Concerned that their latest production isn’t scary enough for modern audiences, the makers of a trashy horror movie titled Dirty Blood call in a spirit medium to host a seance for the cast and crew, hoping this will add a little authenticity to the proceedings. However, the producers get a little more than they bargained for when the medium inadvertently summons the spirit of the notorious Victorian-era serial killer Jack the Ripper. As filming presses on, the real horror commences when various members of the production start winding up brutally murdered. Could this be the ongoing work of a sadistic maniac who’s been preying on prostitutes in the area, or could something much more terrifying - and supernatural - be afoot?
One in a series of films made under the “Lucio Fulci presents” banner (originally developed under the title I maestri del thriller), which sought to capitalize on the name of Italy’s Godfather of Gore, MASSACRE is one of the standout entries in the cycle and a pleasingly lurid slasher effort helmed by Burial Ground director Andrea Bianchi. Far sleazier than many of its late 80s horror competitors and packed full of bare skin, lesbian intrigue and hack-and-slash action (not to mention a lively score from Luigi Ceccarelli, who virtually rehashed his music from Rats: Night of Terror), Vinegar Syndrome is thrilled to unfurl MASSACRE in its UHD premiere, newly restored in 4K from its original 16mm camera negative and loaded with new special features.
directed by: Andrea Bianchi
starring: Gino Concari, Patrizia Falcone, Silvia Conti, Pier Maria Cecchini, Robert Egon, Danny Degli Espositi, Marcello Furgiele
1989 / 92 min / 1.33:1 / Italian, English Mono
Additional info:
2-disc Set: 4K Ultra HD / Region Free Blu-ray
4K UHD presented in Dolby Vision High-Dynamic-Range
Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 16mm original camera negative
Commentary track with film historians Eugenio Ercolani and Troy Howarth
"Dr. White or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Massacre" (22 min) - an interview with actor Pier Maria Cecchini
"The Sleepless Composer" (18 min) - an interview with composer Luigi Ceccarelli
"Family Run Horror" (19 min) - an interview with soundman Davide Magara
"The Remains of the Genre" (11 min) - an archival interview with assistant director Michele De Angelis
"When Lucio Sold Off His Name" (27 min) - an interview with film historian Eugenio Ercolani
Reversible sleeve artwork
Newly translated English subtitles