One of the many straight-to-video horror films released in Italy, Enzo Milioni’s ESCAPE FROM DEATH (1989) was also one of eight horror titles that comprised “I maestri del thriller,” a rather ambitious endeavour aimed specifically for the home video market. By this point, Lucio Fulci had already become inseparably identified with gory horror, so after directing both THE GHOSTS OF SODOM (1988) and TOUCH OF DEATH (1988) for the series, there was an attempt by the producers to further extend the waning popularity of the genre by releasing all of the films on home video under the “Lucio Fulci presents” banner. Although securing prominent home video releases in Italy via Avo Film, the films proved more difficult to see for English speaking viewers who had to either import costly VHS tapes or European DVDs. Thanks to Vinegar Syndrome, these largely forgotten films have finally been given their due via truly lavish 4K UHD / BD combos, of which ESCAPE FROM DEATH (the fourth film in the cycle) is especially satisfying seeing as it has never received an English-friendly release prior to VS’s disc.
Tormented by flashbacks while recuperating at her large country estate, Ann (Barbara Blasco) is convinced she has killed her husband Larry, but when the corpse disappears, her therapist Dr. Marc Duvivier (Jacques Sernas) is convinced she “had another row last night.” Refusing to be committed for proper psychiatric care, Ann has similarly erased all memory of her late husband, who apparently left on his own accord. Cared for by Larry’s former secretary Mary (Zora Kerova, here credited under her Czech birth name Ulla Z. Kesslerova), she and Dr. Duvivier are determined to solve the mystery without resorting to police, but things are further complicated when Larry (‘Alex Berger’ / Alessandro Freyberger) unexpectedly rematerializes to function as another red herring unearthing a confounding tangle of disappearing bodies, assumed identities, hereditary madness, and RASHOMON-style misinterpretations of the truth…
This rather slow-moving psychological mood piece is quite unlike the other films in the series whose overly-talky plot is even murkier than Ann’s memory. At one point during the convoluted narrative, a character rightly points out “there’s many things that don’t add up in this affair” what with all the shady characters and their double-crossing inclinations. Solly, the villa’s groundskeeper (Giuseppe “Pino” Morabito) attempts to blackmail Ann, while also engaging in an incestuous affair with his daughter Mary (‘Jessica Moore’ / Luciana Ottaviani) - which leads to one of the film’s most lurid and unexpectedly splattery demises – while Larry’s ex-girlfriend Brigitte (‘Annie Belle’ / Annie Brilland whose name is mistakenly spelled “Bell” in the opening credits) also shows up adding further stress to Ann’s ever-spiraling paranoia. Although some viewers may charitably classify this whodunit as a whybother, some poor exposition does occasionally make for a confusing time, but this gothic infused, giallo-style kill thriller is by no means a complete write-off largely due to an interesting cast and several striking moments. In the end, ESCAPE FROM DEATH is low-grade prosciutto, but even then, it’s still quite appetizing.
First issued onto Italian DVD as LUNA DI SANGUE (the same title found on VS’s new restoration) in 2003 via Avo Film, this was a bare bones affair, which only included an Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 mono track and no special features whatsoever, while the film’s 1.33:1 aspect ratio was touted on the packaging as “suitable for all TV screens.” Despite some of the film’s shortcomings, it’s impossible to find any faults with Vinegar Syndrome’s new 4K UHD / BD combo, which features a brand new 4K restoration taken from the original 16mm negative, which really brings this film to life. Presented with Dolby Vision HDR, this new edition is absolutely phenomenal, and works wonders with both the film’s surprisingly colourful palette and Silvano Tessicini’s camerawork, rendering it quite literally picture-perfect. The Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track is also clean and free of any issues, and despite Paolo Gatti’s and Alfonso Zenga’s rather chintzy score, it too begins to grow on you after a while.
Once again Vinegar Syndrome turns to author and film historian Eugenio Ercolani to properly assess this low-budget production beginning with an enjoyable audio commentary where he is joined by fellow author and film historian Troy Howarth. Although they quickly conclude that ESCAPE FROM DEATH is “the weaker link of the cycle,” they still find plenty to cover including the rather complex genesis of this “slightly desperate” series, Lucio Fulci’s “somewhat complicated involvement” and his rather “tumultuous” career during the late ’80s, which started with ZOMBI 3 (1988). We hear plenty more on the film’s director Enzo Milioni – best remembered for directing THE SISTER OF URSULA (1978), one of the sleazier gialli of the ’70s - and interesting cast including Jacques Sernas and his roles in historical epics, Zora Kerova’s return to the Italian screen, a popular actor who rose to cult stardom among gorehounds for her work in such films like Umberto lenzi’s CANNIBAL FEROX (a.k.a. MAKE THEM DIE SLOWLY, 1981), and Pamela Prati’s enormous popularity in Italy gets extra special attention, which is a fascinating story in and of itself.
A nice selection of extra features is something we’ve come to expect from Vinegar Syndrome, and the real treat here is Zora, The Escapee (17m55s), a remarkably candid interview with Zora Kerova, the still vivacious cult actor often referred to as “the female equivalent of Italian whipping boy” Giovanni Lombardo Radice, her co-star from the aforementioned CANNIBAL FEROX. Due to “sad personal matters” she relates her reasons for leaving the Italian film industry in the early ’80s to live in the former Czechoslovakia and the difficulty of returning to Italy penniless and unable to get work. She has nothing but praise and adoration for Lucio Fulci who ended up giving her some small parts, which enabled her career to slowly “take off” again. Although working for ridiculously low pay, she “went about her work” and enjoyed her time on these low-budget productions. Zora is a warm and friendly presence, which is nicely reflected in Ercolani’s interview. Zora’s co-star Alessandro Freyberger is also interviewed in Victim of Circumstance (16m19s) who fell in love with cinema as a child thanks to his father, actor Manfred Freyberger. A career interview of sorts, Freyberger touches on several of his roles throughout the ’80s including his time working with Joe D’Amato whom he refers to as “the little Archimedes of the film industry,” the challenges of shooting in English, his co-stars such as Pamela Prati (“She was a little over-the-top!”), and what he learned from his father. Film composer and musician Paolo Gatti is also given his due in the rather fascinating Bloody Sonata (19m28s), which is a thorough look into his working methods and his love of music from an early age. Gatti also talks about his theatre and concert work, his close collaboration with Alfonso Zenga and his relationship with director Enzo Milioni who was a “bit scatterbrained, but a nice guy.” In Exhuming Lucio (12m36s), film critic Pier Maria Bocchi reminiscences about his first meeting with Lucio Fulci and his thoughts on some of latter-day films like DEMONIA (1990). And finally, Eroclani is given the spotlight in Escape from Death, Enter the Showbiz (29m54s), a solid recap of sorts of his cumulative work on this disc, which includes several additional nuggets of information and insightful viewpoints related to the series and its various directors and performers.
Although messily-plotted and somewhat uneven, ESCAPE FROM DEATH is expertly handled by the folks at Vinegar Syndrome with their flawless restoration and solid selection of extras, which is also available with a choice of two slipcovers from Robert Sammelin and James Wilson.
