Intrusion (Vinegar Syndrome) Review

Distributor: Vinegar Syndrome Edition Details: Standard DVD Movie Specs: Genres: Golden Age Classic, Feature Film, Horror, Thriller, Roughie Run Time: 67 minutes Rated: X Release Year: 1975 Director: Arthur Nouveau Written by: Nelson Decco Cast: Kim Pope, Michael Gaunt (as Michael Dattorre), Levi Richards, Lynn Bishop Release Specs: Audio: English Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono Subtitles: none Video: Full Frame, 1.33:1 Video Format: NTSC Format: DVD Regional Code (for DVD/Blu-ray): 0 (All) Number of discs: 1

The Intrusion is a mean spirited roughie from the mid-seventies. Who the two people who were behind The Intrusion are, billed onscreen as Arthur Nouveau and Nelson Decco, we will probably never know. Michael Gaunt has stated they were two film student graduates making their first film with the intention of paying off their student loans. One would hope they have gone far in the film industry because The Intrusion is one helluva first film.

In The Intrusion, after her husband (Levi Richards) leaves on a trip, Ellen Anderson (Kim Pope) is attacked by a man (Michael Gaunt) claiming to be from Dander's Insurance Agency. The man forces his way into Ellen's house, undresses her before tying and gagging her. Now the man has Ellen as a captive while he robs and has his way with her.

A true horror-adult hybrid film is hard to come across. Most end up becoming silly almost self-mockeries of themselves before they are over. The Intrusion is not one of those films. In fact, The Intrusion may be the best horror-adult hybrid film ever made. The film feels like it plays out in real time, even though it was shot over the course of two days, from its uneasy start where Ellen and her husband (Levi Richards) are making love with jarring and unsettling electronic music plays intercut with a white car driving around a residential neighborhood.

The Intrusion keeps the viewer tense and apprehensive from the beginning until the final reel has finished playing. The Intrusion isn't a film that the viewer isn't going to get off on, or at least most viewers won't. The film keeps up its savagery throughout; this isn't a film where suddenly the characters are all into each other. What makes The Intrusion even more chilling is the great acting job done by the cast. The Intrusion doesn't feel like a cheesy adult film, instead, the viewer feels like it is actually going on.

The Intrusion is brutal and offsetting, however, it is a must see for fans of the horror-adult hybrid film. The Intrusion isn't erotic but it is one of the most intense, if not the most intense, psychological adult films ever made. This film is as dirty, sleazy, and as captivating as they come.

Vinegar Syndrome has done a stellar job with their DVD release of Intrusion. Intrusion was shot on film and Vinegar Syndrome has used a 2K scan of 35mm vault elements for this release, which certainly looks like it was the original negative for the film. Intrusion is presented in the academy aspect ratio of 1.33:1 in 480p. The image for the film is amazing with great fine detail and beautiful vibrant colors. There are heavy grain, print damage, and artifacts present during the presentation. The element used for this release looks like it was created yesterday.

Intrusion is presented with an English Dolby Digital 1.0 monaural audio track. The audio contains a low hiss throughout the film and the occasional pop or crackle. The audio sounds good and the dialog in the film is clear and easy to hear at all times.

Vinegar Syndrome has included a few extras on this release, however, one makes the release. “Becoming the Intruder: An Interview With Michael Dattore aka Michael Gaunt,” a 19-minute interview with Michael Dattore that covers how he got into acting and his roots in porn with his first adult film Intrusion. The theatrical trailer is also included on the release.

Intrusion is one of the most brutal and offsetting adult films ever made and the film is one of the best of the horror-adult hybrid films. The sex is unlikely to be erotic due to the psychological horror aspects of the film and the non-consensual nature of the sex scenes. However, the film is truly chilling due to the great cast and the good script and should be enjoyed by fans of the genre. Vinegar Syndrome has done an excellent job with their DVD release of Intrusion with an amazing image quality and excellent audio.

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