Blue Sunshine is a film I absolutely love. I'm blown away that genre fans don't dig it like it. I know the movie has it's fan out there and this release is for you. However, if you don't like it then I can only assume you smell your own farts for pleasure. Check it out.
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