Synapse Films has released five long-forgotten genre gems from the late 1970s, early 1980s, in special edition standard DVDs. The set includes “Thirst,” “Strange Behavior,” “Patrick,” “Dark Forces” and “Syngenor.”

All five were released Oct. 28, 2008, and are available for purchase at: http://www.synapse-films.com/index.php

The films, four of the five produced in Australia, represent both the best and worst of classic B-horror and science fiction during the late-Grindhouse era. Some, such as “Syngenor,” are blatant rip-offs of much better, theatrical releases such as “Alien.” Others, such as “Thirst,” boast an interesting story that sadly gets lost due to a meandering plot that never finds its focus. And then there’s “Stange Behavior,” a quirky ode to the early 1980s that is mostly memorable as the screen-writing debut of Bill Condon, a future Oscar winner for 1999‘s “Gods and Monsters.”

Here’s a look at three of the more memorable titles:

Thirst
Genre: Horror/Vampire
Director: Rod Hardy
Run time: 93 minutes
Rating: R

The Lowdown: Back in the early 1980s, when Home Box Office was still in its infancy, the cable movie channel was limited in the quality and quantity of movies it could show. Unlike today, when every other film offered is a well-known, box office smash, HBO’s daily lineup back then consisted of many more low-budget genre films like “Thirst.”

I still remember falling in love with this movie as a young boy mainly because it featured vampires and it offered the occasional shot of a bare breast, which was absolutely thrilling for someone 10 years old.

It’s been almost 30 years since I last saw “Thirst,” so the chance to revisit it immediately caught my attention. Time, sadly, and a steady diet of increasingly better movies since my youth, has not been kind to “Thirst.” But, even still, watching it again, I found glimmers of what drew me to its story so long ago.

“Thirst” is like a modern-day merger of Dracula and Frankenstein. It’s the story of the creation of a monster. And – at its best and brightest points – it’s a fascinating take on the legend of Elisabeth Bathory, the evil matriarch who maintained her youthful appearance by bathing in the blood of virgins. And the introduction of The Brotherhood and its blood farm of human cows, willing slaves for sanguination whose blood sustains the cult-like members of the group, remains a fascinating creation – one that scared me as a child and one that made wish for an updated remake watching it again as an adult.

Overall, the film suffers most from the hackneyed clichés of its time period (porn star mustaches, anyone?). There are far too many scenes that seem out of place and make little sense. The editing is choppy, the effects are laugh-out-loud bad and the score is overly-dramatic.

As a cult classic, though, it’s ultimately a keeper.

The Stuff You Care About:
Hot chicks – There’s a special spot in the hearts of anyone over 35 for the girls of the 1970s with the wind-blown hair, doe eyes and hard bodies that had yet to be surgically enhanced.
Nudity – Blood shower, anyone?
Gore – Most of the blood on display is pretty laughable, but the shower scene, albeit brief, is pretty cool and Henry Silva’s charred corpse is worth a chuckle.
Drug use – Blood is a drug, and it’s inside you.
Bad Guys/Killers – Before “Lost” and “Heroes” and other serialized shows featuring a shadowy corporation with highly-suspect intentions, The Brotherhood and its human “blood cows” were actually pretty creepy.
Buy/Rent – Long out of print, this will be a hard find as a rental except for customers of online DVD-mail services like Netflix. It’s a gem for fans of nonsensical late-70s exploitation horror. And for people who remember the movie fondly, like me, it’s also a likely purchase.

Strange Behavior
Genre: Horror
Director: Michael Laughlin
Run time: 99 minutes
Rating: R

The Lowdown: I’d kept an older copy of this 1981 title in my collection for years, but failed to revisit it.

Essentially the tale of a mad scientist who experiments on small-town teen-agers and turns them into crazed killers, “Strange Behavior” stands the test of time and remains an unusually strong horror film because of its screenplay.

That said, it’s nothing you haven’t seen before. And if you suffered through the 1998 Katie Holmes-vehicle “Disturbing Behavior,” then you’ve basically seen the entire premise, albeit not as well-done.

This is a good one to pop in on a cold, rainy day when there’s nothing on TV. It’s comforting, like a blanket, in its depiction of early 1980s life – a time not so long ago when the outside world wasn’t nearly as scary as it is today.

The Stuff You Care About:
Hot chicks – Naughty nurse Fiona Lewis!
Nudity – No.
Gore – Minimal, but effective.
Drug use – Agreeing to participate in a scientific experiment isn’t always a good idea.
Bad Guys/Killers – Not all scientists want to cure cancer. Some want to create murderers!
Buy/Rent – You can probably find an older copy of this title buried in the horror section at Blockbuster, but to see the Special Edition you will likely have to order it online from Netflix.

Syngenor
Genre: Horror/Science Fiction
Director: George Elanjian Jr.
Run time: 98 minutes
Rating: R

The Lowdown: Who knew?

I had no idea that as far back as 1990 they were making so-bad-they’re-bad rip-offs of better movies that would have found a willing and welcome home on the Sci-Fi Channel.

Then I sat through “Syngenor,” possibly the best-worst example of men running around in rubber alien suits blatantly designed to resemble the awesome iconic creature designed by H.R. Giger in “Alien.”

“Syngenor” is so bad it actually rips off movies that weren’t even made yet, and does a worse job conveying those ideas that other, later films made compelling and scary.

“Syngenor” is so bad it blows its R rating on a gratuitous boob shot barely 20 minutes in and never bothers to have its organic, synthetic super-soldier monsters actually go bad-ass and rip anyone apart. Seriously, there’s more blood to be found in craptastic made-for-Sci-Fi movies like “Mansquito.” Better effects, too.

“Syngenor” is so bad that the best thing going for it is David Gale, a veteran character actor best known for his role in “Re-Animator” – as a regenerated head whose body hoists his noggin up so he can do unspeakable things to a terrified female victim.

“Syngenor” is so bad it’s not even remotely good enough to sit and shout insults at.

The Stuff You Care About:
Hot chicks – Not really.
Nudity – A blink and you’ll miss it boob shot. Wow, thanks.
Gore – Woeful.
Drug use – Not at all.
Bad Guys/Killers – Guys in rubber alien suits – oooh scary.
Buy/Rent – This is barely a rental for anyone wanting to perform their own, in-house edition of Mystery Science Theater 3000.