SCALPEL – The Blu Review

Review by Roger Carpenter

John Grissmer is perhaps best known for his little-seen and ultra-rare gore fest, Blood Rage, out now from Arrow Video USA.  But a full decade before directing the super-bloody slasher he is best-known for, he made his directing debut with Scalpel.

Robert Lansing stars as Dr. Phillip Reynolds, a wealthy plastic surgeon who has suffered a cursed life.  First his wife drowns in a tragic accident and then his teenaged daughter’s boyfriend drowns in the backyard pool.  Finally, his daughter, overcome with sadness, runs away from home and disappears.  It’s been a year now and there is no sign of Reynold’s beloved daughter, Heather (Judith Chapman).  Now his father-in-law has passed away.  Staunchly conservative and against plastic surgery because he didn’t believe in “changing the looks God gave one,” the Old Man wasn’t much of a fan of Reynolds to begin with.  It didn’t help that his daughter drowned during a weekend at the lake with Reynolds as the only witness—and unable to save her.

The film opens at the old man’s funeral and the reading of the will.  The old man has one last trick up his sleeve and cuts both his son and his son-in-law out of the will, giving his five-million-dollar estate entirely to his granddaughter, Heather—who hasn’t been seen or heard of in a very long time.  The two men aren’t terribly disappointed and are simply happy the complaining old bastard is finally gone.  But on their way home they come across a young woman who has been beaten so badly around the face and head as to be unrecognizable.  Dr. Reynolds takes her to his hospital and stabilizes her.  But the girl either can’t or won’t reveal her identity, so the doctor takes to calling her Jane Doe.  Jane (also played by Judith Chapman) must undergo multiple surgeries to repair her face.  But having no pictures to go by, Reynolds decides to make her in the likeness of his missing daughter.  Soon thereafter he realizes that if he can convince Jane to play along, he may be able to get his late father-in-law’s inheritance anyway.  Thus, the two unlikely allies, Jane Doe and Dr. Reynolds, form a criminal bond.  Soon, the beautiful Jane Doe begins to hit on Dr. Reynolds and the two become lovers even as they present themselves as father and daughter when others are present.  But soon enough, some guess their secret.  These people all disappear, too.  Then suddenly, Heather returns out of the blue to re-establish her place in the family and the special bond she had with her father.  Now Reynolds has to choose between the lover with his daughter’s face and his actual daughter, keeping in mind his choice may affect the half of the inheritance he should be receiving.

Made in 1976 and originally released in January 1977 as False Face, the movie performed poorly, perhaps due to the unfortunate title of the film.  It was pulled from circulation and retitled Scalpel but was released around the time Halloween was breaking box-office records, so again didn’t do well, finally sinking into obscurity.  However, the film is deserving of rediscovery.

Grissmer was a very competent director and he managed to fill this film with more than competent actors, both relatively big-name stars as well as solid regional actors.  Lansing had a long list of films to his credit but had been laboring mostly in television and theater for the past decade or so.  Never an A-list actor, he was still an excellent character actor and was perfectly capable of carrying a film on his shoulders.  He is regally suave as the wealthy doctor but can also be cold and calculating, with not a shred of compassion for those who pose a risk to his plan.  He is at his sleaziest when he sexually assaults his own daughter, who is the true love of his life.  Chapman, too, was a working actress, primarily for television.  She was on As the World Turns around the time she made this film, and continued guest starring in dozens of television movies and series, with recurring roles in many soaps throughout her career.  Here she is quite a lovely vision and plays her dual role expertly.  She is alternately innocent and conniving, pleasant and sarcastic.  Her character arc is very interesting as she begins her role as the missing daughter with genuine shock and concern as Reynolds either casually offs people in their way or, in one case, allows a victim to die without trying to help.  But she reveals her true nature soon enough as her initial shock turns to unconcern when she realizes she is closer to getting the money than ever.

There is the inevitable comparison with Les Diabolique and the facial surgery that plays a prominent role in both films.  But honestly, that’s about where the comparison ends.  Les Diabolique is much more stylish and its characters suffer from extreme paranoia whereas Reynolds and Jane Doe aren’t paranoid at all.  On the contrary, what is disconcerting is the lack of emotion either of them show towards killing.  People are seen as obstacles to be removed much as one might brush away a protruding branch on a forest trail—just a minor annoyance, and one that is easily forgotten.

In the end the tables are turned on Reynolds in a fun twist ending that resolves all the problems in the Reynolds family very nicely.  More melodrama than horror, and relatively tame compared to other horror features of the 70’s, Scalpel is a fun slice of southern gothic that is very deserving of an updated release.

Special features include a new commentary by film historian Richard Harlan Smith, an interview with director Grissmer, an interview with Judith Chapman, and an interview with cinematographer Edward Lachman on his unique vision for the film.  An image gallery and trailer are also included.  The film looks terrific on Blu-ray; no surprise, as it’s a 2K restoration from the original film elements.  It is presented with its original color palette as designed and shot by Lachman as well as an alternate color palette called the “Arrow Grade,” which is a more traditional color palette.

The film has just been released by Arrow Video USA and can be purchased directly from Arrow Video at http://www.arrowfilms.co.uk/category/usa/ or from Amazon.