Once lost amidst the direct-to-video erotic thriller dreck lining the video shelves in the nineties, DARK SIDE OF GENIUS gets another stab at fame courtesy of Scorpion Releasing and Katerina’s Nightmare Theater.

Los Angeles art critic Jennifer Cole (Finola Hughes, STAYING ALIVE) becomes intrigued by the work of Julian Jons (Brent Fraser, WILD ORCHID II), a New York artist who murdered his model Anna seven years before and was institutionalized. His comeback is being sponsored by gallery owner Bennini (Glen Shaddix, BEETLEJUICE) who has convinced Jons to lay low until his upcoming show. Julian dodges Jennifer’s attempts to interview him, but is suitably charmed by her tenacity. Despite concerns of her roommate Carrie (Moon Unit Zappa, HEARTSTOPPER) for her safety – and her editor (Patrick Bauchau, PHENOMENA) over professional ethics – Jennifer continues seeing Julian; but Julian may be in danger of going over the deep end when wealthy benefactor Samuel Rourke (Seymour Cassell, COLD HEAVEN) commissions him to paint a portrait of lady friend Kristi (Tina Cote, HEATSEEKER) who happens to be a dead ringer for Anna. Jennifer, on the other hand, believes that something even more sinister is going on thanks to some cryptic clues from Julian’s artistic rival (Patrick Richwood, STREETS) who appears to know more about the Anna’s murder than he lets on.

Photographed and directed by cinematographer Phedon Paramichael (the remake of 3:10 TO YUMA) – son of John Cassavettes production designer Phedon Paramichael Sr. – DARK SIDE OF GENIUS is largely separated from the period’s direct-to-video erotic thriller ilk by his visuals. The cinematographic style is indeed quite similar to the look he gave as DP to Katt Shea’s POISON IVY as well as his own earlier directorial effort SKETCH ARTIST (photographed by DTV erotic thriller-turned-mainstream DP Wally Pfister). Since he gets a “Photographed and Directed by” credit, Paramichael also extends a main titles “lighting director” credit to his regular gaffer Chris Faloona (now a prolific TV director of photography). Virtually every shot is wonderfully stylized, with many interior and exterior scenes shot in cool blue tints suggestive less of day-for-night than psychological states. As slick as the film looks, it becomes pretty obvious that the titular “dark side of genius” is a window dressing for a more run-of-the-mill thriller plot with a couple twists that do not so much innovate as tweak the genre; however, Hughes and Fraser do have chemistry and it’s unfortunate that the relationship isn’t better explored (Fraser also provides two songs for the soundtrack, including one over the end credits). Zappa – so charming and fresh-faced in NATIONAL LAMPOON’S EUROPEAN VACATION – is relegated here to sarcasm and comic relief as Jennifer unlucky-in-love housemate while Richwood is appropriately scuzzy and nutty. Cassell gives a mostly dignified performance, as does Shadix but both roles are cut from the same cloth. DARK SIDE OF GENIUS may not deliver much in titillation compared to the “unrated” examples you might find beside it on the video store shelves in the nineties (or on Cinemax), but it makes a good attempt at being a sophisticated and sexy thriller.

Scorpion’s dual-layer DVD features a progressive, anamorphic widescreen (1.82:1) transfer that is not without scratches and speckling (particularly around the reel changes), but these flaws remind you that this wasn’t your run-of-the-mill shot-on-film-edited-on-video DTV project but a low budget but mainstream production intended for theatrical release. The Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo soundtrack for the most part is more atmospheric than directional, highlighting mainly the music. “Katarina’s Nightmare Theater” hostess Katarina Leigh Waters hosts optional introductory and post-script segments for the film in which she discusses the cast as well as the trend in the nineties of fusing murder and the art world in film (probably because of the opportunities it offered for nudity and flashy settings).