Every once in a blue moon I see a flick so incredibly difficult to write about that I’m nearly brought to tears… not because it’s a difficult task, but rather because someone has the goddamn balls to create a psychotronic mother fucking masterpiece and I’d rather all you like-minded cats n’ creeps would just watch the damned thing rather than reading my wicked words… and that is a thing of beauty and wonder indeed!
If you didn’t heed my edict above and are still here, I’ll attempt to give you a rough sketch as to just what to expect story-wise from writer/director/genius Adrian Garcia Bogliano’s Black Circle…
Celeste (Felice Jankell) is having a shitty go at things when her successful businesswoman sis, Isa (Erica Midfjäll), clues her in to a hypnosis record from the ’70s that has changed her life for the better.
Incredulous, Celeste spins the platter nevertheless… and the results are third eye-opening to say the least!
Further listens reveal that following the techniques inscribed on that viscous vinyl can release one of all negativity… but there’s one small catch; that negativity forms a doppelganger all-too-ready to take the place of the listener… and the more you listen, the stronger the double gets!
This leads to Celeste seeking out the voice on the recording, an enigmatic doctor named Lena (the absolute legend, Christina Lindberg of Thriller: A Cruel Picture)… but will she be able to right what has gone horribly wrong for the sisters?
Fuck… where to even begin…
For starters, Black Circle throws a hypno-wheel at ya early on… and man does it ever set the stage for the absolute mind-fuck you will receive when watching this psychotronic masterpiece!
Along the joltin’ journey, this flick throws hypnotic vinyl, psychic lovers, strange beings that exist just to the left of our perception, doppelgängers, commentary on the desire to get ahead in the world… if you picture an unholy amalgamation of Starry Eyes and Beyond the Black Rainbow and you’re on the right track tonally (and to be perfectly honest, if you don’t completely dig on those aforementioned titles you’ll be in over your head here).
All of this is punctuated by faux training films that explore the strange effects of the hypnotism process utilized on the record, and it’s bizarre side-effects… and do a hero’s job of world building that makes the nightmarish universe we’ve entered feel like an actual place.
This is augmented by Dario Goldgel’s frantic, hand-held cinematography that creates a documentary feel to the proceedings that immerse the audience even further into the fever-dream at hand, and an atmospheric score composed by Rickard Gramfors (which is included on this release on a separate audio CD).
If you desire more insight into the world of Black Circle, this Synapse Films Blu-ray has you covered, as an audio commentary with Bogliano that takes us through the film’s production and themes in detail.
Also included in the bonus materials department is a career spanning interview with Lindberg (conducted by Bogliano), the film’s teaser trailler, the original short film Don’t Open Your Eyes which was expanded to make Black Circle into a feature, a glimpse behind-the-scenes of the film’s production, and a still gallery.
There is nothing quite like Black Circle; it’s a unique vision in the horror biz and if you are in the proper head-space it can transport you to a haunting, horrifying place you will never forget!
