I remember being asked to review Here Comes the Devil (2012) when it was first released on disc, and I was pretty speechless. It wasn’t so much a traditional horror film as it was advertised but a slow-burning exercise in dread and tension. Director Adrián García Bogliano carried over that dread and tension to his 2018 film Black Circle, which is a superior film, in my opinion. The film was released on DVD quite a few years back, but Synapse Films has brought it to Blu-ray in another beautifully pieced-together package that’s simple with all the extras you’d want.
Celeste (Felice Jankell) and her sister Isa (Erica Midfjäll) fall under the spell of a mysterious self-help record from the ’70s. It puts the listener into a state of self-hypnosis that helps lead them towards success and a stress-less existence. Unfortunately, the record has a dark side and unleashes a doppelganger of those who fall under its spell. It grows stronger each day, eventually taking over that person’s life.
The two sisters are desperate to learn the truth about what’s happening, so they go to the source. Lena Carlsson (Christina Lindberg) is the hypnotist who was responsible for recording the record. It’s a race against time if they’re to reclaim their lives before their evil twins do.
The first thing that stood out was the music. Rickard Gramfors sets a mood and tone that complements the film and how it slowly builds suspense. The movie is rich with character and builds a deeply original, engrossing mythology. Jankell and Midfjäll are believable as the two sisters filled with desperation trying to reclaim their lives.
It was great to see Christina Lindberg, who rose to fame in the grindhouse classic Thriller: A Cruel Picture, aka They Call Her One-Eye (1973). Having been remembered for the role most of her career, Bogliano gave her something she could really dig into. He also gave the audience a fair share of bizarre and mind-bending images to haunt their nightmares.
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Previously available on DVD, the Blu-ray contains an audio commentary with Bogliano, a teaser trailer, Don’t Open Your Eyes – a short film from Bogliano, interviews with Christina Lindberg and Bogliano, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and a still gallery. The best part of the package is the inclusion of the CD soundtrack.
Don May Jr., the mastermind behind Synapse Films, and Pete Tombs, author of Mondo Macabro: Weird and Wonderful Cinema Around the World and Immoral Tales: Sex and Horror Cinema in Europe 1956-1984, served as producers on this project, so perhaps that will help give you an idea of what to expect from Black Circle. It’s a truly unique piece of art and a terrifying journey.
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