Review: Goopy, Gory '80s Horror 'Retribution' Gets Superlative New Release

Every time someone writes that a modern horror movie hearkens back to the 1980s, I immediately think of filmmakers who had very limited resources and still made their films look as if they were made for ten times the budget. Egyptian-born director Guy Magar definitely belongs to that league of craftsmen just because of his "The Exorcist"-inspired debut feature, "Retribution." It's the kind of film that rises above the crop of Exorcist knock-offs, as it uses the idea of possession liberally to explore the story of one man's descent into madness, and the people trying to save him from that descent.

Severin Films brings "Retribution" to Blu-ray with a new 2K restoration culled from recently discovered pre-print film elements. The result is nothing short of terrific, with Severin's newly polished 1080p presentation easily beating out all previous releases of the film. They've also packed this three-disc (two Blu-rays and one CD soundtrack) edition with a ton of special features, including interviews with composer Alan Howarth and actress Leslie Wing. If you're already a fan of the film, I recommend shelling out the cash for this new edition.

"Retribution" tells the story of loner George Miller (Dennis Lipscomb), whom we find suffering from emotional turmoil in the opening moments of the film. His suicide attempt is told in parallel with the murder of Vito Minelli, a man indebted to the mob. These two men die on the same night, Halloween. But when George is revived, his newfound lease on life is interrupted by violent dreams of him murdering people. It couldn't be that he's actually murdering people, right?

The aforementioned presentation really makes this homespun-but-polished work look really great. Both the U.S. Theatrical Cut and Extended Dutch Video Version with extra footage of gore are included here. There's a much more natural push in color in this new presentation when compared to the previous Code Red release. In addition, textures are given much more depth, and film grain looks natural.

If "Retribution" sounds up your alley at all, I urge you to pick it up. This breathtaking new edition is most likely the best this film will ever receive, and it comes packed with special features. Severin has once again presented a lesser-known genre film that deserves critical renewal.

Other special features include:

� Audio commentary with co-writer/director Guy Magar
� "Writing Wrongs" – Interview with co-writer Lee Wasserman
� "Shock Therapy"– Interview with actress Leslie Wing
� "Angel's Heart" – Interview with actress Suzanne Snyder
� "Santa Maria, Mother Of God, Help Me!" – Interview with actor Mike Muscat
� "Settling the Score" – Interview with soundtrack composer Alan Howarth
� "Visions of Vengeance" – Interview with special effects artist John Eggett
� "The Art of Getting Even" – Interview with artist Barry Fahr
� "Living in Oblivion" – Interview with production designer Robb Wilson King
� "BINGO" – Student short by Guy Magar with optional director commentary
� Trailer
� Stills & poster gallery
� Bonus: CD Soundtrack
� Reversible Artwork

"Retribution" is now available on Blu-ray from Severin Films.