Massage Parlor Murders! 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Review

Vinegar Syndrome revisits "Massage Parlor Murders!" in 2023, elevating the film with a 4K Ultra HD presentation derived from the original 35mm camera negatives, showcasing the movie like never before. This restoration breathes new life into the film, enhancing its visual aesthetics substantially. Victor Petrashevic's cinematography, captured on Arriflex 35 IIC cameras and spherical lenses, is treated with care, resulting in an image that maintains the film's original gritty charm while introducing a newfound clarity. The HDR10 grading accentuates a broader and more vibrant color palette, from the neon hues of city streets to the intricate details of interior scenes, ensuring that each frame delivers a richer and more immersive viewing experience. Enhanced contrast levels and improved shadow detail ensure that darker scenes are as revealing as their brightly lit counterparts, with natural flesh tones across the board.

The 4K scan not only respects the film’s low-budget roots but surpasses expectations in terms of detail and texture, highlighting features from the subtle nuances of skin to the elaborate decor of sets. Despite its inherent visual imperfections due to the quick, budget-restrained production, this presentation showcases a judicious balance of film grain – neither too intrusive nor erased, preserving the cinematic feel. This attention to detail extends to costume and set design, where every element is rendered with increased vibrancy and fidelity, allowing for an unprecedented appreciation of the film’s period aesthetics. Blood reds are notably precise, and overall brightness is expertly moderated, offering a distinct improvement from the earlier Blu-ray release.

Given its source's quality and the meticulous effort poured into its restoration, "Massage Parlor Murders!" shines in its 4K UHD Blu-Ray incarnation. The streets and interiors of New York are captured with a freshly dimensional touch, providing a time capsule experience enriched by superior image delineation and a more engaging color spectrum. With minimal source damage in the form of scratches and speckles, the film's presentation on Ultra HD is an exemplary effort by Vinegar Syndrome, ensuring that this low-budget spectacle impresses with an unexpected visual fidelity that likely surpasses its original theatrical showcase.

The audio presentation of the 4K UHD Blu Ray release of "Massage Parlor Murders!" marks a significant upgrade from its predecessor. This release transitions from a 2.0 Dolby Digital track to a 1.0 DTS-HD MA mix, providing listeners with a notably improved audio experience. The clarity of dialogue exchanges is enhanced, allowing for a clearer and more direct engagement with the film's narrative. While there are portions of the movie that still suffer due to original recording limitations, the overall sound quality possesses a renewed vibrancy that was previously lacking.

Music plays a pivotal role in elevating the atmosphere of "Massage Parlor Murders!", and this new audio mix does justice to the film's distinctive soundtrack. The funky motifs and electrifying stings that underscore key moments are delivered with a robust presence, enhancing the viewing experience significantly. The 1.0 DTS-HD MA track ensures these musical elements are presented with the depth and clarity they deserve, contributing to a more immersive cinematic journey.

Despite the inherent challenges posed by the original audio elements, this upgrade manages to provide a fresher and more dynamic auditory experience. The professional handling of the film's dialogue and musical score in this 4K UHD Blu Ray release showcases a commendable effort to present "Massage Parlor Murders!" in the best possible light, audio-wise. Audience members can now enjoy a version of the film that respects its audio heritage while offering a contemporary listening experience.

The 4K UHD Blu-ray extras for "Massage Parlor Murders!" offer a careful curation geared towards both the cult cinema aficionado and the dedicated cinephile. At the heart is a new and insightful commentary by film historian Samm Deighan, which delves into the exploitation genre's nuances and this film's peculiar standing within it. Supplementing this are the eye-opening "Sin City" tour, revealing New York's transformation and its role as a backdrop to the sordid tale, narrated by Michael Gingold. While the extras shed light on production with a collection of outtakes, including previously unseen graphic content, they notably omit previous release materials like alternate cuts and a radio spot. However, the inclusion of digitally recreated trailers and a TV spot adds a modern twist to the film's historical presentation, making this edition intriguing for both newcomers and seasoned fans of the genre.

Extras included in this disc:

• Commentary: Features film historian Samm Deighan.
• Sin City: A tour of filming locations with Michael Gingold.
• Outtakes: A collection of unreleased shots providing insight into production decisions.
• T.V. Spot: Promotes "Massage Parlor Hookers."
• Re-release Trailer: Advertises the film as "Massage Parlor Hookers," highlighting its softcore elements.
• Original Trailer: Compares the movie to "Psycho," offering an intriguing promotional perspective.

Massage Parlor Murders," a film that not only catalogues the seedy underbelly of 1970s New York City but also dives headfirst into the world of exploitation cinema, presents itself as an epitome of no-budget entertainment. From its opening scene, which is as disconnected from the plot as it is saturated with sleaze and nudity, the movie embarks on a path of incoherence and slapdash filmmaking. Yet, despite its apparent reluctance to invest in coherent storytelling or lavish production values, the movie captivates with its blend of violence, vague confrontations, and unabashed display of skin, scored unexpectedly to the classy tunes of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker. This blend crafts an oddly engaging viewing experience for those with a palate for gratuitous, grassroots cinema.

Set against the grimy backdrop of New York City, the film follows detectives Rizotti and O'Mara as they trail a killer haunting the city's massage parlors, with their investigation taking them through a vivid tour of the city's nightlife, from movie theaters to swinger parties. Their quest is hampered by personal involvement and frustrations over elusive leads, painting a picture of desperation and urgency amidst a wave of murders targeting those in the sex industry. The narrative, though disjointed, weaves through a macabre tapestry of crime and intimacy, shedding light on the dark corners of urban decay and human vice.

Echoing the sentiments that if Herschell Gordon Lewis had wandered New York's streets, "Massage Parlor Murders" would have been his brainchild, the film captures an era and a genre in its rawest essence. Notoriously elusive for years and revived by Vinegar Syndrome in 2013, this police procedural cum exploitation flick might not have been hailed for its cinematic excellence but stands out as a stark reminder of a time when films dared to be boldly different. Here is a cinematic artifact that serves both as a historical snapshot of New York in the 70s and as a testament to the enduring allure of exploitation cinema—a niche yet undeniably captivating spectacle.

The 4K UHD Blu-ray presentation of "Massage Parlor Murders!" offers an intriguing package that not only titillates with its liberal dashes of gore and sleaze but also captures a corroded snapshot of New York City, akin to a time capsule of its era's excesses and decay. The film itself, with its eclectic mix of classical music reminiscent of "Fantasia" amidst dead hooker masseuse narratives, inner-monologue exposition predating the likes of "Taxi Driver," and a homage to Herschell Gordon Lewis-style gore, presents a unique blend that straddles the line between exploitation cinema and a gritty, urban crime thriller. Despite its somewhat haphazard presentation, the essentials of genre-specific thrills coupled with an undercurrent of T.V. supercop heroism manage to shine through.

Supplementary materials included in this release enhance the overall appreciation of the film. The audio commentary by film historian Samm Deighan delves into the movie's nuanced qualities, its departure from genre norms, and its place within the exploitation film paradigm, shedding light on the actors and filmmakers without overindulging in behind-the-scenes trivia. Michael Gingold's tour of filming locations adds a layer of connection to the very streets that once echoed with the film's lurid escapades. Despite the absence of alternate cuts and certain outtakes from the previous Vinegar Syndrome release, this edition compensates with digitally recreated trailers, a TV spot, and silent outtakes underscored by the film’s music, providing a comprehensive view albeit missing some previously available content.

In conclusion, this 4K UHD Blu-ray edition of "Massage Parlor Murders!" is a must-have for enthusiasts of exploitation cinema and collectors alike. While it may lack some material from earlier releases, the quality of the transfer, coupled with engaging supplemental content and a vivid portrayal of a bygone New York, ensures its place as a noteworthy addition to the genre's home video canon. This release not only celebrates but also recontextualizes a film that is as much an artifact of its time as it is a testament to the enduring appeal of genre cinema that dares to defy expectations.