I Know What You Did Last Summer

Several teens celebrate the end of term with a margin of excess when they run a poor guy down on country roads, and then rather than owning up to the situation they decide to dump his body in the sea.  The problem being (as if there weren't enough) it looks like he was alive at the moment they pushed him in, meaning that they're now technically murderers.  Forbidding each other to speak of the act ever again they attempt to move on with their guilt-ridden lives.  Then, a year later, they begin receiving notes suggesting that someone saw what happened.  Following that a psychotic individual begins his vengeful murder spree...

Following hot in the dust-cloud left behind by Scream in the new wave of slashers, I Know What You Did Last Summer, released in 1997, appeared at the time to be a second-rate attempt to aspire to the success of Craven's film.  Unsurprisingly the screenplay was written by the man who also wrote Scream and its sequel.  Years on I actually prefer watching Jim Gillespie's less popular foray into this particular sub-genre.  The teen leads are appealing, particularly in the case of young, very sexy Jennifer Love Hewitt and cute Sarah Michelle Gellar.  Freddie Prinze Jr.'s turn as the poor boy stumbling into a rich world is sympathetically likable while Ryan Phillippe is the punchable bully boy really responsible for the whole mess.  Anne Heche also shows up briefly as the messed-up sister of the man run down by the teens.  It's an attractively shot film, efficiently edited with some rousing music along the way.  Taken in the right mood, and without expecting high class cinema, this is one of the most enjoyable entries in the slasher film's final stab at mainstream popularity.  Oh, and occasionally it's quite violent (the killer carrying around a very nasty hook), though the absence of nudity is lamentable.  Is it original?  No, of course not - I don't think I've seen a slasher film that is especially original.  However, it entertains on its own level, and that's the important factor.

The US Blu-ray looks pretty good, backed up by a powerful Dolby TrueHD audio track.  There's also a half hour making-of (in standard definition) and Gillespie's short film Joy Ride along with a couple of other bits.  Surprisingly the director has not been too busy, going on to do D-Tox with Stallone, and Venom but little else.

Anguish

An interesting oddity dating back to 1987, and shot in Barcelona, Anguish (or Angustia, or Im Augenblick der Angst) begins with an uncomfortable depiction of a grown man's homicidal tendencies combined with his close, possibly psychic relationship with his creepy mother, before revealing that this is a film playing in an American cinema.  Some of the viewers become increasingly disturbed by what they're watching on screen, before events in 'real' life begin to imitate those of the celluloid they're experiencing.

What I particularly liked about Anguish is the manner in which it blurs the lines between reality and cinematic fiction, crossing over the events of the two worlds with gradually heightening frequency and intensity.  Whilst it can be uncomfortable viewing at time, with some particularly gruesome sequences spattered throughout (and a little unnecessary animal cruelty in my opinion), the film's fascinating tightrope walk between supposed realities, combined with occasional surrealism, result in an original piece of work, that is often bizarre, captivating, and will beg to be watched repeatedly, until you yourself succumb to its spell of demented hypnosis...

The Germans, as usual edging ahead of many other countries in their selection of enticing catalogue titles for Blu-ray, have put out Anguish (as Im Augenblick...) with an excellent 2.35:1 full HD transfer, and a choice between English (naturally, as shot) DTS HD MA 5.1 or German in the same mode.  German subtitles are there of course, but thankfully they are removable.  At 24 frames per second it runs about 85 minutes.  At times boasting the feel of a classic Dario Argento exercise, the sound mix of this film is really important, reminding me in some ways of the direction they took with Berberian Sound Studio, entwining intricate sound patterns with a deliberately confused transition between realities for both the protagonist and the viewer, and headphone-use or surround listening is encouraged.  The cover is reversible - effectively the same artwork but without the red banner at the top, and missing the huge age restriction that seems to emblazon all German disc releases.  Needless to say it was turned around instantly upon opening...  The disc also comes with an interview and trailers - not exactly padded extras-wise but the very fact that something like this appears on Blu in such an attractive audio-visual presentation is to be rejoiced.