Blue Sunshine (1976)

A low, low, budget American horror movie about a series of brutal killings.

The film begins at a party, where the young guests listen to their friend Frannie (Richard Crystal) sing tunes and tell jokes. Then someone playfully yanks Frannie’s hair, revealing that he’s wearing a wig to cover up the fact that he’s bald except for a few patches of stringy hair.

Frannie flees the party, only to return later in a crazed state and kill two women who are lingering at the location after the party has nearly ended. Discovered by Jerry (Zalman King), another late-to-leave party guest, Frannie runs from the party house to a nearby highway and gets run over by a truck.

Through unfortunate circumstance, Jerry ends up under suspicion not only for Frannie’s death but also for the murders of the two women.

Determined to understand why his friend went crazy, Jerry enlists the help of his pal David (Robert Walden), a physician with knowledge of illegal drugs, and discovers that the psychotic episodes involve users of a form of LSD called “Blue Sunshine,” which was sold in the 1960s by Edward Flemming (Mark Goddard), who is now a respectable citizen running for Congress.

All the former “Blue Sunshine” users are now losing their hair and turning into sweaty, violent, zombie-like psychopaths who hate loud sounds and disco music.

The film played to the worst tabloid fears about LSD causing chromosome breakage and creating a generation of damaged kids and ends with a statement that suggests it is based on true events – but in actuality, it is entirely fictitious (the work of writer/director Jeff Lieberman).

Jerry Zipkin
Zalman King
Alicia Sweeney
Deborah Winters
Edward Flemming
Mark Goddard
David Blume
Robert Walden
Detective Clay
Charles Siebert
Wendy Flemming
Ann Cooper
Wayne Mulligan
Ray Young
Barbara O’Malley
Adriana Shaw
O’Malley’s neighbour
Alice Ghostley
Lt. Jennings
Stefan Gierasch
Frannie Scott
Richard Crystal
Ralphie
Bill Adler
Stephanie
Barbara Quinn
Ritchie Grazzo
Bill Sorrells
Junkie
Jeffrey Druce

Director
Jeff Lieberman

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