Fango got the scoop from DVD outfit Synapse Films that it has picked up THE DORM THAT DRIPPED BLOOD, the 1982 slasher feature that marked the film debut of actress Daphne Zuniga.

“We’ve acquired it, along with many other exciting titles we’re announcing in the next few weeks, but this is one we can reveal right now,” Synapse’s Don May Jr. tells us. “We’re working with [director/producer] Jeffrey Obrow, and we’ve uncovered his original answer print, which is titled DEATH DORM. He believes that when the film was released as DORM THAT DRIPPED BLOOD, the theatrical distributor did some editing and changed things around, in addition to the name. Our print is the only 35mm version of the film with the DEATH DORM title, and it may contain footage that nobody has seen in 30 years.

“I just want to let the fans know that there’s a damn good possibility that this is a cut of the movie that no one’s ever seen,” May continues. “We’re just starting the transfer and going through the reels, and the print, because it hasn’t been shown in three decades, is very clean, so it’ll be the best-looking version of the film ever on home video. While we don’t have any extras lined up at the moment, Jeffrey has agreed to help us on those. We’re still in the early stages, but we’ll hopefully have it out by the end of the year.”

The movie, which was shot for $90,000 as a college project by directors Obrow and Stephen Carpenter (who scripted with Stacey Giachino), was also released theatrically as PRANKS. It’s set in an old dormitory where a group of students getting the place ready for demolition are stalked and slain via various nasty methods by a mysterious killer. The cast additionally includes Laurie Lapinski, Stephen Sachs, David Snow, Pamela Holland, Dennis Ely and Woody Roll; this was also the first feature for genre-fave composer Christopher Young.

In addition, May reveals that Synapse has acquired North American rights to GRAPHIC SEXUAL HORROR, Barbara Bell and Anna Lorentzon’s documentary on violent pornographic websites and the people who create them. “It’s one of the most fascinating and unsettling things I’ve seen in a long time,” says May, who adds that this disc should be released in July. Look for more details on the DORM DVD and other Synapse titles soon.

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