I guess being the editor of a website called EuroCultAV brings easy light to the fact that I have more than a minor obsession with all things Eurohorror, and EuroCult. One of my bigger obsessions within that realm is that of the giallo, a hybrid of over the top slasher horror with a whodunit plot, and other lurid, pulpy, and erotic elements. Not every film has a combination of these 3, but when you see a giallo, it is quite obvious what it is. 

     Over the last 20 years I've seen more than my fair share of these, but still have huge gaping holes in my giallo knowledge. One of them is the April 2019 Vinegar Syndrome release of the Corruption of Chris Miller, a film that has been on my rader since I read about it in the first issue of Fang of Joy many years back,  but had yet to see due to a lack of a quality release for the film, and a lack of desire to get a bootleg of it.  

    Corruption of Chris Miller stars Jean Seberg and Marisol as Ruth and Chris. The pair are a Stepmother and Stepdaughter who are suffering from the recent departure of Chris' Dad, who has left a gaping hole in their lives. Chris views her absent Father as her only hope against the darkness of the world she dwells, while Ruth wants revenge for ditching the pair. Into their lives comes hippie drifter Barney (Prey's Barry Stokes), who is about to be chased off by Ruth, when he uses her desire to keep him fed and sheltered. Unfortunately, Barney's presence creates another layer of conflict between Ruth and Chris. At the same time there are murders going on in the countryside where the pair live, and they're looking for a guitar wielding drifter, who fits Barney's description. 

    Corruption of Chris Miller combines elements of giallo, and psycho sexual drama to create something really unique and truly excellent.  The film opens with a murder of a woman by a drifter dressed as Charlie Chaplin, before involving itself in the plight of Ruth and Chris. For the main part of the film, there really is no other murder of suspense until a 2nd killing of an entire family by a scythe brandishing killer. This changes the tone somewhat as the townspeople begin to try and find the murderer and their midst, and Ruth and Chris try to figure out if they were housing a murderer.

    The performances from Seberg and the rest of the cast are excellent. The film itself seems like it would pair well with the oddly similar Prey starring Stokes and directed by Norman J. Warren.  Where Stokes is an alien who involves himself in the life of a lesbian couple in Rural England.  Both films have a tendency to lean into the dramatic, and it works well here. Also, the film is built less around the murders as a murder mystery, but the effect the murders have on Ruth and Chris and their relationship, which ties into a bleak conclusion.

    Vinegar Syndrome do some of the best restoration work in the business right now, and Corruption of Chris Miller is an effectively display of that. The film is presented with a 2:35:1 1080p AVC encoded transfer. The opening and closing of the film seem to come from a different source and has some minor damage including vertical scratches, aside from that the transfer by VS is pristine, with excellent detail, colors, and black levels. Audio is handled by DTS-HD mono tracks in English and Spanish that are effective in conveying the sound of the film. Extras include a career retrospective interview with Juan Antonio Bardem, a short film about Seberg, and some alternate scenes like an ending, title, and insert. There is also a theatrical trailer.  HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.