BADass SINema Unearthed - Blu-ray 4K UHD Review

Movie Review

If I ever needed a ride and the driver of the car that stopped to pick my broke ass up greeted me with a casual line like “you’d complete my collection”, well, I do believe I’d start running quickly away. Fuck this and fuck you; I’m out. Blue Vengeance would have been a quick flick sprinting to the very end right then and there.

That doesn’t happen, though, when one poor hitchhiker climbs in the cab of the Dodge truck that the recently escaped Mirror Man Killer, Mark Trax (John Weiner, who is completely unhinged and GREAT), has recently stolen. This poor sod, too stupid to realize he’s about to die in a really horrible way, gets in the stolen truck and starts up a conversation with the Mirror Man. The two talk about the recent escapee from the prison.

And then Trax starts singing some Satan-fused lyrics from his favorite metal act. It’s the end of the line for this passenger. He jumps out and ends up run over on the side of the road and, as if getting clipped by the truck wasn’t enough damage, gets his teeth pulled FROM THE SIDE OF HIS CHEEK by Trax. Yikes.

Christian Ingvordsen’s Blue Vengeance, now fully restored in 1080p thanks to Vinegar Syndrome, is a rock ’em and schlock ’em trashterpeice of New York cinema. It’s more punk rock than most flicks released during the late 80s and, rather surprisingly, very well directed. It’s also low budget and even lower in civility as the Mirror Man Killer starts the killing all over again, making a path straight toward the sword-wielding and guitar-slinging licks of his favorite band.

Written and directed by Ingvordsen (who also plays the troubled cop at the center of the Mirror Man investigation) this low budget flick is the perfect example of just how incredibly surreal film can be as it merges a killer’s fog-drenched mindset with an unhealthy obsession for a heavy metal band, Warriors of the Inferno (but really just Howard Jeffrey), and their druid-like dense lyrics with a police investigation led by another psychologically damaged man, torn up by grief for accidentally killing his own partner.

N.Y.P.D. Officer Mickey McCardle (Ingvordsen) has it bad; really bad. He’s lost respect on the force, can’t bring himself to go to his own partner’s funeral, and, thanks to the resurgence of the Mirror Man Killer’s familiar tactics, thinks the dude he should be blaming is roaming the streets once again.   And, faced with no other choice, he suits up for the sleaze and the grime of the seedy underbelly in order to tackle the Satan worshipping killer with a hard-on for music that is most metal.

Wait until he sees what the members of the band are up to now! From pogo dancing in the lamest of ways to surreal moments of midlevel fantasy swordplay, Blue Vengeance is kick to the seat of pants of filmmakers everywhere. It is never boring and features some incredibly depraved locations in the city; this is guerilla filmmaking at its hungriest.

Obsession. Violence. Revenge. Blue Vengeance, your seventeen-year-old self’s new favorite movie, makes sure that none of that isn't over yet.

Film Details

MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime: 90 mins
Director: J. Christian Ingvordsen, Danny Kuchuck
Writer: J. Christian Ingvordsen, Danny Kuchuck
Cast: Joe Ambrose, Tom Billett, Paul Borghese
Genre: Horror | Crime
Tagline: It isn't over yet.
Memorable Movie Quote:
Theatrical Distributor: All Channel Films Distribution
Official Site:
Release Date: May 15, 1989 (Cannes)
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: May 1, 2018
Synopsis: Convicted murderer Mark Trex has just escaped from an asylum and is headed for New York City to track down the members of his favorite childhood band, Warriors of the Inferno. Believing that their occult hit song, which told of Satan and death, is true, Trex is determined to see if the band members have held up their part of their pact with evil. However, cop-on-the-edge Mickey McCardle is hot on his trail and determined to end this serial killer’s spree.

Blu-ray Review

Home Video Distributor: Vinegar Syndrome
Available on Blu-ray - May 1, 2018
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English SDH
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

This region-free Blu-ray/DVD combo has been newly scanned and restored in 2k from the 35mm original camera negative. It is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio and, thanks to its crisp locations is quite superb. Black levels are solid and colors are natural. The results are quite good. Blues in the night radiates and the green of the shore provides a nice contrast. Black levels are even and edges are very fine indeed. There is a nice sheen to much of the movie, making it a totally memorable experience as this is the best the film has ever looked in its lifetime.

Commentary:

There are two commentaries attached to this release. The first features director/actor J. Christian Ingvordsen talking about the movie. It is moderated by Michael Gingold. The second one is with actor John Weiner as he discusses playing a most memorable serial killer and the shoot itself.

Special Features:

This discovery is loaded with a makingof documentary that the film’s director put together. We also get a new conversation with the director and Michael Gingold. Also included is an unreleased science fiction flick from o-writer Danny Kuchuck. This special edition slipcover, designed by Derek Gabryszak, is limited to just 1,000 units and is only available through Vinegar Syndrome.

Making Blue Vengeance

On Blue Vengeance

The First Man (1996)