Blue Underground's latest cult title to hit DVD was previously released in an unofficial edition (under its alternate title Kiss Me Kill Me) with false claims of it being directed by Umberto Lenzi of all things. The film was indeed directed by Corrado Farina, not Lenzi. The IMDB even lists Corrado Farina as a pseudonymn for Lenzi which once again is false. Corrado Farina is a real person who directed 2 films, Baba Yaga and They've Changed Faces. Apparently the previous disc was even below mediocre standards to say the least as well. Once again Blue Underground comes to the rescue, as not only have they given us a brand new transfer of this fine gem, but they've also loaded the disc with some fascinating extras. This was my first official viewing of Baba Yaga - writing up on a film I haven't seen previously is a rare experience indeed. So what did I think of the flick? Well, you'll have to read on to find out.

While walking home from a party one evening, fashion photographer Valentina (mousy but sexy Isabelle De Funes) is nearly run over by a woman who introduces herself only as Baba Yaga (Carroll Baker). To make amends, Ms. Yaga offers to give Valentina a ride home and swipes a pin from her because she "needs a personal item from her." Now, I don't know about you, but if I had just met somebody (somebody awfully creepy, mind you) and they said that they needed to "borrow a personal item" from me, I'd run like hell because the whole thing just stinks of witch. In any event, Valentina makes it home safely and barely awakens in time for her morning photo shoot.

The next day, Ms. Yaga stops by Valentina's apartment and seductively caresses her favorite camera putting some sort of spell on it. This leads to some bizarre occurrences, like the camera causing its subjects to either pass out or drop dead as well as other cameras to simply break in its presence. All the while Valentina is suffering from some truly bizarre nightmares (like being led around in her bra and panties by some nazis!) and eventually finds herself snapping photos in the home of Baba Yaga herself.

As a gift, good ol' Yaga gives Valentina a dominatrix doll (once again, this I would not have accepted under these circumstances), which seems to have a mind of its own. Eventually (after a few more odd photography sessions) the dominatrix doll (named Annette!) not only comes to life, but also takes on the form of a full-grown woman! To tell you what happens next would be criminal, so I'll leave you with a few of the remaining chapter stop names, just to tide you over. Look forward to Chapter 18 which is called Valentina Gets a Whipping and Chapter 21, named Long Story. Yup, that pretty much sums it up! Freud would certainly have a field day with this one!

I'm sure it all sounds a bit odd and silly, but the fact is, that Baba Yaga is based on a line of adult comics and this vibe is carried successfully throughout the film. As odd as it may seem, Baba Yaga reminded most recently of Ghost World in sense of style and tone. The use of black and white stills intermittent with certain scenes of sensuality was a really nice touch, and each of the characters in the story is portrayed more like off the wall caricatures than anything else (they never seem like real people). They're all over-exaggerated personas that come across as spoiled and successful yuppies with more agendas and opinions than you could shake a stick at. I didn't believe any of this to be an alternate reality as it seemed as if it was pure fantasy, easily one of the reasons why the film worked so well. We reach a point in which Valentina's "dreams" become harder to distinguish from reality - all olf which suits the style of the film very well.

Performances are all fairly solid especially from Isabelle De Funes. This is essentially her show and she carries it quite well. She's extremely expressive and in some instances only has to give a subtle look in order to successfully convey emotions. It's also great to see George Eastman hanging around as well, as Valentina's on again off again love interest. He doesn't do much except react to his surroundings, but he's still a tremendous screen presence and it's always great just to have him around.

Not an easily classified film, Baby Yaga verges on both eroticism and horror, but never really crosses the line, it's all quite tame by today's standards. Aside from some brief bits of nudity and some outrageousness at the end of the film, there's not a whole lot to offend or titillate. It's OK though, because the strengths of Baba Yaga lie within the fact that it's a successfully entertaining film and not a throwaway or simply a piece of euro sleaze.

Blue Underground has done a phenomenal job in bringing Baba Yaga to the small screen. The print used is in near flawless condition and colors are bright and stable. There are only minimal amounts of grain present while print damage is nearly non-existent. Audio is presented in a clear mono mix with no evidence of hiss or distortion.

Extras begin with a fairly extensive still gallery and a theatrical trailer. Next up is a 22-minute interview with director Corrado Farina entitled Farina and Valentina followed by a mini 12-minute vintage documentary on cartoonist Guido Crepax entitled Freud in Color. Extras are rounded off with 10- minutes of deleted/censored scenes (a few full-frontal nudes included) and a comic book to film comparison included in a DVD ROM supplement.

Baba Yaga came as a truly pleasant surprise to me. It's an oddball mod flick with great characters and a bizarre twisting storyline. This flick is a heck of a lot of fun and Blue Underground has easily released the definitive edition of this cult fave on DVD with a great transfer and fun extras. As with many a Blue Underground DVD, Baba Yaga comes highly recommended.