Rest in Pieces – Vinegar Syndrome (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Spain, 1987
Director: José Ramón Larraz
Writer: Santiago Moncada
Cast: Patty Shepard, Scott Thompson Baker, Lorin Jean Vail, Dorothy Malone, Jack Taylor, Fernando Bilbao

Release Date: October 27th, 2020
Approximate Running Time: 88 Minutes 58 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: R
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English, Dolby Digital Mono Spanish
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $34.98

"Helen Hewitt has inherited her recently deceased Aunt Catherine’s humongous country villa. After arriving at their new home, she and her husband Bob immediately feel a sense of unease and hostility from the estate’s staff and tenants, all of whom do their best to make the young couple feel unwelcome. As strange and increasingly sinister events begin to take place around her, Helen becomes determined to uncover the truth about the goings on, and slowly begins to unearth the horrifying and unspeakable evil occurring at the mysterious mansion…" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "a new 4K restoration of its 35mm camera negative."

Rest in Pieces comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 28.9 GB

Feature: 24.8 GB

The source used for this transfer is in excellent shape. Colors are nicely started, image clarity and black levels look solid throughout. There are no issues with compression and the grain remains intact.

Audio: 4.5/5 (DTS-HD Mono English), 3.5/5 (Dolby Digital Mono Spanish)

This release comes with two audio options: a DTS-HD mono mix in English and a Dolby Digital mono mix in Spanish. The English audio mix is in great shape; the dialog comes through clearly and everything sounds balanced. Included with this release are removable English SDH subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for this release include, reversible cover art, an interview with actor Scott Thompson Baker titled Piece By Piece (17 minutes 22 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English SDH subtitles), an audio commentary with film historians and authors Samm Deighan and Kat Ellinger (Daughters of Darkness podcast) and an embossed slipcover limited to 3,000 units.

Summary:

Though most of José Ramón Larraz’s films have horror elements. There’s a clear distinction that can be made between his earlier horror films and the three horror films he directed in the late 1980’s. His earlier forays into horror cinema have a Euro-cult vibe to them, while his late 1980’s horror films are heavily influenced by 1980’s American horror cinema.

It should not come as a surprise that Rest in Pieces is the strongest of his three late 1980’s horror films. Out of these three films, Rest in Pieces is the only one that has moments that are reminiscent of José Ramón Larraz’s 1970s output.

Rest in Pieces is yet another example of a European-made horror film that borrows liberally from other films. Most notably, a film like Rosemary’s Baby. And content-wise, Rest in Pieces is best described as a supernatural horror film that throws in zombies and cannibalism for good measure.

The performances range from adequate to deliriously entertaining. Dorothy Malone (Basic Instinct) gave the most memorable performance as Catherine Boyle, the recently deceased aunt whose specter terrorizes her niece. Other notable cast members include Jack Taylor (Pieces), Patty Shepard (Crypt of the Living Dead) and Fernando Bilbao (The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein).

From a production standpoint, Rest in Pieces is a textbook example of how drastically different a film can turn out depending on who directed it. Throughout his career, José Ramón Larraz was often faced with budgetary restraints and yet, more often than not, was able to deliver cinema that far exceeded his limited resources.

Not to be overlooked when discussing Rest in Pieces are its Gothic-infused visuals. There are a few eerie moments and an ample amount of atmosphere. Standout moments include a scene at a mortuary that introduces the characters, a scene where the niece character sees her dead aunt at the bottom of a pool, and a Lisa and the Devil finale that will give you a feeling of Deja Vu.

Rest in Pieces gets an excellent release from Vinegar Syndrome that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and a pair of insightful extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer