Lust for Freedom – Troma Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1987
Director: Eric Louzil
Writers: Craig Kusaba, Duke Howard, Eric Louzil
Cast: Melanie Coll, William J. Kulzer, Judi Trevor, Howard Knight, Elizabeth Carlisle, Dee Booher

Release Date: May 30th, 2023
Approximate Running Time: 93 Minutes 33 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $19.95

"Somewhere... in the middle of nowhere, there is a town so sinister, that visitors who dare cross its borders become forever lost in the swamp of corruption. Criminals, mobsters and misfits run the town, and innocent visitors become their slaves. They are thrown into a broken down, rat infested prison where they are raped, tortured, brutalized and made to perform all kinds of unspeakable and perverted acts. All of this changes when Gillian Kaites comes to town. Gillian is beautiful and sexy, tough and strong and fiercely independent. After she witnesses the violent death of her boyfriend in a police shootout, Gillian decides to get out of the city. She looks for peace and quiet, but drives into hills that harbor horror and violence." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.75/5

Lust for Freedom comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 22.2 GB

Feature: 17.4 GB

It appears that Troma Films is using the same 2K master that Vinegar Syndrome used for their 2014 DVD. Here’s the information about that transfer: "Scanned in 2K from a 35mm blow-up negative." Shot on 16mm and blown up to 35mm, there is a healthy layer of grain present throughout, and there are a handful of times where there is a thick layer of grain. Colors and flesh tones look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, and compression is very good.

Audio: 3.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a Dolby Digital mono mix in English, and removable English SDH. The audio sounds clean, clear, balanced, and surprising robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include original DVD introduction by Lloyd Kaufman (1 minutes 14 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English. No subtitles), theatrical trailer (3 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with Lloyd Kaufman (10 minutes 40 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with director Eric Louzil.    

Other extras include Mercedes: The Tromette, Words of Inspiration from Eli Roth, Radiation March, Grizzard Face 2: The Return of Grizzard Face, and trailers for Shakespeare's Shitstorm, The Toxic Avenger, Class of Nuke 'Em High, Divide & Conquer, Slashering: The Final Beginning, and Tromeo & Juliet.

Summary:

Don’t be fooled by the opening set-up; it gives no indication of where the narrative is about to go. Sure, there is an abundance of action in this film—the kind of action that could only have come from the 1980s. And yet, to pin down Lust for Freedom as solely a run-of-the-mill action film would greatly underestimate Lust for Freedom's undeniable power to entertain its audience. This is a take no prisoners kind of film that lays out the basic narrative and bolsters it up with exploitative elements that only further reinforce Lust for Freedom's awesomeness.

Once the narrative gets past its open credits and settles in, things really start cooking once the narrative settles into what is commonly referred to as a WIP (women in prison) film. From there, the cat fights erupt, and the clothes start to come off at regular intervals. Needless to say, this is grade ‘A’ exploitation clicking on all cylinders.

Any limitations due to budgetary reasons are quickly forgotten because of Eric Louzil’s steady direction, which always keeps things moving along and thus ensures that there is never a dull moment. And when it comes to action sequences, they are always a blast to watch. Also, though Lust for Freedom is rooted in seedy subject matter, this does not stop some well-placed humor from cropping up throughout. Another area where Lust for Freedom unintentionally supplies some laughs is its use of miniatures that stick out like sore thumbs.

From casting stand point they are more then adequate in their respective roles, especially Melanie Coll in the role of the protagonist Gillian Kaites. In what would end up being her one and only screen performance, she turns in a strong performance that is further bolstered by her undeniable charisma. And though no other performance comes close to matching hers, the cast does feature several recognizable faces like a pair of adult film actresses, Crystal Breeze and Michelle Bauer. Not surprising that these two have a lesbian scene that ranks as the most erotic moment in Lust for Freedom. Ultimately, Lust for Freedom is a fun film that has all the elements that fans of exploitation cinema should thoroughly enjoy.

Lust for Freedom gets a very good release from Troma Films that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a pair of informative extras, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer