The 90s indie dark comedy Curdled is even more relevant than it was thirty years ago. New to 4K UHD from Kino Lorber.
The Film
Curdled is the Quentin Tarantino extended universe film you didn’t know you needed in your life. Everyone is well aware of From Dusk Till Dawn, the Robert Rodriguez-directed Tarantino Tarantino-scripted action horror film. Curdled is far less known but as clever albeit much smaller, a film than the Criminals vs. Vampires B-Movie Epic.
Gabriella (Angela Jones) has been obsessed with death and murder from an early age in Colombia. Years later, working a dead-end job in a bakery in Miami, Gabriella finds her calling. That calling is working for a forensics cleaning service. Taking her job way too seriously, the young woman freaks out her co-workers with her obsession with the grisly aftermath of the crimes they are cleaning up. That obsession could be her end as the newest serial killer, the “Blue Blood Killer” (William Baldwin), comes back to the scene of the crime to clean up a vital piece of evidence that links him to the killings. Can Gariella outwit this killer, or is she to be his next victim?
This is a case of a film being made far too early for its own good. Curdled is a film that, at the time, was made when pop culture had not even begun its huge obsession and popularity with true crime. Yes, Natural Born Killers (scripted by Tarantino, incidentally) was out, but culture had not caught up to that currently relevant film. This is not a critique of the media cultural landscape but rather a quirky dark workplace comedy about a woman finding her place. Gabriella would be right at home in the modern era, where people fall asleep to true crime streaming series and obsessively listen to podcasts about murder.
Star Angela Jones gives Gabriella a humanity and warmth that is even surprising now. They never play the joke, but rather the script (by Braddock and John Maass), simply see it as her own worldview that the world and others are unaccepting of. Her excitement and giddiness at watching a ‘60s horror schlocker, or her speculations on what happened at a crime scene, are genuine and sincerely innocent.
As fun and cheeky as the film is, it never lets one forget that there are real stakes in the form of the serial killer played by William Baldwin. Baldwin’s performance as the debonair but not-so-bright killer is never played for laughs and only adds to both the darkly comedic moments and the tension of the film. The finale, in fact, is as engrossing and tense as one could hope for in a dark comedy.
Curdled is a wicked little piece of dark comedy that those who love the macabre will find a new film to obsess over.
The Transfer
The all-new HDR/Dolby Vision Master – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative is an excellent all-around update for the source material. The transfer is razor sharp with a beautiful patina of film grain that’s representative of the film’s 35mm origins. The image is clean and free of any dirt, specs, or scratches. The Dolby Vision HDR master only enhances the look of the film, elevating the beautifully shot independent production. Kino continues to release truly revelatory transfers for even the most obscure or forgotten films.
The Extras
They include the following;
DISC 1 (4KUHD):
- NEW Audio Commentary by Actress Angela Jones, Co-Writer/Director Reb Braddock and Co-Writer John Maass
- NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian and Author Dwayne Epstein
- 2004 Audio Commentary by Reb Braddock and Co-Writer John Maass
DISC 2 (BLU-RAY):
- NEW Audio Commentary by Actress Angela Jones, Co-Writer/Director Reb Braddock and Co-Writer John Maass
- NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian and Author Dwayne Epstein
- 2004 Audio Commentary by Reb Braddock and Co-Writer John Maass
- Intro and Outro by Executive Producer Quentin Tarantino
- Serious Fun: Interview with Angela Jones
- Behind-the-Scenes Special: Featurette
- Curdled: Original Short
- Baby Curdled
- Television Playback Pieces
- Deleted Scenes
- Danza Macabra Rehearsals
- Theatrical Trailer
The first of three Audio Commentaries is an all-new track by Actress Angela Jones, Co-Writer/Director Reb Braddock, and Co-Writer John Maass. The trio begins discussing the opening logo that transitions to the opening tracking shot and introductions. Some of the details include the opening title sequence that features drawings of Braddock’s mother – how it was accomplished; a discussion that Slash did music for the film and where his music appears; where the idea came from for the film; how Harlan Ellison became involved, and his comments on the idea; producing the movie’s soundtrack and how it came about because of Slash; how they used fairy tales as a reference point for the film’s themes and structure; how Quentin Tarantino suggested adding characters from his universe – and what he actually wrote; the advice and guidance that Tarantino gave during the production and post-production; the production schedule – and the trouble it faced including the solutions that came through getting two more additional days; a larger discussion of the various TV inserts that appear in the film and how they accomplished them; a larger discussion of the various locations in Miami and Los Angeles used; a discussion of the various actors that appear in the film; and much more.
The second of the three Audio Commentaries is an all-new track by Film Historian and Author Dwayne Epstein. Epstein opens with his credentials before diving into how he became involved in this commentary track and having seen the film before it was released. Some of the details include co-writer/director Reb Braddock’s post-film career as a film professor and turned dean of the film school of Florida State University – which has become a quite lauded film school; a discussion of the film’s film within a film and TV ads that appear throughout; a discussion of the work and career of actor Billy Baldwin; the work and career of Barry Corbin; the film’s connection to Tarantino and his film Pulp Fiction; the initial critical reactions to the film; and much more.
The third and final Audio Commentary from 2004 by Reb Braddock and Co-Writer John Maass opens with a discussion of the opening tracking shot and opening title sequence. Some of the other details include the use of Steadicam in the film and its strengths and drawbacks; why they created the TV ads for PFCS Commercial; the musical choices they made, and why they chose to go with the style they did; a larger discussion of the changes made from script to screen and what changed in the editing room; a larger discussion of the themes and characters of the story throughout the film; a larger discussion of the various actors and crew that worked on the film; and much more.
Intro and Outro by Executive Producer Quentin Tarantino (1:12/7:25) – Tarantino discusses the film, prepping you for the movie you’re about to see. After the film has played and watched the end credit sequence, Tarantino’s Outro plays, where he discusses how he became involved with the project. As Tarantino does, the context and story are beautifully detailed and lengthy in the best way possible. NOTE: The Intro and Outro are only on the Blu-ray for the film.
Serious Fun: Interview with Angela Jones (15:11) – in this all-new interview with the star of Curdled begins with how she got into acting and was involved with the short film for Curdled while in college. The actor goes on to discuss both the three-minute version and thirty-minute version of the short films; the differences between the shorts and the feature-length film; the research that she did in prep for the feature-length version of the film; working with Billy Baldwin; and the other actors on the film; the first showing at a film festival; the alternate ending and the post credit sequence; and much more.
Behind-the-Scenes Special: Featurette (8:03) – this archival behind-the-scenes look at the making of Curdled is fairly detailed and polished for an independent feature. This EPK-style featurette goes into detail about the origins of the project, how Quentin Tarantino became involved, and much more. Featuring interviews with actor Billy Baldwin, Angela Jones, writer/director Reb Braddock, producer/writer John Maass, and producer Raul Puig.
Curdled: Original Short (34:17) – after a 4-minute introduction by director Reb Braddock discussing the hows and whys of the student film came to be, the film begins. As Quentin Tarantino (the executive producer of the feature-length film) commented, the short does not feel like a student film in any way, shape, or form. Curdled (the short) is a fully formed idea with visuals, performances, and themes that made a great one-to-one correlation to the feature-length version. Though there are similarities, there are just enough differences to be interesting and worthy of looking into each. Angela Jones as Gabriella is fantastic and just as fascinating a central character in both, though this is a sketch where the film is a full-on painting.
Baby Curdled (5:54) – this feels more like a sequel to Curdled than a prequel, as the character that Angela Jones plays is already fully formed and well-versed in the forensic clean-up. The whole notion of Gabriella dancing in the crime scene and the killer stalking her are major components of this short. The germ of the idea that would become Curdled is here just not fully formed. Though many features don’t live up to their original shorts, this is one that’s the opposite.
Television Playback Pieces (11:21) – director Reb Braddock introduces each segment, we are treated to the various Movies/TV Series within the Movie. Movie of the Week (which is called The Sad Affair of Veronique); PFCS Commercial; The Scrubito Commercial; Miami D.O.A. Segment.
Deleted Scenes (21:46) – Director Reb Braddock introduces and sets up each of the deleted scenes, the alternate ending, and ultimately, why they were cut. The Bakery Scene; Gabriella Discovers PFCS; Guell’s Friends; Gabriella’s 1st Day at PFCS; Alternate Ending. Note: The scenes can be navigated using the next and back chapter stop buttons on your remote.
Danza Macabra Rehearsals (6:19) – after an introduction by Reb Braddock about the context of the footage, we are treated to the rehearsal on VHS at the location, working out how the scene would play out, and one of the actual takes from the film.
Rounding out the special features are trailers for Curdled (1:42); Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead (2:10); Snake Eyes (2:23); Internal Affairs (2:00); Out of Sight (2:35); 2 Days in the Valley (3:01); After Dark, My Sweet (2:17); Silence of the Lambs (1:52);
The Final Thought
Kino Lorber has given the cult comedy Curdled a truly wonderful and packed special edition. Highest Recommendations!!!