The Corruption of Chris Miller – Vinegar Syndrome (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Spain, 1973
Director: Juan Antonio Bardem
Writer: Santiago Moncada
Cast: Jean Seberg, Marisol, Barry Stokes, Perla Cristal, Gerard Tichy

Release Date: April 30th, 2019
Approximate Running Time: 113 Minutes 25 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Spanish, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: OOP

"Chris Miller (former Spanish child star, Marisol) lives with her stepmother Ruth (Jean Seberg; Breathless) in a large secluded mansion in the countryside. Both women have been traumatized by the mysterious disappearance of Chris' father but their isolation is soon interrupted by the arrival of a mysterious young drifter, Barney (Barry Stokes; Prey), who they take on as a handyman. All the while, an Unknown scythe wielding killer has been stalking the area, leaving an ever growing body count, and it's not long before the women grow increasingly suspicious of Barney..." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Newly scanned & restored in 4k from its 35mm original negative."

The Corruption of Chris Miller comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 42.8 GB

Feature: 31.5 GB

Though the bulk of this transfer looks excellent, it should be noted that the opening and closing credits are not in the best of shape, and they are not representative of how the rest of the transfer looks. Flesh tones look correct, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Spanish), 3.75/5 (DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. The Spanish-language track sounds fuller than the English-language track, which has some minor sibilance issues. That said, dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, ambient sounds are well-represented, and the score sounds appropriately robust. Included are removable English subtitles for the Spanish language track and removable English SDH for the English language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 38 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), alternate Spanish ending (3 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), alternate Spanish insert shot (29 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), a short film exploring the tragic life of Jean Seberg titled Jean Seberg: Movie Star (12 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival career retrospective interview with director Juan Antonio Bardem (58 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Spanish with removable English subtitles), reversible cover art, and an embossed slipcover limited to 2,000 units.

Included with this release is a DVD that has the same content as the Blu-ray included as part of this combo.

Summary:

Directed by Juan Antonio Bardem, whose other notable films include Main Street, Death of a Cyclist, At Five in the Afternoon, and Foul Play.

Two women living isolated from the rest of the world in a secluded countryside mansion have their serenity interrupted by a drifter.

Though The Corruption of Chris Miller has many of the elements that have become synonymous with the Giallo genre, content-wise, this film is actually closer to a psychological thriller. And nowhere is this clearer than when it comes to the protagonist, who suffers from a traumatic event from her past.

Without a doubt, The Corruption of Chris Miller’s greatest assets are its striking visuals. In the opening sequence, a tracking shot of the landscape surrounding a home in a rainstorm makes its way inside a bedroom window. Once inside the bedroom, we see a naked woman as she lays in bed. When she awakens, she discovers that her lover has disappeared. She goes looking for him. He finally reveals himself to her, wearing a Charlie Chaplin costume with a makeover to make him look like Chaplin. He remains silent as she lets him know that he has to leave immediately because her husband is about to return from a trip. Not liking what he has just heard, her lover takes scissors and bludgeons her before he disappears into the rainstorm. This opening sequence quickly establishes a menacing tone that builds to a fever pitch by the time this film reaches its moment of truth.

A recurring theme that crops up throughout The Corruption of Chris Miller revolves around facades. And this is executed not only in how characters present themselves to others. The opening sequence climaxes with the killer throwing away a Charlie Chaplin mask that they were wearing. And this extends to the sequence in which the family is murdered by a killer with a cleaver. In this sequence, the killer’s identity remains concealed by wearing a trench coat and a stocking over their face.

Another strength of The Corruption of Chris Miller is how thunderstorms activate the protagonist's trauma. The flashbacks are very effective in this film. These flashback moments occur when a thunderstorm agitates the protagonist. Also, this film has an ample amount of well-executed red herrings. With its most devious moment of misdirection saved for the finale.

Performance-wise, the cast is all very good in their respective roles. The standout performance is Barry Stokes (Prey) in the role of a drifter named Barney Webster, who works his way into Chris and her stepmother’s lives. Marisol’s portrayal of Chris Miller is the weakest performance of the three main characters. Another performance of note is Jean Seberg's (Breathless) in the role of Chris’s stepmother Ruth, whose bizarre relationship with her stepdaughter is a byproduct of her anger towards Chris’s father, who abandoned both of them.

From a production standpoint, there is not an area where The Corruption of Chris Miller does not excel. The premise is superbly realized, and the well-paced narrative gives key moments an ample amount of time to resonate. And though there are only three kill scenes, with the last two happening about an hour after the kill scene that opens The Corruption of Chris Miller, these three kill scenes have an ample amount of carnage and ferocity. Ultimately, The Corruption of Chris Miller is an exceptional Spanish thriller that fans of the Giallo genre should thoroughly enjoy.

The Corruption of Chris Miller gets an excellent release from Vinegar Syndrome, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer