During the early ’90s, I became fanatical about Twin Peaks. How big of a freak did I become? I didn’t call the 900 phone line, but I recorded the first season episodes in SP speed so I could see more details when rewatching to spot more clues in the frame. This upgrade paid off during the episode when Audrey Horne (played by Sherilyn Fenn) tied a cherry stem into a knot while in her mouth. Fenn stole America’s heart that night. Shortly after the first season wrapped, I read in the newspaper that Fenn was the star of Meridan: Kiss of the Beast which Charles Band was putting out on VHS. The next time I went to Phar-Mor’s video department (which let you rent 3 tapes for 2 nights at the astonishing low price of $1.50 – half the price of what Blockbuster charged for 1 rental), I was thrilled to find the box in the new section. How good was the film? Let’s just say, it was worth the money. Now the movie has arrived on Blu-ray as just Meridian, but there’s still a Kiss of the Beast in the story.
The father of Catherine Bomarzini (Boxing Helena‘s Sherilyn Fenn) has passed away and left her a castle in Italy. She heads over with her friend Gina (To Sleep With A Vampire‘s Charlie Spradling – going only as Charlie in the credits) to check out the place. They don’t have to clean up the place since Martha (Robot Jox‘s Hilary Mason) has been taking care of the castle. They find out about a local carnival and head over to get some traditional European fun with a bunch of sideshow acts on the main stage. The leader of the shindig is Lawrence (Victor/Victoria‘s Malcolm Jamieson) who seems like a smooth magician. The ladies invite Lawrence and his gang over to the castle for a little after show party. This goes really bad when the drinks get spiked and both women find themselves being taken off by Lawrence. As Catherine lays in the bed waiting, Lawrence pulls a trick on her. He does a switcheroo and his masked brother Oliver (also Jamieson) takes his place in the bed. Lawrence goes into another bedroom and takes advantage of a drowsy Gina. Things get even worse when one of the brother has a problem with body hair. The next morning, the women wake up and realize things didn’t go right at their party. Neither of them want to go to the Italian police for an investigation. Gina has to leave the castle for work while Catherine does her best to sort out the mystery of what happened with Lawrence. Not to give too much away, but there’s a family curse involved.
Meridian is a movie that’s all about Sherilyn Fenn. The horror/mystery/romance angle is interesting. The Gothic nature of the plot reflects in the various Italian locations. The pacing is rather slow, but who cares if you’re wanting to see “Audrey Horne” in an unrated movie. Sherilyn isn’t coy in her pivotal scene with Lawrence and Oliver. Neither is Charlie. It’s good to see this on a Blu-ray instead of a not as much definition VHS tape in 1990.
Charlie was also in a David Lynch’s Wild At Heart as Irma. While it is a small part, she made an impact by delivering the line “Take a bite of Peach.” Fenn also appeared in the film in the small role of a fairy. Charlie also appeared in the third episode of Twin Peaks. Sherilyn and Charlie were an unintended duo act in 1990. They both appeared on network TV, cinema screens and straight-to-video. If you own the other two Blu-rays, you should complete the trifecta with Meridian.
The Video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. This is a remastered HD transfer off the original 35mm negative. There’s quite a bit of grain in the 1080p transfer since so much of the action is filmed in dark spaces. But you can see the good stuff much better. The Audio is Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0. You’ll hear the synth score clearly. The film only has English subtitles for the parts where the cast speaks Italian.
Behind the Scenes (5:23) shows off the Italian locations including Monster Park used in the film. This seems to be what you’d play in your video rental store to tempt customers into grabbing the VHS box. Sherilyn Fenn liked the fairytale aspect of the film.
Trailers are provided for Specters, Deformed Monsters, Head of the Family, Dark Angel, The Ravaging, Puppet Master 3 and Trancers.
Full Moon Features present Meridian (Remastered). Directed by Charles Band. Screenplay by Dennis Paoli. Starring Sherilyn Fenn, Malcolm Jamieson, Hilary Mason, Charlie Spradling, Alex Daniels, Phil Fondacaro & Vernon Dobtcheff. Running Time: 87 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: November 4, 2025.
