The Escapees - Indicator Series (UK Import)

Between the dystopian paranoia of The Night of the Hunted and the visceral excesses of The Living Dead Girl, director Jean Rollin takes a surreal detour into the Parisian demi-monde with The Escapees (Les Echappées, also known as Les Paumées du petit matin).

When two young women, the wayward Michelle (Laurence Dubas) and the withdrawn Marie (Christiane Coppé), escape from an asylum, they find themselves drifting through a nightmarish world of burlesque troupes, lascivious sailors, and hardened criminals. After a violent confrontation, the police close in…

With its supporting cast of key collaborators, including actors Brigitte Lahaie (Fascination), Louise Dhor (Requiem for a Vampire), Bernard Papineau (The Night of the Hunted), Jean-Loup Philippe (Lips of Blood), Natalie Perrey (The Nude Vampire) and composer Philippe D’Aram (Two Orphan Vampires), The Escapees is at once atypical, yet unmistakeably Rollin.

INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES

• New 4K restoration from the original negative by Powerhouse Films

• Two presentations of the film: Les Échappées, Jean Rollin’s original version; and Les Paumées du petit matin, the alternative version with re-ordered scenes

• Original mono audio

• Audio commentary with film expert Tim Lucas (2024)

• One Day in Paris (2008): far-reaching interview with Rollin in which he discusses The Escapees and his other films

• Quant à Louise (2024): regular Rollin collaborators Natalie Perrey and Jean-Pierre Bouyxou remember actress Louise Dhour

• Previously unseen interview with actor Jean-Loup Phillipe (2024)

• Critical appreciation by author and musician Stephen Thrower (2024)

• Image gallery: promotional and publicity material, and behind the scenes

• New and improved English translation subtitles

• Limited edition exclusive 80-page book with a new essay by Lucas Balbo, archival writing on the film by Jean Rollin, an archival interview with the director, an archival interview with composer Philippe D’Aram, a tribute to Rollin by fantastique cinema expert Nicolas Stanzick, and full film credits