JEAN ROLLIN

Redemption’s relationship with the films of Jean Rollin and with Rollin himself goes back to 1992 and the very beginning of Redemption when we started out as a company that would specialise in releasing European horror and exploitation films at a time when no one else was. At this time Rollin was virtually unknown and his work dismissed by most critics who had watched his films as both nonsense and nonsensical.

There were a few Rollin champions out there, most notably the writers Alain Silver and James Ursini whose book ‘The Vampire Film (1975) extensively referenced Rollin, the essential reference book, at least pre-internet, Phil Hardy’s Aurum Horror Encyclopedia (1984) and David Pirie, whose defining book on vampire cinema (1977) devoted copious pages to Rollin and featured a series of amazing stills from his films, images which for many were to be their first, and until, Redemption’s releases, only example of how extraordinary Rollin’s visual power is.

In fact, it was those stills in Pirie’s book, coupled with the fact that numerous horror writers in fanzines were discussing Rollin on the basis that virtually no one reading their articles had actually seen a Rollin film, which was the deciding factor in our decision to seek Rollin out and to license his films.

Redemption’s first release was Requiem for a Vampire, followed quickly by The Nude Vampire, Shiver of the Vampire and, after some mastering issues, the Living Dead Girl. This was in 1993 and early 1994 but it wasn’t until we negotiated with Rollin to acquire all rights in his films worldwide in 1997 that we began remastering his films digitally for release on the then new format of DVD and enabling people for the first time to see Rollin’s work in all its glory.

These digital versions sufficed until the arrival of Blu-ray necessitated a new upgrade into High Definition, which, due to our new distribution deal with the US company Kino Lorber, we were able to do. This meant that over the course of a few years we were able to release the majority of Rollin’s catalogue in versions that equalled or surpassed their original theatrical versions making his work more accessible than ever.

Now in 2018, we are upgrading again with Rollin’s incredibly underrated film Dracula’s Fiancée being remastered beautifully into 4K, with other Rollin titles following.

We are not stopping at this though and for Rollin fans the next few years promises to bring a whole slew of treats and surprises all of which will be covered here on our new dedicated Rollin section first.

Coming here soon a history of Rollin on film, in print, on vinyl, CD and on video, laserdisc, DVD and Blu-ray as well as anecdotes on the great man himself as well as the actors and actresses who brought his unique visions to life.

The Critics View of Jean Rollin

“Jean Rollin, the maverick filmmaker responsible for single-handedly giving birth to a distinctly French brand of erotic vampire cinema, has seen a major boost in popularity in recent years…….Recommended with enthusiasm!”

Dima Ballin, “The Cinema of Jean Rollin: The Vampire Collection”,Diabolique Magazine Online, 15 February 2014

“Jean Rollin (1938-2010), the French director who mixed dreamy erotic imagery with spine-tingling morbidity and occasional Cocteau-inspired cinematic poetics, is another favorite.”

Glenn Kenny, “Jean Rollin and Lucio Fulci: Maestros of Horror” The New York Times Online, 17 October 2017,

“Jean Rollin was definitely one of a kind. He was at the front of a wave of filmmakers who took horror genre conventions and used them as a point of departure into other, sometimes far deeper, realms of thought and expression.”

Charlie Hobbs, “Jean Rollin On Blu-ray: THE NUDE VAMPIRE Review” Screen Anarchy, 14 January 2012

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