DELIRIUM (1979)
Label: Severin FilmsRegion Code: Region Free
Rating: R
Rating: R
Duration: 88 Minutes
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Director: Peter Maris
Cast: Turk Cekovsky, Debi Chaney, Terry TenBroek, Barron Winchester, Bob Winters, Garrett Bergfeld, Nick Panouzis, Harry Gorsuch, Chris Chronopolis, Lloyd Schattyn, Jack Garvey, Mike Kalist, Myron Kozman, Pat Knapko
Delirium (1979) is a post-Vietnam cop procedural that mixes elements of a vigilante conspiracy thriller with a psycho-killer slasher flick and the end result is a uneven slice of low-budget regional 70s exploitation that somehow earned a spot on the UK's Video Nasties list. In it a group of Vietnam vets have created a secret society that recruits vets for the purpose of delivering punishment to criminals who have eluded the criminal justice system. The group is lead by psychotic baldy Eric Stern (Barron Winchester, Escape from New York), who comes across as Apocalypse Now's Col. Kurtz by way of Mickey Rooney. The groups vigilante altruism melts away when one of their newer recruits, a 'Nam vet named Charlie (Nick Panouzis), a guy suffering from some serious PTSD flashbacks, which is posited as the reason he strays from the plan and embarks on a murder-spree, slaying young women without rhyme of reason.
Instead of just eliminating Charlie and being done with it the vigilante cabal set out to kill anyone who might threaten to expose them, including the roommate of one of his victims, Susan Norcross (Debi Chaney). Detectives Paul Dollinger (Turk Cekovsky) and Larry Mead (Terry Ten Broek) investigate the string of murders, but as is always the case always seem one step behind the killer, even more so when their prime suspect Charlie he is unexpectedly shotgunned to death by one of his intended victims.
That who I thought to be the main antagonist gets killed halfway through the film threw me off a bit, the story then changes to the secret society with the increasingly vicious and erratic baldie turning on the other members of the vigilante cabal as the cops begin to close in them. Shot in St. Louis on a shoestring budget with perfunctory lensing this is a flick that feels every inch the regional film that that is is, but the convergence of psycho-killer slasher cum convoluted conspiracy-laden police procedural is semi-interesting, but not exactly well-executed nor a riveting watch, proving that not all video nasties were created equal. I would probably only recommend this to hardcore, deep-dive exploitation fans who get excited by this sort of bottom-of-the-barrel stuff. It's not horrid, but it's not a gem either, more of a clunky regional genre mash-up that likely would have been long been forgotten had it ended up on the Video Nasty list.
Audio/Video: Delirium (1979) makes it's worldwide Blu-ray debut from Severin Films in 1080p HD framed in 1.85:1 widescreen. Sourced from the only known 35mm print of the film, a 16mn blow-up at that. It's not pristine my any measure, showing chunky grain with some print wear and vertical lines, anemic blacks and faded highlights. That said its quite watchable and I don't think the grindhouse patina is likely to scare off exploitation fans like myself who use to pour through dingy public domain DVD collections looking for some 70's cheap thrills.
Audio comes by way of a limited but capable uncompressed English DTS-HD MA 2.O mono track with optional English subtitles. There's some subtle background hiss present but dialogue is never difficult to discern and the psychotronic score from David C. Williams (Shakma) sounds good.
Not a ton of extras for this one, but what we do get is pretty insightful stuff that sheds light on the weird flick. We get the the 20-min Directing Delirium: Interview With Director Peter Maris, plus the 17-min Monster Is Man: Interview with Special Effects Artist Bob Shelley, plus the 2-min Trailer for the film. The Greece-born director talks about getting into photography nd then onto making 8mm films, studying film
and then being propositioned to make a film utilizing
footage from an already existing but unmade film by the producers, writing a script, casting, locations, and re-shooting a large part of it in 16mm in St. Louis, shooting in the same train station used in Escape from New York, which were reportedly haunted. He also touches on working with Bob Shelley for the special effects and how pleased he was with him.
Special Effects Artist Bob Shelley offers up a fun interview recapping his early career in the military as an explosive ordinance disposal unit, which dovetailed into a career in film working with explosives naturally, initially working on TV's The Dukes of Hazard and then with Peter Maris on Delirium, and Terror Squad. He gets into how certain practical effects were achieved, such as the spear through the door, the car explosion, the shotgun death and the squibs involved, The single-disc release arrives in a black keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork.
Special Features:
- Directing Delirium: Interview With Director Peter Maris (20 min)
- Directing Delirium: Interview With Director Peter Maris (20 min)
- Monster Is Man: Interview with Special Effects Artist Bob Shelley (17 min)
- Trailer (2 min)
Delirium (1979) didn't quite deliver the Video Nasty thrills I was hoping for but I do love that Severin Films continually dive deep for these dusty cult flicks and make them available to the cinema-nuts who crave them. As someone who keeps a dedicated Video Nasty shelf in my collection I am pleased that is now one film nearer to completion thanks to Severin's deep-dive diligence, keep it up guys!
Screenshots from the Severin Blu-ray:
