Blue Sunshine (1976)

Directed by:

Jeff Lieberman

A small group of Stanford college grads, who had taken a bad batch of LSD called "Blue Sunshine," start feeling the side-effects ten years later. Instead of bad acid flashbacks, they start losing their hair and deteriorate into erratic, sweaty, screaming, zombie-like killers that hate loud sounds. An ambitious low-budgeter with decent performances, a few good shocks and an interesting plot to offset some dated aspects to the story (like an unintentionally funny attack at a disco) and a seemingly incomplete ending (that seems to suggest this is based on an actual case!). Political satire remains relevant today and when one of the effected lurks around a mall at the end, DAWN OF THE DEAD (which was made later) will instantly come to mind. Star Zalman King, who was also in GALAXY OF TERROR (1981), went on to direct and produce a record number of 90s erotic movies and TV series (Red Shoe Diaries, et al). The director also made the killer worm flick SQUIRM (1976), the backwoods slasher JUST BEFORE DAWN (1981) and the bizarre sci-fi movie REMOTE CONTROL (1987), which are all above average low-budgeters. Deborah Winters, Mark Goddard, Robert Walden, Stefan Gierasch and Brion James co-star.

★★1/2