Severin Films gives another life to the horror sleeper RETRIBUTION on special edition three-disc Blu-ray.

Having survived a suicide attempt, artist George Miller (Dennis Lipscomb, SISTER SISTER) finds his recovery hampered by recurring nightmares of an unfamiliar man being shot to death by indistinct-looking assailants. With the help of therapist Jennifer Curtis (Leslie Wing, RAGEWAR), he is able to leave the hospital as an outpatient and is welcomed home with open arms by his fellow residents at a fashionably shady downtown hotel. Despite the pills that are supposed to help him sleep better, George has a horrifying nightmare in which he supernaturally compels a woman (Pamela Dunlap, BLOODY MAMA) to disembowel herself. When George sees the woman's picture in the newspaper the next day, he immediately goes to Jennifer. Jennifer believes that George is delusional despite the detailed information about the murder he provides to her; however, her medical doctor boyfriend Alan (Jeff Pomerantz, GROUP MARRIAGE) believes that George might be a paranoid schizophrenic and certainly capable of the killings. Alan tries to convince Jennifer to contact the police, but Jennifer worries about George's suicidal tendencies.

George finds himself drawn to unfamiliar areas of town and to a woman (Clare Peck, the narrator of FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC) and her son (Matthew Newmark, TV's GUNS OF PARADISE) whose husband/father Vito (Mike Muscat, HUNTER'S BLOOD) was not only was born on the same day as George (April Fool's), but was also tortured and murdered on the same night as George's attempted suicide. Meanwhile, Jennifer – who has experienced enough supernatural events at that point to believe George's story – learns that her boyfriend has contacted the cops. Soon Lt. Ashley (folk singer Hoyt Axton, GREMLINS) is leaning on her to reveal George's identity. As the murders continue, George realizes that he has become the instrument of Vito's revenge, and the only way to stop him may be to die again.

The story goes in all of the directions expected of a possession film, but it does so in novel, quirky ways. When Angel and friend Dylan (executive producer Chris Caputo, GHOST WARRIOR) convince George to consult a psychic, they take him to a reggae club. Instead of an austere voodoo priestess, we get Dr. Rasta (Danny D. Daniels, THE OUTING/THE LAMP), and the provoked supernatural display is both intense and slightly comical. The lighter parts of John Carpenter-arranger Alan Howarth's synth score might be pretty sappy, but the script's quirky supporting characters are more than just atmosphere and stereotypes. Unlike other low budget horror films, most of his main and supporting cast are not one-shot found actors but either seasoned veterans or beginners whose careers – however humble – took off after this.

Where the script stumbles a little bit is in splitting up the traditional "love interest" role between Wing's concerned professional and "hooker with a heart of gold" Angel (Suzanne Synder). The unlikely pair have good chemistry together and the sweet scenes never get too sappy; however Angel's presence means Jennifer is offscreen for extended amounts of time, and when we do see her it does not seem as if she has given much more thought to anything George has told her since we last saw her, and the supernatural nudging that gets Jennifer believing George's story would seem to be at odds with the possessor's intentions. Characters that make jerky decisions from Jennifer's boyfriend to the reputation-minded hospital administrator (George Murdock, THE SWORD AND THE SORCERER), are thankfully given enough depth to make their motivations understandable beyond merely complicating the plot. Axton's detective also does not come into the story until very late, and we learn nothing about the potential fourth victim.

Director Guy Magar, cinematographer Gary Thieltges, production designer Robb Wilson King (HOSTEL: PART II), and the effects crew – including a young Kevin Yagher (CHILD'S PLAY) – imbue the locations of the three major supernatural set-pieces with a hellish quality without neglecting the striking look of the locations constructed and found in the expository scenes (George's apartment, Dr. Rasta's reggae club, and a visit to a neon sculpture gallery also provide striking backdrops). Overall, the film's look may not stand out that much from similarly neon- and gel-lit 1980s films (particularly A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET-esque "dream logic" pics), but it's a welcome antidote to the muted, grungy, desaturated look that has overtaken recent horror films. The jump scares are your standard stuff, and the final scare before the closing credits is predictable but still effective. What does set the film apart from most of its ilk – low budget or studio release – is an obvious affection on the director's part for his characters (perhaps too much since few of the nice characters are put in danger or even potentially threatened) and confidence in his chosen cast and crew.

Although our cackling possessed hero with neon green glowing eyes and a processed voice often looks more comical than threatening, it is nice to see dependable character actor Lipscomb in a lead role – his previous lead role was also in a horror film: the underrated regional horror film CRYING BLUE SKY, which was reedited for its scant theatrical release as EYES OF FIRE (both versions finally coming out on Blu-ray this December from Severin) – and he easily carries the lead. Three years after RETRIBUTION, Lipscomb had a supporting role in THE FIRST POWER, a somewhat similarly-themed film about an executed serial killer murdering from beyond the grave. Wing went from "Sushi Bar Customer #1" in GHOST WARRIOR to a romantic lead here and larger roles in STRANGELAND and THE FRIGHTENERS, and recently a recurring role in the Disney's HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL series (produced by GINGER series director Don Schain).

RETRIBUTION was the feature directorial debut of Magar, after spending the early half of the 1980s directing episodic TV like THE A-TEAM, HARDCASTLE AND MCCORMACK, and BLUE THUNDER. He returned to TV afterwards, but his few subsequent features – other than the mob drama LOOKIN' ITALIAN with Matt LeBlanc – have been horror-oriented: THE STEPFATHER III and (his most recent credit) 2001's CHILDREN OF THE CORN: REVELATION. Cinematographer Gary Thieltges has a few sparse DP credits, but his assistant camera credits include THE BEASTMASTER, SWEET 16, DREAMSCAPE, and CHILDREN OF THE CORN (as well as the US insert photography that turned HOTEL PARADISE and ESCAPE FROM HELL into the Linda Blair vehicle SAVAGE ISLAND). Thieltges found fame – and a Technical Achievement Academy Award – however for developing the Doggicam, PowerSlide, SparrowHead, and BodySlide camera rigs.

Given scant theatrical release, RETRIBUTION gathered dust on the video shelves with a VHS from MCEG/Virgin until the film was dusted off for a "25th Anniversary" DVD release from Code Red with commentary by Magar. Although an unrated version appeared overseas, only the R-rated version appears to have been preserved on film, so Code Red supplemented the disc with deleted scenes from VHS. Code Red reissued the film on limited edition Blu-ray through Screen Archives Entertainment. Earlier this year, Severin put out a three-disc edition as part of their Mid-Year sale, and it was exclusive to the website until October 26, 2021.

Mastered from recently-discovered pre-print elements, Severin Film's 1080p24 MPEG-4 AVC 1.85:1 widescreen Blu-ray is also the R-rated version on the first disc, but the elements immaculate, with saturated colors that pop without distortion – particularly in the case of the blue gels which are more stable here – and making the film feel a bit more cinematic than late eighties TV movie in its bright look. Some grit remains in the credits optical, but damage is completely absent. Disc two features what is referred to in the press release specs as an "extended Dutch video release version" but this is a composite of the aforementioned new transfer of the R-rated version and standard definition inserts of the gore shots – although the deleted scenes on the Code Red disc ran seven minutes, that was the shots in context, and the actual SD content is less than a few seconds comprising frames deleted from each of the gore scenes – and this is the only way to see them on the disc.

Disc two is also the only place where you can hear a new audio commentary track by Magar moderated by Severin Film's David Gregory, in which he discusses his experiences directing his first film for a high school project – on Super 8 without editing equipment so he had to shoot in sequence and accompanied the screening on the piano himself – his education at the London Film School where he met co-writer Lee Wasserman, his stint editing porn in New York, and meeting up with Wasserman again when he worked on an eight hour documentary on the bicentennial, moving to Los Angeles and enrolling in the AFI program, and his TV credits. He concedes the debt to THE EXORCIST and also covers finding funding and distribution, as well as the film's MPAA woes.

The rest of the extras are on the first disc with the R-rated version. In "Writing Wrongs" (12:18), co-writer Wasserman also recalls meeting Magar at the London Film School, distinguishes the film from its THE EXORCIST borrowings, and expands on the film's distribution issues with the change in leadership at United Artists consigning the film to limited release with little publicity. In "Shock Therapy" (8:06), actress Wing discusses her beginnings as a ballet dancer and later acting, and how touring with a musical eventually lead to Los Angeles, screen-testing for the lead in FLASHDANCE, memories of working with Lipscomb and Magar, and researching her role. In "Angel's Heart" (6:47), actress Synder recalls the family atmosphere, co-producer/actor Caputo taking care of all the actors on set, and observing L.A. hookers for her role.

In "Santa Maria, Mother Of God, Help Me!" (9:09), actor Muscat recalls going from class clown to drama student, his first roles including the Hicksploitation film HOT SUMMER IN BAREFOOT COUNTY, working with Magar on television, and his one night shooting on the film. In "Settling the Score" (8:15), composer Howarth describes his collaboration with John Carpenter as a "private film school", his expanding studio of synthesizer equipment during the period, and the methods of scoring with Carpenter and Magar. In "Visions of Vengeance" (7:18), special effects artist John Eggett (MANIAC COP 2) recalls that there were no storyboards on the film, and that he often arrived on the set to work out ideas with Magar, with the only preparation being the saw blade he had to build for the meat packing plant kill.

In "The Art of Getting Even" (6:35), artist Barry Fahr recalls the old days when he had a giant pre-gentrified downtown L.A. loft studio for a hundred dollars per month, working as a scenic designer on television, creating the protagonist's artwork for the film – the only difficulty he had was creating "failed" pieces – going to a friend for the giant Polynesian statue in the gallery scene, and discovering that the production had destroyed a lot of his material on the set for the scene in which all hell breaks loose in George's studio at the end. In "Living in Oblivion" (9:38), production designer Robb Wilson King discusses his early stints on films like THE HILLS HAVE EYES, and thinking he had left low-budget horror behind when he was informed that the budget for RETRIBUTION was only a million-and-a-quarter, his joy at having a crew of professionals and promising newcomers, making of the downtown hotel for the film, and the thrill of finding locations in Los Angeles that had never been filmed before like the church with its gold-inlaid walls. The first disc closes with "Bingo" (1:59), Magar's 1973 student film with optional commentary, a still and poster gallery (2:14), the film's theatrical trailer (1:45), and a promo reel (6:58). Disc three is the film's complete soundtrack CD (54:04), which – despite only featuring Severin's logo on the disc face – is a reproduction of Dragon Domain's 2015 14-track release. Unlike the other Severin sale titles, RETRIBUTION's standard edition includes the slipcover, as well as the reversible cover, and the 24-page booklet featuring an introduction and essay by director Guy Magar, as well as an essay on the score by Randall D. Larson. (Eric Cotenas)