Combining graphic, blood-splattered set pieces with his trademark wit and filmmaking elegance, Michele Soavi’s (Dellamorte Dellamore, The Sect, The Church), Stagefright is now unleashed in a new 4K restoration.
When a masked killer infiltrates a group of actors rehearsing overnight in an isolated theatre, the stage is set for carnage! Featuring an abundance of over-the-top kills and spills, shot with Soavi’s typical style, marvel at the mayhem as the iconic chainsaw wielding ‘Owl Man’, delivers a blood-soaked performance for the ages.
Considered by critics a pinnacle of slasher movies, STAGEFRIGHT is now finally given the release it deserves, from a new 4K restoration, for us to marvel at the inventive genius of director Michele Soavi (Cemetery Man, The Sect, The Church) combining relentless graphic blood-splattered set pieces with his trademark witty filmmaking elegance – a quality not normally associated with slasher movies!
Soavi intended his film to be called Aquarius – or aquarium – alluding to the viewer being able to see the action as if it took place inside a fishbowl. Cleverly constructed to heighten suspense, the director intentionally mixes fake with reality: showing us the ‘real’ serial killer of our film as he infiltrates a group of stage actors rehearsing overnight in an isolated place; he kills and takes the place of the actor whose role in the play is that of a killer permanently hidden under a giant owl head! His identity unseen, the now real killer-owl stalks and dismembers the troupe one by one!
Schooled by Dario Argento and Terry Gilliam but with his own unique personal flair, Soavi’s first feature can finally be seen as intended, with this edition further benefitting from the director’s colour grading and framing indications given during a candid conversation filmed exclusively for one of the many Extras on this Special Edition disc.
Special Features: New 4K-Restored version
Interview: Director Michele Soavi “Staging the Fright”
Interview: Actor Giovanni Lombardo Radice “The Theater of Blood”
Interview: Actor David Brandon “The Last Performance”
New subtitles and Hard-of-Hearing Closed Captions
