Blue Sunshine (1977) Synopsis

In a secluded cabin near Los Angeles, California, photographer Frannie Scott (Richard Crystal) entertains his friends by singing a Frank Sinatra tune. Inadvertently, one of the party goers pulls off Frannie's wig, revealing a peculiar baldness. Everyone stares in shock, and Frannie, appearing possessed, runs out of the cabin. As the party disperses, Jerry "Zippy" Zipkin (Zalman King), a bright but aimless Cornell University graduate, stays behind and searches the surrounding woods for his friend Frannie. Soon, he hears women screaming from inside the cabin and returns to find that Frannie has killed them. Transformed into a deranged, powerful madman, the zombie-like Frannie leaps at Jerry and chases him outside. Along a dark road, Jerry pushes Frannie in front an oncoming truck, and Frannie dies. Jerry escapes from the scene, but is shot in the arm by one of the truck drivers who mistakenly thinks Jerry is a killer. During the police investigation, the detectives also believe Jerry is responsible for the cabin murders, despite a statement from his girlfriend, Alicia Sweeny (Deborah Winters), that he is innocent.At a hospital, Jerry waits in the office of his friend Dr. David Blume (Robert Walden) and notices the various diplomas on the wall, including one from Stanford University. Blume cleans the gunshot wound, but is skeptical about Jerry's story that the injury was accident. Taking aspirin for a headache, Blume appears unwell, but says he is just overworked.At a park, Jerry reunites with Alicia who says he appears guilty by running from the police. After Jerry explains that he needs to find out why Frannie become a monster, he sees a newspaper headline about a Glendale detective, John O'Malley, who killed his wife and two children. The man has the same bald, psychotic appearance as Frannie. At the O'Malley residence, Jerry connects similarities between the crimes and notices another Stanford diploma on the wall. Jerry briefly talks with a middle aged woman (Alice Ghostley) who was a long-term neighbor of O'Malley who describes how one day O'Malley went crazy and killed his family.Next, Jerry breaks into Frannie's studio and discovers a psychedelic photograph featuring Edward Flemming (Mark Goddard), who is now a prominent politician running for Congress. The caption underneath the photo reads "Blue Sunshine." While Alicia waits nearby, Jerry interrupts Flemming on the campaign trail to tell him that Frannie has died. Flemming remembers Frannie immediately, but claims no knowledge of the words, "Blue Sunshine."Meanwhile, Wayne Mulligan (Ray Young), the campaign manager, flirts with Alicia and mentions that he and Flemming went to Stanford together. Suddenly, Detective Clay (Charles Sibert), who is investigating the cabin murders by following Alicia, recognizes Jerry and pursues him, but during the car chase Jerry manages to slip away. When they rendezvous later, Jerry tells Alicia that Flemming is not being honest about "Blue Sunshine," which Jerry believes is somehow connected to Frannie's disease. As soon as Alicia realizes that Frannie, O'Malley and Flemming all graduated from Stanford ten years ago, Jerry remembers the diploma in Blume's office and rushes to the hospital.Through the window of the operating room, Jerry observes Blume as he becomes edgy while performing a surgical procedure. When Blume returns to his office, Jerry pulls his hair to see if it will fall out and explains that Blume might have a disease affecting Stanford classmates from ten years ago causing baldness and homicidal behavior. Although unacquainted with O'Malley and Frannie, Blume admits that he knows Flemming very well, after befriending him in college on account of Flemming's drug connections. Thinking back, Blume recalls the name "Blue Sunshine" because it was an LSD-like drug that he bought from Flemming, but never took. Unsure of the purity, Blume resold the dose to strangers for a small profit to help pay tuition. Calling it a time bomb, Jerry thinks "Blue Sunshine" is finally exploding in the chromosomes of those who took it ten years ago, but he needs a way to prove it. When Blume suggests obtaining a blood sample to test for genetic damage, Jerry says he needs a means of temporarily subduing the infected individual, who possesses uncommon strength. Although reluctant, Blume says he will try to obtain a tranquilizer.At a campaign event in the park, Mulligan runs into Alicia and continues to flirt. When a truck zooms past them, Alicia notices that Mulligan is easily agitated by the noise and holds his hair to protect it from the gust of wind. For the sake of Jerry's investigation, she agrees to meet Mulligan the following night during the campaign's final rally at a shopping mall. Later, Alicia contacts Lieutenant Clay and asks for his help in apprehending an individual at the mall, which might prove Jerry's innocence.Meanwhile, Blume nervously slips Jerry the tranquilizer drugs and tells him not to come by the hospital anymore, since he is a wanted man. Before Jerry leaves, Blume recalls Wayne Mulligan as a guy in college who always wanted LSD. Next, Jerry buys a gun, loads it with tranquilizer darts and learns from Flemming's staff that Mulligan will be at Shopper's World for the final campaign event.At a discotheque near the rally, Alicia greets Mulligan at the bar. Sweating, he says he does not feel well and goes to the bathroom. When Clay arrives, he finds Mulligan bent over the bathroom sink. As Clay pulls him up, Mulligan's wig comes off and he throws Clay against a stall. Marching through the disco, Mulligan pushes and hurls people across the floor. The crowd screams and starts running through mall. In the mayhem, Jerry grabs someone who tells him that a bald maniac has gone crazy in the disco. Alicia takes shelter inside the glass-enclosed DJ booth, as Jerry arrives and unsuccessfully tries to fight off the superhuman zombie. When Alicia turns up the volume of the disco music, Mulligan screams in agony and leaves the room.Jerry chases Mulligan through a closed department store. After Jerry shoots him with a tranquilizer dart, Mulligan staggers and collapses. The film ends with Jerry standing guard over Mulligan while waiting for the police to arrive so Jerry can present Mulligan to them and therefor prove his innocence of all the killings and have a living proof person of the after effects of 'blue sunshine'.A series of on-screen texts reveal that tests reveal widespread abnormalities in Mulligan's chromosomes as a result of the exposure to the "Blue Sunshine", and he is currently incarcerated in a sanitarium. Meanwhile, a government task force discovers that 250 doses of the drug "Blue Sunshine" that were manufactured back in September 1967 are still missing.

In a secluded cabin near Los Angeles, California, photographer Frannie Scott (Richard Crystal) entertains his friends by singing a Frank Sinatra tune. Inadvertently, one of the party goers pulls off Frannie's wig, revealing a peculiar baldness. Everyone stares in shock, and Frannie, appearing possessed, runs out of the cabin. As the party disperses, Jerry "Zippy" Zipkin (Zalman King), a bright but aimless Cornell University graduate, stays behind and searches the surrounding woods for his friend Frannie. Soon, he hears women screaming from inside the cabin and returns to find that Frannie has killed them. Transformed into a deranged, powerful madman, the zombie-like Frannie leaps at Jerry and chases him outside. Along a dark road, Jerry pushes Frannie in front an oncoming truck, and Frannie dies. Jerry escapes from the scene, but is shot in the arm by one of the truck drivers who mistakenly thinks Jerry is a killer. During the police investigation, the detectives also believe Jerry is responsible for the cabin murders, despite a statement from his girlfriend, Alicia Sweeny (Deborah Winters), that he is innocent.At a hospital, Jerry waits in the office of his friend Dr. David Blume (Robert Walden) and notices the various diplomas on the wall, including one from Stanford University. Blume cleans the gunshot wound, but is skeptical about Jerry's story that the injury was accident. Taking aspirin for a headache, Blume appears unwell, but says he is just overworked.At a park, Jerry reunites with Alicia who says he appears guilty by running from the police. After Jerry explains that he needs to find out why Frannie become a monster, he sees a newspaper headline about a Glendale detective, John O'Malley, who killed his wife and two children. The man has the same bald, psychotic appearance as Frannie. At the O'Malley residence, Jerry connects similarities between the crimes and notices another Stanford diploma on the wall. Jerry briefly talks with a middle aged woman (Alice Ghostley) who was a long-term neighbor of O'Malley who describes how one day O'Malley went crazy and killed his family.Next, Jerry breaks into Frannie's studio and discovers a psychedelic photograph featuring Edward Flemming (Mark Goddard), who is now a prominent politician running for Congress. The caption underneath the photo reads "Blue Sunshine." While Alicia waits nearby, Jerry interrupts Flemming on the campaign trail to tell him that Frannie has died. Flemming remembers Frannie immediately, but claims no knowledge of the words, "Blue Sunshine."Meanwhile, Wayne Mulligan (Ray Young), the campaign manager, flirts with Alicia and mentions that he and Flemming went to Stanford together. Suddenly, Detective Clay (Charles Sibert), who is investigating the cabin murders by following Alicia, recognizes Jerry and pursues him, but during the car chase Jerry manages to slip away. When they rendezvous later, Jerry tells Alicia that Flemming is not being honest about "Blue Sunshine," which Jerry believes is somehow connected to Frannie's disease. As soon as Alicia realizes that Frannie, O'Malley and Flemming all graduated from Stanford ten years ago, Jerry remembers the diploma in Blume's office and rushes to the hospital.Through the window of the operating room, Jerry observes Blume as he becomes edgy while performing a surgical procedure. When Blume returns to his office, Jerry pulls his hair to see if it will fall out and explains that Blume might have a disease affecting Stanford classmates from ten years ago causing baldness and homicidal behavior. Although unacquainted with O'Malley and Frannie, Blume admits that he knows Flemming very well, after befriending him in college on account of Flemming's drug connections. Thinking back, Blume recalls the name "Blue Sunshine" because it was an LSD-like drug that he bought from Flemming, but never took. Unsure of the purity, Blume resold the dose to strangers for a small profit to help pay tuition. Calling it a time bomb, Jerry thinks "Blue Sunshine" is finally exploding in the chromosomes of those who took it ten years ago, but he needs a way to prove it. When Blume suggests obtaining a blood sample to test for genetic damage, Jerry says he needs a means of temporarily subduing the infected individual, who possesses uncommon strength. Although reluctant, Blume says he will try to obtain a tranquilizer.At a campaign event in the park, Mulligan runs into Alicia and continues to flirt. When a truck zooms past them, Alicia notices that Mulligan is easily agitated by the noise and holds his hair to protect it from the gust of wind. For the sake of Jerry's investigation, she agrees to meet Mulligan the following night during the campaign's final rally at a shopping mall. Later, Alicia contacts Lieutenant Clay and asks for his help in apprehending an individual at the mall, which might prove Jerry's innocence.Meanwhile, Blume nervously slips Jerry the tranquilizer drugs and tells him not to come by the hospital anymore, since he is a wanted man. Before Jerry leaves, Blume recalls Wayne Mulligan as a guy in college who always wanted LSD. Next, Jerry buys a gun, loads it with tranquilizer darts and learns from Flemming's staff that Mulligan will be at Shopper's World for the final campaign event.At a discotheque near the rally, Alicia greets Mulligan at the bar. Sweating, he says he does not feel well and goes to the bathroom. When Clay arrives, he finds Mulligan bent over the bathroom sink. As Clay pulls him up, Mulligan's wig comes off and he throws Clay against a stall. Marching through the disco, Mulligan pushes and hurls people across the floor. The crowd screams and starts running through mall. In the mayhem, Jerry grabs someone who tells him that a bald maniac has gone crazy in the disco. Alicia takes shelter inside the glass-enclosed DJ booth, as Jerry arrives and unsuccessfully tries to fight off the superhuman zombie. When Alicia turns up the volume of the disco music, Mulligan screams in agony and leaves the room.Jerry chases Mulligan through a closed department store. After Jerry shoots him with a tranquilizer dart, Mulligan staggers and collapses. The film ends with Jerry standing guard over Mulligan while waiting for the police to arrive so Jerry can present Mulligan to them and therefor prove his innocence of all the killings and have a living proof person of the after effects of 'blue sunshine'.A series of on-screen texts reveal that tests reveal widespread abnormalities in Mulligan's chromosomes as a result of the exposure to the "Blue Sunshine", and he is currently incarcerated in a sanitarium. Meanwhile, a government task force discovers that 250 doses of the drug "Blue Sunshine" that were manufactured back in September 1967 are still missing.

Published Time: 2021-05-27 19:51:48