Blu-Ray Review: The Editor

By Brendan Ross

Those crazy Astron-6 kids have done it again! This time around the Winnipeg collective have made their most ambitious film yet: both a spoof and a love letter to giallo cinema of the 1970s and 1980s. For those not familiar, the term giallo refers to a very specific genre of arthouse-meets-grindhouse thrillers from Italy, recognizable just as much for their beautifully stylized aesthetics as for their bizarrely convoluted story lines and hysterically poor overdubbed dialogue. If you are familiar with the works of Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci, or Mario Bava then you probably know what I’m talking about. If not, go watch Deep Red, The Beyond, and Bay Of Blood right now. I’ll wait here…

I think the best compliment I can pay The Editor is that it genuinely looks and feels like the genre it’s parodying. It strikes that perfect balance of knowing which elements to make fun of and which to embrace, and does so in a way that hilariously, disgustingly, and beautifully matches the style and tone of these films that the filmmakers clearly love with all their hearts and excellent penises.

The plot in a nutshell is about a once-famous film editor who, after losing four of his fingers in a horrific accident, is only able to get work on trashy pulp pictures. Murders start occurring on set, he becomes the main suspect, and is forced to prove his innocence. Honestly though, as is the case with most giallo films, the plot doesn’t really matter. It’s all about the spectacle, and believe me spectacle is what you will get. Rampant nudity (both male and female), gallons of blood, and an authentic retro-sounding synth score (to which Claudio Simonetti of the band Goblin actually contributed), all come together to make this one hell of a visceral feast. And to take it a step further, for my money at least, it’s the most cohesive and well made film the Astron-6 team has put together so far.

The disc itself is phenomenal, and as always Raven Banner did a bang-up job. Flawless image and sound, reversible artwork, and hours of incredible features. The hour-long “making of” featurette is just as funny and engaging as the film itself and offers a completely unpretentious look into Astron-6’s insane process. There is also a commentary, deleted scenes, and some priceless interviews that are basically required viewing. A+ work all around.

The Editor was released by Raven Banner on October 8.