Double Exposure (Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray Review)

Blu-ray Distributed By: Vinegar Syndrome / April 25, 2017

Michael Callan stars as Adrian Wilde, a prolific photographer whose specialty is shooting nude models for men’s magazines. His life starts to unravel when he begins to experience strange and almost lifelike dreams in which he murders the very women he’s been photographing. What’s more is that he soon discovers that they might not be dreams after all. Has he started to lose touch with reality; is he a calculated killer attempting to create an unbelievable alibi; or is something much more sinister and deadly afoot…

Co-starring Joanna Pettet (Welcome to Arrow Beach) and Seymour Cassel (Killing of a Chinese Bookie), and featuring atmospheric, scope photography by R. Michael Stringer, DOUBLE EXPOSURE is a slick and suspenseful psychological mystery fused with slasher and giallo elements. Inspired by director William Bryon Hillman’s 1974 film, The Photographer, but taking a much darker and more violent approach, Vinegar Syndrome brings this distinctly original horror obscurity to Blu-ray, newly restored from its original 35mm camera negative.

Special Features:

Newly scanned and restored in 2k from 35mm original camera negative
Commentary track with Director William Byron Hillman
“Exposing Double Exposure” Interview with Cinematographer R. Michael Stringer
“Staying on Task” Interview with Script Supervisor Sally Stringer
Isolated score by Composer Jack Goga
Original theatrical trailer
Promotional still gallery
Reversible cover artwork by Derek Gabryszak

Jimbo:	(2.5 / 5)
Jamie:	(3.5 / 5)
Average:	(3.0 / 5)

Jimbo’s Take

Double Exposure strives to rival thrillers like Hitchcock’s Psycho, but falls short of the mark. It’s an interesting little oddity being released in pristine condition from the folks at Vinegar Syndrome and worth a view for the curious. I really enjoyed Double Exposure on a very base and superficial level. However, when the film aspires to be more than a sleazy slasher experience, Director William Byron Hillman bites off more than he can chew.

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Michael Callan plays Adrian Wilde. Adrian suffers from uncontrollable visions of murdering the women he is photographing. Meanwhile a couple of detectives are investigating a string of murders targeting prostitutes. Callan is great as the psychotic photographer Adrian Wilde. His performance verges very close into scene-chewing laughable hysteria, but I really admire his inhibitions to just go fully into the character’s mental breakdowns. Unfortunately, I found myself giggling more than feeling dread when Adrian had his “Mr. Hyde” moments.

The rest of the cast is mostly very good in the Adrian plot. However, I did find myself less interested in the detective story, some of which can be blamed on performance, but the rest lies solely at the feet of the director.

I applaud Director William Byron Hillman for being so ambitious. He tries to construct a traditional murder mystery from the perspective of Wilde’s broken psyche. But Hillman is not David Lynch. Lynch has made a career exploring dream theory. In Double Exposure, Hillman attempts to play with reality shifting and use Adrian’s altered mental perspectives as a kind of red herring to confuse viewers. However, it can never work because if we can’t trust what our main character is seeing then the images in front of us are lies. When the film tries to slip in a twist ending, it is doomed to feel like a cheat.

Poor pacing also complicates the picture. The film feels fragmented, as if it works in vignettes, sections, and pieces. But Double Exposure has a hard time coalescing as a whole. I found myself very interested in Adrian’s story, and the characters around him. However, any time the movie shifted to the detective story, I lost interest. The detective plot doesn’t feel integral to the story, even though logically it is. As a result, the film feels disjointed and broken like Adrian’s subconscious. I’d like to think this is by Hillman’s design, but I doubt it.

Then there’s the mud wrestling scene…

Ultimately, I think Double Exposure is okay, but stylistically ambitious. Hillman takes risks and his actors are strong. R. Michael Stringer’s cinematography is incredible, especially the opening title sequence which has a slow-motion, ghosting effect that is both hypnotic and headache inducing. But the film is just okay. Part of me wishes it was complete bat-shit crazy sleaze, but it’s not. Nor is it Hitchcock’s Psycho or the third season of Twin Peaks.

Despite my criticisms, I strongly recommend Vinegar Syndrome’s Blu-ray for your collection. In addition to the amazing assortment of bonus features and interviews, I want them to make a lot of money on this release. Why? So they will have confidence in acquiring and releasing a Blu-ray of William Byron Hillman’s 1974 The Photographer starring Michael Callan as…Adrian Wilde?

That’s right! Hillman directed two films starring Michael Callan as a deranged photographer. In the audio commentary, Hillman says he views Double Exposure as a prequel to The Photographer. At one point Grindhouse Releasing claimed they were releasing The Photographer but I can find no mention of its release on their website. Maybe if enough people purchase Vinegar Syndrome’s Double Exposure we can one day have a The Photographer/Double Exposure “double identity” double bill. Fingers crossed. Check it out!

Jamie’s Take

Do you like non-nonsensical screaming? Do you like natural, bare breasts? Look no further then as Double Exposure is at times a laugh riot as this very silly, sometimes misogynistic thriller is a breathe of fresh air in the very political correct times. This is the reason why people love the 80’s. Now Jim liked that ghosting, slow-motion effect that is original but it kind of irritated me as it goes on too long. I also wanted the movie to be a bit sleazier, maybe more like Bill Lustig’s 1980 Joe Spinell starring masterpiece, Maniac. Double Exposure could have benefited in being more nuts, bat-shit crazy. It does to a certain extent but seems to be too plot heavy for it’s own good. Still I like this one and recommend this as a great late-night flick.

Vinegar Syndrome’s blu ray looks amazing and once again, they rank right up there with Synapse and Blue Underground as being the kings of exploitation releases. Some decent special features too. There is / was a limited blu ray with a slip cover if that’s your thing.