A group of college kids who took some experimental LSD suffer the side effects ten years later. One by one, their hair falls out and they go into a homicidal psychotic state of mind.
Jeff Lieberman's BLUE SUNSHINE is an excellent 70s flick that has this Cronenberg vibe to it. I'm a big fan of Lieberman because of such films as the awesome SQUIRM, and the cool slasher JUST BEFORE DAWN and what else, but this one is definitely my fave as it is such an original and interesting film to watch. The very 70s feel it has to it is just perfect, and while I dig horror films from the 80s, flicks from the 70s just has this look, feel and vibe to them which is for most of the time unbeatable when it comes to film... not just horror but film in general. And for the fact that this flick practically oozes Cronenberg, (without ripping anything off), it's all good in my book.
BLUE SUNSHINE starts out at a party where a bald man goes insane and kills a bunch of girls. He then start to chase Jerry Zipkin, one of the party attendees, until he's accidentally hit by a truck, and Jerry flees the crime scenes which makes him the prime suspect. Now Jerry is on the run and has to find some way to prove that he's innocent, and while he does, other bald people start to go insane around town and kill people to left and right. As Jerry keep digging to clear his name, he find out that a group of people who attended Stanford University 10 years ago experimented with some type of acid called Blue Sunshine which has, by now, much much later, caused them to lose their hair and turn to murder.
 
There are plenty of reasons to check this film out but most for its creativity and originality... movies like this are simply not made these days, so treasure the "old." Zalman King who plays Jerry Zipkin couldn't be more easy to root for while he's searching to clear his name -- he's just a very nice and likable guy but all characters in the film have something different to add to the overall experience, and do all pull it off in excellent manner. Even though the film is basically about this drug called Blue Sunshine, it it's not a drug type of film, even though it comments on the social climate of the 60s and 70s. There are no junkies, no users that you get to see, or even much talk about drugs for that matter. Only thing is that Blue Sunshine caused people to lose hair and turn into homicidal maniacs, other than that, drugs are not the main thing here. What I mean is, just don't expect some psychedelic kind of film because that is so not the case here. If you're after some "groovy" shit looks elsewhere, this one's got a anti-drug message written all over it.
For most of the film, while Jerry is trying to clear his name, it plays out a bit like some Hitchcockian thriller, and even though we get some nice horror elements thrown in here and there, it's first and most a thriller. Don't let that put you off though because BLUE SUNSHINE is so worth watching. Not much gore involved but the suspense is there pretty much at all times and the film moves forward at a rapid rate; something that never makes it the least bit slow, dull, or boring to watch.
What's the point of watching new shitty Hollywood horror flicks when you can watch films like this; films that are original, has suspense and actual meaning. I'm glad you can always go back to the 70s to enjoy some fine ass filmmaking and have yourself an excellent time, and with BLUE SUNSHINE, you truly will. If you haven't had the chance to see this film yet I suggest you fix that at your first convenience. Highly recommended.
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ALTERNATIVE TITLE:
MOVIE YEAR: 1976
DIRECTOR: Jeff Lieberman
WRITING CREDITS: Jeff Lieberman
GENRE: Horror, Thriller
CAST: Zalman King, Deborah Winters, Mark Goddard
COUNTRY: USA
RUNTIME: 90 min
RATING: 9/10
Blue Sunshine Website/IMDB Click here
Blue Sunshine Trailer
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