DVD Review: The Grapes Of Death Special Edition

The 1970s were the best decade for cinema, and certainly the best decade for horror films. Jean Rollin’s The Grapes Of Death is one excellent example of what was done within the genre in that great decade. It was released in 1978, the same year as Halloween and Dawn Of The Dead. Sure, its title feels a bit like a joke, but the film is actually really good and quite frightening.

The Film

Two friends, Elizabeth and Brigitte, are traveling by train, but will be splitting up, as Elizabeth will be getting off soon at a small village, a vineyard. The train sequence is quite creepy without the use of scary music or any tricks. A man who is ill, his skin peeling, boards the train and goes right to their compartment. Elizabeth (Marie-Georges Pascal) becomes frightened and flees the room, only to be followed by the man. Does he want to hurt her, or is he seeking her help? Incredibly, it seems to be both. When she rushes off the train (without her luggage), he sits down on the rail, and though he likely killed her companion, you feel for him. What an extraordinary beginning.

And now Elizabeth is alone, without resources, in an unfamiliar territory – a perfect horror scenario. By the way, there are some gorgeous shots, including wide shots of her in this foreign land.

She enters a home, where a man immediately covers one hand with the other, apparently hiding a skin condition similar to that of the man on the train. He and his daughter stare at her, refusing her use of the phone and the car. It isn’t long before she witness the man kill his own daughter, and then she has to make the decision whether to kill someone herself. This film quickly and strongly establishes its world. Elizabeth is in an unfamiliar land, and can’t trust anyone, until she meets a blind girl who had fled some fighting in her village. And the film just gets better and better, more and more frightening, as Elizabeth becomes more immersed in this nightmare with each turn.

One thing I like is that Elizabeth is not a weak or stupid character by any means, which is refreshing. Also, this is a zombie-type film without actual zombies. These are people who are sick, who are sometimes aware of what they’re doing, the horrors they’re committing, but can’t help themselves. And that is much more frightening, and also sad, because a viewer is more able to place himself or herself in their position, something which is impossible in a straight zombie film.

The Special Features

·        Interview with Jean Rollin and Brigitte Lahaie (This feature is actually two separate interviews edited together, plus a bit of footage from a panel with both Jean Rollin and Brigitte Lahaie. There are also some brief scenes from Jean Rollin’s work. The interviews are conducted in English, and Jean Rollin talks about an early film-going experience, and also about images and imagination. This feature is approximately thirty-three minutes.)

·        Theatrical Trailers (There are two trailers.)

·        Jean Rollin biography

·        Jean Rollin filmography

·        Photo gallery

·        Insert with liner notes by Nigel J. Burrell

The Specs

·        Widescreen presentation (1.66:1 aspect ratio)

·        Original French language, with optional English subtitles

·        Time: 90 minutes

This special edition DVD of The Grapes Of Death was released in 2002 through Synapse Films.