Zalman King, Robert Walden, Mark Goddard. After three women are killed at a party, a series of murderous rampages ensue for which Jerry is falsely accused. But while he's on the run and searching for the truth, he discovers that the flipped-out killers are a group of former Stanford University students who had all experimented with the same drug 10 years ago. 1976/color/90 min/R.

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Blue Sunshine (1976) tells a story that involves the physical and psychological effect of a particular kind of drug many years after its' initial use. The film starts out at a party, a real groovy happening, that soon evolves into a massacre as a guy, who looks a lot like actor John Cryer but isn't, becomes unglued and goes on a psychotic killing spree. Jerry Zipkin, played by Zalman King, who was at the party, soon finds himself in the position of being falsely accused of the crimes and on the run from the police.

Jerry, unable to fathom why his friend went completely bonkers and killed those people and then attacked him, is searching for answers in a desperate attempt to not only clear his name, but also learn exactly what happened. As Jerry delves deeper and deeper into the mystery, more unusual killings occur. The nature of the attackers is similar, right down to certain physical characteristics, alopecia (a loss of hair), glassy-eyed stare, super human strength, and homicidal tendencies. It's soon found that all the people who went schizoid have a common denominator in that they all attended the same university at the same time and all have a link to a politician currently running for congress. Will Jerry learn the meaning of Blue Sunshine before any more killings take place, and before the police capture him?

Blue Sunshine, written and directed by Jeff Lieberman, does have Hitchcockian elements with the whole `falsely accused man trying to clear his name' theme, but also adds horror elements, giving the film a nice slant and a sense of originality. Lieberman also wrote and directed the creepy crawler Squirm (1976), a horror pic about flesh-eating earthworms. Blue Sunshine also stars Deborah Winters as Jerry's girlfriend Alicia Sweeney, Mark Goddard, who many, including myself, remember as Major Don West in the 60's television sci-fi show Lost in Space, as politician Edward Flemming, and character actor Charles Siebert as Detective Clay. Siebert's name may not ring any bells, but if you've watched television in the 70's, you will most likely recognize his face as he appeared on show like All in the Family, The Rockford Files, Police Woman, Barnaby Jones, Good Times, and a slew of others.

While the film does contain some plot holes, they are easy to overlook, especially as the story tends to move pretty quickly, and the instances where the psychosis sets in, causing various individuals to lose it and go on a murderous rampage are exceptionally creepy. This is especially true of the scene with the woman babysitting the two, highly annoying children and her chasing them around with a large knife. Surprisingly, there is very little gore involved, much less than I had expected. Zalman King's performance is fairly odd and discordant, along with the delivery of a lot of his dialogue. It's hard to describe, but I had the feeling he seemed always just of out sync with the film, creating a bizarre element that would normally work against a picture, but here, it seemed to complement the plot as it unraveled. The film did seem to end rather abruptly, hinting at the chilling notion that the instances of violence may only be the tip of the iceberg, so to speak.

The film, which has been out of circulation on home video for about a decade, looks really clean and clear in this anamorphic wide screen (1:78:1) release. Some very minor speckling and damaged to the print is evident, but one of the special features shows a comparison to the original print and this cleaned up print, exhibiting the amazing restorative work done, supervised by the director himself, on the film for this release, which entailed about 17 hours of intensive labor. Other special features include a new Dolby Digital created especially for home video environments, the original mono soundtrack, a full commentary by director Jeff Lieberman, an original short film directed by Lieberman, a still gallery, the original theatrical trailer for the film, comprehensive liner notes, and a 30 minute video interview with the director. This is a two disc set, with the film and special features on the first disc, the second disc being a never before released original sound track CD. All in all, an excellent release of a creepy, rarely seen film that looks at the possible residual effects of the free love generation.

Cookieman108

12 of 13 found the following review helpful:

Don't drop out before you watch thisOct 22, 2004
By J from NY
Most of the film reviews I've read of "Blue Sunshine" knock it to no end, citing "bad acting", an "absurd plot", et al. That's bull. This movie has the angsty flavor of a Hitchcock film with some time period-commentary thrown in. The mood of surreality and displacement is astounding.

Admittedly, not all of it makes sense, but I hardly think that's a viable complaint considering the way mainstream movies usually deal with plot. The film starts out innocently enough, with a group of (old college buddies) having a party. When a particularly goofy, Frank Sinatra looking character bends over to kiss someone else's girlfriend, he is accosted and his hair is pulled off. We see that he is completely bald, and his eyes bug out of their sockets. This a really chilling scene. He then proceeds to go completely bonzo and massacre his friends, looking like a character from Planet 9 From Outer Space on acid (no pun intended). The hero of the film chases him and he is run over by a truck. From here, things start to get really, really trippy.

Perhaps the most truly scary scene is when our hero is trying to get to the bottom of the "Blue Sunshine" phenomenon, speaking to a pill popping housewife who he believes was given the LSD by her former husband who is now a politican. After she throws him it out, believing his motives to be other than they are, her children start screaming for ice cream. It is difficult to forget this scene: her eyes get wide, she removes her hair, and comes close to butchering them with a knife. Again, this poor bastard saves the kids, and ends up looking like the villain.

The last few scenes are unforgettable, with some 70's humor thrown in. For all the occasionally bad dialogue and plot holes, I would not at all call this a "B" grade movie. It creates an undeniable atmosphere of dread and paranoia. "The Ringer", a short film dealing with the illusions of pop culture and marketing, is almost better than the movie itself. This is more than worth buying.

3 of 3 found the following review helpful:

NEWSPAPER TAXI'S APPEAR ON THE SHORE...READY TO TAKE YOUR BUTCHARD BODY'S AWAAAAY......Oct 01, 2008
By CLINT BRONSON
The VERY underrated Jeff( SQUIRM-JUST BEFORE DAWN )Lieberman comes up with a very HORROR/BIZARRE flick here. Blue Sunshine tells the story of a decade-delayed reaction for a group of former hippies who turn into homicidal maniacs after having one hell of a FLASHBACK on the LSD drug Blue Sunshine. This is full of marvelous touches (the former longhairs go bald with their insanity) and has deft performances from the cast. Watch this movie and trip out....MAN!

2 of 2 found the following review helpful:

An Undiscovered Gem Of '70s Horror Movies!Apr 04, 2004
By Daniel Kepley
Jeff Lieberman's BLUE SUNSHINE is the ultimate anti-drug message and a fine horror movie. It's all about an LSD-type drug made in 1967 made in Stanford University that causes the user to spontaneously go berserk (and bald) ten years later to the date of its ingestion. Now a friend (RED SHOE DIARIES Zalman King) of one of the users must get to the bottom of this tangled web. The best thing about BLUE SUNSHINE is that Lieberman evokes Alfred Hitchcock almost without trying; one of his inspirations was Brian DePalma (who made CARRIE the same year this was made) and Lieberman lays on the style much like DePalma did. BLUE SUNSHINE is also a brilliant commentary on the transition of the social climate from the 1960's to the 1970's and the consequences of the '60s movements, mainly drug-related, and it's just as relevant today (especially after 28 DAYS LATER) as it was in 1976! The music is also creepy and creates the perfect atmosphere of tension and paranoia necessary for the subject matter at hand (the soundtrack is included in this fine DVD limited edition). BLUE SUNSHINE is a movie that is definetly worth discovery, especially with remakes of '70s gems THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE and DAWN OF THE DEAD! Definetly check this one out; your life may depend on it!

2 of 2 found the following review helpful:

Fun stuffDec 20, 2003
By D. Costa "The Werecat"
Fun, if you don't take productions values, etc too seriously. Anyone saying that the movie stinks because of "bungled direction", etc, either wasn't old enough in the 60's and 70's to appreciate what this movie is, which is pure, unvarnished B grade fodder. I admit I'm biased, I love this kind of schlock.

However, the premise is an interesting one, and Jeff did a halfway credible job (In B horror flicks this is high praise)directing it. What amazes me is seeing it again after all these years and realizing that the cast is chock full of yet_to_be's and used_to_be's...something I wouldn't have realized while watching it for the first time in a German Student Art-Film House. Speaking of which, I first saw Assault on Precinct 13 there, another nifty lil low budge worth checking out.

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