Corruption (Vinegar Syndrome) (Blu-ray) Review

Distributor: Vinegar Syndrome Edition Details: Limited Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Movie Specs: Genres: Golden Age Classic, Feature Film, Horror Run Time: 79 minutes Rated: X Release Year: 1983 Director: Roger Watkins (as Richard Mahler) Written by: Roger Watkins (as Richard Mahler) Cast: Jamie Gillis, Kelly Nichols, Bobby Astyr, Tiffany Clark, Tish Ambrose, Alexis X, Samantha Fox, Sabrina Vale, Tanya Lawson, Vanessa Del Rio, Michael Gaunt, Michael Morrison, George Payne, Marilyn Gee (as Mary Constantine), Nicole Bernard, Melissa Strong Release Specs: Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (Blu-ray), English Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono (DVD) Subtitles: none Video: Widescreen, 1.85.1 (anamorphic) Video Format: NTSC Format: Blu-ray/DVD Regional Code (for DVD/Blu-ray): 0 (All) Number of discs: 1 Blu-ray, 1 DVD

Corruption is a dark, dreary and magnificent adult film to come from director Roger Watkins. Corruption is one of those films that could only exist within the adult film genre. The sex scenes are an integral part of the story and without them the story would never work. And to pull the sex from the film would destroy the story.

In the beginning, Corruption appears to be rather simplistic. Alan (George Payne) is sent through a series of sexual trials to get power, if he is willing to give up love. He disappears and Williams (Jamie Gillis) goes looking for him. As the film goes on, it becomes evident that Corruption is actually a rather complex film forming the actual story which can't be described without giving away the film.

Corruption is visually stunning. The sets are dark and dreary and the color that is present vibrates off the screen. This design to the film gives the film its feel making the aesthetics of the film as important to its success as the cast and the screenplay. The photography for the film is amazing as well. Done by Larry Revene, who worked on many other adult films and some more mainstream softcore films.

Corruption is unlikely to appeal to viewers looking for erotic material to get off on. The tone is dreary and the sex scenes are catered to what is required by the story. The sex scenes are well done with a cast that stays in character during them. The cast does a great job with the non-sexual portions of the film, developing their characters (when appropriate) and showing acting talent. In short, this is a must see classic film.

Vinegar Syndrome has done a great job with the Blu-ray/DVD combo package release of Corruption. The combo package release itself is not a limited edition and according to Vinegar Syndrome will stay on the market for the foreseeable future. However, the Easter egg extra included on the 2015 Black Friday release Vinegar Syndrome has stated may not be available on future pressings after the initial 2,000. For that reason alone I call this release a limited edition release and the release without the Easter egg would be the standard release.

Corruption is presented in the anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The Blu-ray features a absolutely stunning 1080p picture. The transfer offers a beautiful picture with vibrant colors. The transfer contains grain and minimal artifacts. The picture looks as good here as it probably looked when it first played in the theater.

On the Blu-ray Corruption is presented with an English DTS-HD Master Audio monaural track and on the DVD Corruption is presented with an English Dolby Digital 1.0 monaural track. Both tracks sound beautiful without any issues at all.

Vinegar Syndrome has included several extras on this release, most of which relate to the feature film. The extras are all on both the Blu-ray and the DVD included. “Through the Lens: Larry Revene & Corruption” is a 12 minute interview with Larry Revene, the cinematographer for Corruption. With Roger Watkins having passed on, this is a great feature since Revene gives a lot of insight into the film. The theatrical trailer for Corruption is on the disk. There is a pressbook gallery of advertising material for Corruption. Last, but not least, is a hidden Easter egg that contains a raw scan of The Last House on Dead End Street, a horror film by Roger Watkins. The Last House on Dead End Street is the 78 minute cut of the film and looks haggard but not awful. At some point in the future, Vinegar Syndrome will be releasing a stand alone release of The Last House on Dead End Street from better elements (hopefully with a lot of the extras that Watkins did with Barrel Entertainment before his passing for the now out of print DVD).

[Click here to show how to access Easter egg][Click here to hide how to acccess Easter egg]
To access the Easter egg, keep pressing the down arrow until the “t” in Corruption has a shadow then hit enter to see The Last House on Dead End Street.

Corruption is a must see classic adult film which combines some great, but dark, sex scenes with a complex plot and great acting. Vinegar Syndrome has done an amazing job with this release!

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