The Grapes of Death – Indicator Series (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: France, 1978
Director: Jean Rollin
Writers: Jean-Pierre Bouyxou, Jean Rollin, Christian Meunier
Cast: Marie-Georges Pascal, Félix Marten, Serge Marquand, Mirella Rancelot, Patrice Valota, Patricia Cartier, Michel Herval, Paul Bisciglia, Brigitte Lahaie

Release Date: April 27th, 2026 (UK), April 28th, 2026 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 90 Minutes 39 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono French
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $49.95 (USA)

"A young woman, Élizabeth (Pascal), travels deep into wine-making country only to find the locals bearing horrific signs of an infection and behaving violently. Teaming up with Paul (Marten) and Lucien (Marquand), she discovers a deadly pesticide is transforming those who drink the local wine into murderous zombies." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, “The Grapes of Death was scanned, restored and color corrected in 4K HDR at Silver Salt Restoration, London, using original 35mm negative film materials. Phoenix image-processing tools were used to remove many thousands of instances of dirt, eliminate scratches and other imperfections, as well as repair damaged and missing frames. No grain management, edge enhancement or sharpening tools were employed to artificially alter the image in any way.”

The Grapes of Death comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 82.2 GB

Feature: 63.6 GB

The source used for this transfer looks exceptional. Image clarity, depth, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated and at times vivid, and grain remains intact; the image always looks organic.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in French with removable English subtitles. This audio track is in great shape. Dialog always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image galleries: original promotional materials (56 images—stills/press book/home video art/posters) and behind the scenes (19 images), a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with text in French and removable English subtitles), a German theatrical trailer (2 minutes 27 seconds, Dolby Digital mono German with removable English subtitles), a career-spanning German documentary about Jean Rollin titled Bloody Lips and Iron Roses (34 minutes 35 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a documentary on the making of The Grapes of Death titled In Vino Veritas, featuring Jean Rollin’s personal assistant, Daniel Gouyette, co-writer Jean-Pierre Bouyxou, Jean Rollin, actress Brigitte Lahaie, and key collaborator Natalie Perrey (32 minutes, Dolby Digital stereo French and English with removable English subtitles), a new presentation of a 2002 interview with Jean Rollin and Brigitte Lahaie (23 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Jean Rollin in conversation at Montreal’s Fantasia Film Festival (49 minutes 12 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), Jean Rollin Introduces ‘The Grapes of Death’ (2 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a critical appreciation by author and film historian Stephen Thrower titled Experiment in Terror (35 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles for French film clips), an audio commentary with Jeremy Richey, author of Sylvia Kristel: From ‘Emmanuelle’, and an 80-page book with cast & crew information, an essay titled From Jean Rollin to Michel Gentil and Back: The Road to The Grapes of Death written by Elizabeth Purchell, an extract from the film’s pressbook, an archival introduction to The Grapes of Death by Jean Rollin, an archival interview with Brigitte Lahaie conducted by Shimano, an archival essay titled Jean Rollin and Terror: Return to The Grapes of Death written by Paul Hegarty, and information about the restoration.

Summary:

Directed by Jean Rollin, a filmmaker whose career spanned five decades. His films are known for their fantasy and erotic elements. Notable films he directed are The Iron Rose, Lips of Blood, and The Night of the Hunted.

Toxic pesticides sprayed on a nearby vineyard turn the residents of a rural village into flesh-eating zombies.

After Lips of Blood, Jean Rollin would spend the next three years making only hardcore sex films under the alias Michel Gentil. In the latter half of the 1970s, he only directed two non-hardcore sex films, The Grapes of Death and Fascination. The Grapes of Death not only marked a return to the horror genre, but also served as a significant shift for Jean Rollin, marking the beginning of the next phase of his career.

While The Grapes of Death has moments that are reminiscent of Jean Rollin’s poetic cinematic side, the result is arguably his most straightforward horror film. In its early stages of development, The Grapes of Death was going to be a disaster-themed film, and Jean Rollin only made the shift to a horror film after realizing that genre offered a better chance of being a financial success. Although The Grapes of Death shifted from an eco-disaster film to a horror film, Jean Rollin retained the social commentary for the final film, particularly focusing on themes of environmental degradation and its impact on society. While watching The Grapes of Death, I couldn't help but think of Night of the Living Dead; several moments in the film closely resemble scenes from that classic.

All around, the cast all deliver performances that exceed expectations. The most memorable performance is Brigitte Lahaie (The Night of the Hunted); she portrays a housekeeper who's locked herself in her employer's home. Somehow, she has avoided contamination while the disease has affected everyone else in the village. At one point, her character, dressed only in a nightgown, walks through the village with a Doberman and a flashlight, creating the film's most striking moment. Marie-Georges Pascal delivers another noteworthy performance, playing Élisabeth, a woman wandering the countryside after someone attacks her on a train.

The Grapes of Death, like all of Jean Rollin’s films, relies heavily on atmosphere and minimal exposition. The narrative does a superb job drawing you in and holding your attention while it builds to a bleak, nihilistic finale. When it comes to onscreen carnage, The Grapes of Death is easily Jean Rollin’s most violent film. The gore effects are surprisingly strong and hold up extremely well. Philippe Sissman’s score is another area where The Grapes of Death excels; his minimal electronic score helps reinforce the mood. Ultimately, The Grapes of Death is a well-crafted horror film and Jean Rollin’s most accessible work.

The Grapes of Death makes its way to 4K UHD via a definitive release from Powerhouse Films, highly recommended.

Note: This release is a limited edition of 10,000 numbered units (6,000 4K UHDs and 4,000 Blu-rays) for the UK and US.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer

The Living Dead Girl – Indicator Series (4k UHD)

                                

Theatrical Release Date: France, 1982
Director: Jean Rollin
Writer: Jean Rollin, Jacques Ralf, Gregory K. Heller
Cast: Marina Pierro, Françoise Blanchard, Mike Marshall, Carina Barone, Alain Petit

Release Date: April 27th, 2026 (UK), April 28th, 2026 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 89 Minutes 49 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono French
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $49.95 (USA)

"A spillage of toxic waste causes Catherine (Blanchard) to rise from the dead with an insatiable taste for blood. Returning to her family home, she is reacquainted with her childhood friend, Hélène (Pierro), who tries to understand Catherine’s predicament and becomes her accomplice, with tragic consequences." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, “The Living Dead Girl was scanned, restored and color corrected in 4K HDR at Silver Salt Restoration, London, using original 35mm negative film materials. Phoenix image-processing tools were used to remove many thousands of instances of dirt, eliminate scratches and other imperfections, as well as repair damaged and missing frames. No grain management, edge enhancement or sharpening tools were employed to artificially alter the image in any way.”

The Living Dead Girl comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 92.1 GB

Feature: 64 GB

The source used for this transfer looks exceptional. Image clarity, depth, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated and at times vivid, and grain remains intact; the image always looks organic.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in French with removable English subtitles. This audio track is in great shape. Dialog always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image galleries: original promotional materials (72 images—stills/press book/home video art/posters) and behind the scenes (18 images), a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital mono French with removable English subtitles), outtakes (1 minute 41 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an updated documentary on the now-lost English-language American cut of The Living Dead Girl titled Dead or Alive (15 minutes 33 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), a new edit of a 2012 documentary titled Benoît Lestang, 17 ans, featuring interviews with the young special-effects artist and Bouyxou (24 minutes 40 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), a new edit of a 2012 interview with the composer Philippe D’Aram titled The Music of The Living Dead Girl (14 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), a new edit of a 2005 interview with Philippe D’Aram titled Sound Bites (17 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), a new edit of a 2005 interview with actress Françoise Blanchard titled Delicate Delivers (18 minutes 39 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), selected scenes' audio commentary with Françoise Blanchard (25 minutes 59 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an introduction by Françoise Blanchard (26 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), a new edit of a 2005 archival interview with Jean-Pierre Bouyxou titled Deliberately Absurd (24 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), Jean Rollin Introduces ‘The Living Dead Girl’ (1 minute 44 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Jean Rollin on ‘The Living Dead Girl’, the director in conversation at Montreal’s Fantasia Film Festival (2 minutes 39 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles for French film clips), a new edit of a 2005 interview with Jean Rollin titled Blood Ties (11 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles for French film clips), Jean Rollin at Fantasia, an expansive documentary recording of Rollin’s time as a special guest at the festival (36 minutes 22 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with non-removable English subtitles), an archival featurette titled Souvenirs de la Mort Vivante (15 minutes 12 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an interview with Stephen Thrower titled Conclusive Beauty (33 minutes 52 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles for French film clips), an archival audio commentary with Jean Rollin, an audio commentary with film historians Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby, a German-language VHS release of The Living Dead Girl under the title Scare (89 minutes 39 seconds, standard definition, 1.66:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono German with removable English subtitles), and an 80-page book with cast & crew information, an essay titled Premature Burial written by Will Sloan, an extract from the film’s pressbook, an archival writing by Jean Rollin titled The Making of The Living Dead Girl, an interview with Jean Rollin titled The Eighties and Nineties conducted by Peter Blumenstock, and information about the restoration.

Summary:

Directed by Jean Rollin, a filmmaker whose career spanned five decades. His films are known for their fantasy and erotic elements. Notable films he directed are The Iron Rose, Lips of Blood, and The Night of the Hunted.

A toxic spill turns a dead heiress into a bloodthirsty fiend.

By the early 1980s, the cinema landscape in France had drastically changed. And filmmakers who had found a steady stream of work in the 1970’s suddenly discovered it harder to get financing for their films. Case in point: Jean Rollin, a filmmaker who directed over two dozen films in the 1970s. That said, Jean Rollin in the 1970s made two kinds of films, soft-core horror films and X-hardcore sex films. By the early 1980s, the popularity of soft-core horror films had declined, but X cinema remained robust. Having grown tired of X cinema, Jean Rollin would venture into the realm of fantasy with The Living Dead Girl.

The Living Dead Girl features many elements that are synonymous with Jean Rollin's cinema. The result is a film that stands apart from anything he has created before or since. This distinction is particularly evident in the pervasive melancholy tone that runs throughout the work. When it comes to elements that one expects from Jean Rollin films, The Living Dead Girl delivers in spades. There’s an ample amount of gory carnage, which includes eyes impaled by razor-sharp fingernails, gorged throats, and death by inferno. Of course, when it comes to nudity, Jean Rollin’s visuals exploit every inch of flesh.

Although most of the cast consists of minor characters with limited screen time, they all deliver strong performances in their respective roles. Notably, Françoise Blanchard shines as Catherine Valmont, the living dead girl, while Marina Pierro, known for her role in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Miss Osbourne, portrays Helene, Catherine’s best friend. Their characters share a childhood promise to always support one another, and the chemistry between the two actresses enhances the portrayal of their unbreakable bond.

From a production standpoint, there is not an area where The Living Dead Girl does not excel. The premise is exceptionally well-executed, featuring a deliberately paced narrative that allows key moments to resonate fully. Additionally, the tragic finale serves as a fitting coda to the events that have transpired. Not to be overlooked when discussing The Living Dead Girl is Philippe D’Aram’s remarkable score, which does an exemplary job underscoring the mood. Ultimately, The Living Dead Girl stands out as an extraordinary film, arguably representing Jean Rollin’s most poetic work.

The Living Dead Girl makes its way to 4K UHD via a definitive release from Powerhouse Films, highly recommended.

Note: This release is a limited edition of 10,000 numbered units (6,000 4K UHDs and 4,000 Blu-rays) for the UK and US.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs. 

Written by Michael Den Boer

Girls Without Shame (aka Schoolgirl Hitchhikers) – Indicator Series (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: France, 1973
Director: Jean Rollin
Cast: Joëlle Coeur, Gilda Arancio, Marie Hélène Règne, Willy Braque, Pierre Julien, François Brincourt, Reine Thirion, Jean Rollin

Release Date: May 26th, 2025 (UK), May 27th, 2025 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 79 Minutes 20 Seconds (All Versions)
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10 (All Versions)
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono French (Jeunes filles impudiques), DTS-HD Mono English (Girls Without Shame, Schoolgirl Hitchhikers)
Subtitles: English (Jeunes filles impudiques), English SDH (Girls Without Shame, Schoolgirl Hitchhikers)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $49.95 (USA)

"Two curious young women, Monica (Cœur) and Jackie (Arancio), find an abandoned old house whilst out hiking. Retiring to bed, they soon find that the house is a hangout for a criminal gang who suspect them of stealing their loot..." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (All Versions)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Girls Without Shame was scanned, restored and color corrected in 4k HDR at Renasci Films, using the original 35mm negative. Many thousands of instances of dirt were removed, scratches, stains and other imperfections eliminated, and a number of torn or damaged frames repaired. No grain management, edge enhancement or sharpening tools were employed to artificially alter the image in any way.

Sexana was scanned in 4K by La Cinémathèque de Toulouse, using an original 8mm distribution print.”

Girls Without Shame (aka Schoolgirl Hitchhikers) comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 78.3 GB

Feature: 52.7 GB

This release uses seamless branching for the three versions. The source used for this transfer looks exceptional. Image clarity, depth, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated and at times vivid, and grain remains intact; the image always looks organic.

Audio: 4.5/5 (DTS-HD Mono French, DTS-HD Mono English)

Jeunes filles impudiques comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in French with removable English subtitles. Girls Without Shame and Schoolgirl Hitchhikers each come with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English with removable English SDH. All audio tracks are in great shape. Dialog always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery (111 images - stills/home video art/press book), a theatrical trailer (1 minute 25 seconds, Dolby Digital mono French with removable English subtitles), a critical appreciation by journalist and musician Nicolas Stanzick titled Territoire mental (24 minutes 40 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an appreciation Joëlle Cœur, the enigmatic softcore performer by actor, director and film historian Christophe Bier titled Les Quatre années de cinéma de Joëlle Cœur (29 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with film historian David Flint for Girls Without Shame (aka Schoolgirl Hitchhikers), a 4K presentation of Hubert Lacoudre’s surreal erotic short film Sexana starring Joëlle Cœur, featuring a new score by the experimental instrumental group Peninsula (16 minutes 33 seconds, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono), an interview with Nicolas Stanzick titled Sexana’ de minuit à midi, he  analyses Sexana and the culture surrounding the legendary film magazine Midi-Minuit Fantastique, an image gallery for Sexana (11 images - magazine article/pictures), and an 80-page book with cast & crew information for Girls Without Shame (aka Schoolgirl Hitchhikers), an essay titled Michel Gentil’s Erotic Detour written by Lucas Balbo, material from the film’s pressbook, an archival article on the French sex-film industry featuring an interview with ‘Michel Gentil’ (Jean Rollin) titled Porno Cinema Seen by Those Who Make It written by Jean-Pierre Bouyxou, an archival interview with Willy Braque conducted by Pal H Mathis, cast & crew information for Sexana, a new writing on Sexana, and information about the restoration.

Summary:

Despite nudity and erotica being staples of Jean Rollin’s cinema that predated Girls Without Shame (aka Schoolgirl Hitchhikers), it is a film that greatly differs from those films that preceded it. Where Jean Rollin’s films are known for their lyrical qualities, a film like Girls Without Shame (aka Schoolgirl Hitchhikers) was his first full-on foray into exploitation cinema. That said, Girls Without Shame (aka Schoolgirl Hitchhikers) is essentially a product made for a specific market, and it does not connect with you in the same way his most celebrated films do.

While there is a semblance of a plot, it primarily serves as filler for the softcore erotic moments. The narrative revolves around two free-spirited hitchhikers who find refuge in what appears to be an abandoned house. There is a man already staying there, and they show him their thanks before leaving in the morning. After they leave, the man’s accomplices arrive looking for the stolen jewels, and when they cannot find them, they accuse the girls of stealing them. From there, they track down the two girls, kidnap them, and subject them to torture.

The main attraction of Girls Without Shame (aka Schoolgirl Hitchhikers) is Joëlle Coeur (Seven Women for Satan), who portrays Monica, one of the two hitchhikers. Girls Without Shame (aka Schoolgirl Hitchhikers) is the first of three films Joëlle Coeur made with Jean Rollin; the other two are Bacchanales sexuelles and The Demoniacs. She’s a striking beauty whose presence dominates any scene she’s in. Another performance of note is Gilda Arancio in the role of Jackie, the other hitchhiker.

One thing that can be said about Girls Without Shame (also known as Schoolgirl Hitchhikers) is that it features some abrupt tonal shifts. The film features arousing moments that excite the senses, a torture scene that delves into sadomasochism, and, to top it all off, a dose of subversive humor. While Girls Without Shame (also known as Schoolgirl Hitchhikers) presents a change of pace throughout, some of the director's cinematic flourishes are still evident, particularly in the visuals. Ultimately, Girls Without Shame (aka Schoolgirl Hitchhikers) is never going to top anyone’s favorite Jean Rollin films list, and yet it is still an oddly entertaining film.

Girls Without Shame (aka Schoolgirl Hitchhikers) makes its way to 4K UHD via a definitive release from Powerhouse Films, highly recommended.

Note: This release is a limited edition of 10,000 numbered units (6,000 4K UHDs and 4,000 Blu-rays) for the UK and US.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer

The Iron Rose – Indicator Series (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: France, 1973
Director: Jean Rollin
Writers: Tristan Corbière, Maurice Lemaître, Jean Rollin
Cast: Françoise Pascal, Hugues Quester, Natalie Perrey, Mireille Dargent, Michel Delesalle, Jean Rollin

Release Date: May 26th, 2025 (UK), May 27th, 2025 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 80 Minutes 14 Seconds (Both Versions)
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10 (Both Versions)
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono French (La rose de fer), DTS-HD Mono English (The Crystal Rose)
Subtitles: English (La rose de fer), English SDH (The Crystal Rose)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $49.95 (USA)

"When a couple – played by Françoise Pascal (Burke and Hare) and Hugues Quester (Je t’aime moi non plus) – stumble across an old cemetery, they begin to explore its gravestones and crypts. But, as night falls, they find that they are unable to leave..." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (Both Versions)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "The Iron Rose was scanned, restored and color corrected in 4k HDR at Renasci Films, using the original 35mm negative. The Yellow Loves was scanned, restored and color corrected in 4k HDR at Film finity, using the original 35mm negative. Many thousands of instances of dirt, eliminate scratches and other imperfections, as well as repair damaged frames. No grain management, edge enhancement or sharpening tools were employed to artificially alter the image in any way.”

The Iron Rose comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 92.5 GB

Feature: 56.9 GB

This release uses seamless branching for the two versions. The source used for this transfer looks exceptional. Image clarity, depth, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated and at times vivid, and grain remains intact; the image always looks organic.

Audio: 4.5/5 (DTS-HD Mono French, DTS-HD Mono English)

La Rose de fer comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in French with removable English subtitles.

The Crystal Rose comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English with removable English SDH.

Both audio tracks are in great shape. Dialog always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include image galleries: original promotional material (39 images), behind the scenes (47 images), dialogue continuity script (7 images) and ‘Les Nuits du cimetiere’ prose treatment (5 images), French theatrical trailer #1 (3 minutes 42 seconds, LPCM mono French with removable English subtitles), French theatrical trailer #2 (3 minutes 42 seconds, LPCM mono French with removable English subtitles), International theatrical trailer #1 (3 minutes 42 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), International theatrical trailer #2 (3 minutes 42 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), an archival extra titled Jean Rollin Introduces ‘The Iron Rose’ (1 minute 14 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with director Jean Rollin titled Cemetery Gates (3 minutes 39 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an in-depth documentary on the making of The Iron Rose titled Les Nuits du cimetiere, featuring interviews with key Rollin associates Jean-Noël Delamarre, Natalie Perrey, and Alain Petit (15 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with actress Françoise Pascal (22 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a newly edited interview with Françoise Pascal titled Woman is Free (23 minutes 49 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), a featurette with Françoise Pascal signing autographs and meeting fans titled Kiss from a Rose (2 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), a critical appreciation by author and film historian Stephen Thrower titled Children of the Grave (30 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with film historian Tim Lucas for The Iron Rose, a short film directed by Jean Rollin titled The Yellow Loves (10 minutes 38 seconds, 1.37:1 aspect ratio, LPCM mono French with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Tim Lucas for The Yellow Loves, and an 80-page book with cast & crew information for The Iron Rose, an essay titled Meet me at the Cemetery Gates written by Nick Pinkerton, an archival introduction by Jean Rollin, a reprint of Jean Rollin’s original 1972 scenario titled The Night of the Cemetery, an archival interview with Françoise Pascal conducted by Joe Young, cast & crew information for The Yellow Loves, an archival writing titled Jean Rollin on The Yellow Loves, an introduction to the poetry of Tristan Corbière written by Katherine Lunn-Rockliffe, and information about the restoration.

Summary:

There are some directors, like Jess Franco, that it takes a few of their films before you start to warm up to them, or in the worst case scenario, you just give up on them. I've seen a handful of Jean Rollin films like The Grapes of Death, The Shiver of the Vampires, The Nude Vampire, and Zombie Lake. I was not that impressed with the films of Jean Rollin. Then there is always that one film that finally opens your eyes to where you see what the fuss is about. And in this case, that film for me was The Iron Rose.

The Iron Rose opens with dream-like images that at times slightly remind me of Jess Franco’s The Female Vampire. The first words are not spoken until nearly six minutes into the film. Also, the scenes which lead up to the two lovers going to the graveyard are very mundane in their content and structure. The Iron Rose hits its stride once inside the graveyard, which is a character unto itself, very much like the Overlook Hotel is a character in The Shining. The story and its characters are so simple that they almost get lost in Jean Rollin’s visual tapestry of nightmare imagery.

The best horror films rely more on what you don’t ever get to see and less on what they show you. The Iron Rose keeps the horror just out of the viewers' peripheral vision and lets the actors convey the terror through their actions, words, and facial expressions. The Iron Rose’s strongest asset is Françoise Pascal, whose beauty and nativity pull us in for this dark, sinister journey in which two people let their fears separate them from the one common goal they once shared. Ultimately, The Iron Rose is a first-rate horror film which drowns its viewers in its baroque and, at times, surreal visuals.

The Iron Rose makes its way to 4K UHD via a definitive release from Powerhouse Films, highly recommended.

Note: This release is a limited edition of 10,000 numbered units (6,000 4K UHDs and 4,000 Blu-rays) for the UK and US.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer