It's always exciting to see a new DVD company on the horizon, one that's scheduled a slate of releases that seem to fit my taste. Fresh and new, the possibilities are endless and one can only daydream that their upcoming titles will be dressed to impress. Such is the case with Encore-Films a new distributor based out of The Netherlands. Adding to this excitement is the fact that they have decided to tackle a series of films from one of my favorite directors, Jean Rollin. Much like the recent releases from the Erwin Dietrich collection, you know that if the first few releases are top notch it must be a sign of things to follow. I've received their first two releases, and today I take a look at what many would consider to be one of Jean Rollin's most approachable titles, Requiem For A Vampire (released in the US as Caged Virgins). Presented as a 3-Disc set with a beautiful gatefold, packaged in a slipcase, the DVDs are also accompanied by a mini 60+ page full-color book with English text and lots of pics. I think I may be in heaven and I haven't even popped the discs in the DVD player yet!

Previously available in the US from Redemption/Image films, Encore Films Region 0/PAL (YES, PAL) set eclipses this previous release in just about every way. While it's evident that all of the material spread over the three discs could have easily been placed on one (possibly two) dual layered discs, I've read that future releases from Encore-Films are set to have more extras and perhaps even bonus CDs included. So, the three disc structure is being retained for the purpose of uniformity amongst the series...interesting.

I'm already impressed.

Jean Rollin can easily be considered an acquired taste, certainly not for everyone. His films are often crafted as dreamlike fairytales that take a horrific spin (more horrific than your usual fairytale that is), with very little dialogue or even plot to get in the way. Rollin is able to build off of a premise (no matter how simple) and paint us a horrifyingly beautiful portrait. This is what he does best, simply put...he uses his camera as his paintbrush. Rollin pulls together gorgeous landscapes/locations and some of the most beautiful (often innocent and childlike) French women, he manages to weave a tale like no other. What this man is able to accomplish with so little by way of resources is both frightening and poetic at the same time. There has never been another filmmaker like Rollin. And there probably never will be. He's an icon of the horror industry and deserves his due. He's a true artist.

Requiem begins with an abrupt car chase, as two young lovelies (Mireille Dargent and Marie-Pierre Castel) dressed in clown outfits flee when their driver is shot. Who these women are, why they are running, or even why they are dressed as clowns is something that we do not know. They slip out of their clown outfits and using their alluring strut, scam a local food vendor out of a few snacks. They hide out in a local cemetery and one of the young girls is almost mistakenly buried alive. We're now about 15-minutes into the film. Both nothing and everything has happened.

Continuing on, they wind up at a grand chateau, only to find that they have entered a place where a vampire and his minions have taken up residence. Women are chained and tortured in the castle dungeon and the two young girls (beyond finding time for a collective roll in the hay and the seduction of a few 'innocent' men) are exploited for being virgins and are recruited to bring fresh meat back to the castle.

The real stars of the film are the lush locales that Rollin takes full advantage them. One might even say that he exploits the castle ruins more than his female centerpieces. Of course this is not meant to undermine the two female leads who help to carry the film as well. Their doe like innocence (Rollin has them running around in braided pig tails the whole film - why does he torture me so!) and telling facial expressions are really all we need. While the film moves very slowly (much like the bulk of Rollin's filmography), you'll find that this is all part of his films charm.

Compared to the previews (non-anamorphic) Image release, we're light years ahead with this disc with bright solid colors and exceptional clarity. To be fair, the Image Rollin releases come from a time during the formats infancy so upgrades were simply a given at this point. There is still some print damage present in this release (a few specs and scratches here and there) but it's still a phenomenal transfer nonetheless. This transfer also opens up the image a little more, it appears to be about 1.78:1 as opposed to the previous 1.66:1 Image release. Compositions don't really appear to be compromised to these eyes though. As a matter of fact, it appears as if we're gaining more valuable visual information in the end. The mono audio (available in French or English dub) with a plethora of subtitle options (English, Dutch, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Finnish, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish and Polish) sounds just fine with no distortion to speak of. See the pics below for the dramatic difference between the Image (left) and Encore (right) discs picture quality.

Disc 1 houses the feature film only with the option of watching an introduction by Jean Rollin. Disc 2 includes an interview with actress Louise Dhour from 2005 in French with English subs. She's very humble and speaks fondly of Rollin and the experience of working on his films - and playing the piano in a graveyard. Next up is an interview with Paul Bisciglia also from 2005. And although he had a very small part in the film, he too comes across as an interesting, enthusiastic character (with lots of pictures to show). Running time for both interviews combined is just under a half hour. Next up is a piece entitled Le Dernier Livre, which is a 9-minute interview with Director Jean Rollin on his writings along with a brief reading of his short story of the same name. Also included on Disc 2 are two trailers labeled French and English although they are just about identical. Disc 3 includes the film once again, this time with a feature length audio commentary with Jean Rollin. He's a fascinating man, and although he can be hard to understand at times and the track tends to have some quiet spots, it's still always great to hear him talk about his work. Also included are 3 brief alternate clothed takes (it was common practice to re shoot nude scenes with clothes on for alternate versions of a film, these scenes are presented here) and a photo slideshow that runs about 8-minutes. All of the extras that are NOT in English contain English subs ONLY. Then there is the 60+ page book I mentioned earlier, which is a really nice bonus. Writing by Rollin, his short story Le Dernier Livre and lots of pics...very cool.

Despite the fact that everything could have fit onto one dual layer disc, there's no reason to feel as if you've been taken for a ride. The great presentation and lush packaging make this set a must have for any Rollin fan despite the price tag. Highly recommended.

Vist Encore Films