Digi-Schlock: BLACK CIRCLE (Synapse Blu-Ray/CD Combo Pack)
Synapse Films has distinguished itself over the years with definitive treatments of cult favorites for the horror and exploitation crowd, including dazzling UHD treatments of Suspiria and Tenebrae as well as killer blu-ray versions of Massacre At Central High and The Living Dead At Manchester Morgue.
However, it's worth noting that they also are willing to throw their weight behind lesser-known films that the company's owners happen to like. Such is the case with Black Circle, a deep-cut European horror film that the company has given the full 'special edition' treatment to on a new blu-ray release.
Transfer: Black Circle was shot anamorphically using high-defintion video and the resulting transfer is impressive. The 'scope-format imagery has rich details and a convincing color palette, with some eye-popping imagery during scenes with dramatic primary-colored lighting. The 5.1 lossless stereo track that accompanies it is skillfully mixed, with some interesting sonic effects once the telepathic mayhem begins.
Commentary: this is a solo track by writer/director Adrian Garcia Bogliano. It's a low-key but very informative affair in which the director lets the viewer in on his inspirations (including references to beloved Swedish films), the challenges of making a film that isn't in your native language and the filmmaking methods he used to get enough footage for an entire feature with only a twelve day shooting schedule. A good listen for budding filmmakers thanks to its focus on aesthetics as well as nuts-and-bolts techniques.
Don't Close Your Eyes (10:55): a 2017 Bogliano short that is like a proof of concept for Black Circle: it uses the same leads and feels like a short edit of the main feature until it unleashes its ending, which is like the coda of a horror anthology show. It utilizes the same style and will be interesting to fans as an example of how different things can be done with the same set of narrative variables.
An Interview With Adrian Garcia Bogliano and Christina Lindberg (57:25): this is not as formal as the title suggests. It's really an informal conversation between director and star that allows Lindberg to offer a retrospective of her life and career in her own humble but blunt style. You get insight into her family background, her thoughts on how her erotic work brought her into conflict with feminists of her era, plenty of thoughts on Thriller: A Cruel Picture and information on the directions her life took after her '70s stardom. An interesting fly-on-the-wall experience for Lindberg fans.
Inside Black Circle (09:01): a straightforward behind-the-scenes piece that includes talking heads interviews with the director and cast interspersed with plenty of on-set footage. It's not much of a surprise that there is a lighthearted mood on set despite the film's creepy subject matter - this is par for the course in horror filmmaking - but it is surprising that all interview subjects address the camera in English, most of them being quite fluent in the language!
Other Extras: a smartly-edited teaser trailer is included as well an image gallery. The latter is quite expansive, an animated series of images that runs just over fourteen minutes. Fans of the film will also appreciate the inclusion of soundtrack CD with the film's arresting, keyboard-driven score.
Summation: once again, Synapse does well by a low-budget indie by giving it a slick A/V presentation as well as a tidy, informative set of extras. Collectors of modern horror will appreciate their efforts. You can purchase this set direct from Synapse by clicking here.
To read Schlockmania's film review of Black Circle, click here.