Following up his debut feature Thief, Michael Mann embarked on The Keep, a supernatural horror thriller set in Romania during World War II that, amidst editing troubles, would go on to be director’s most derided film. Now about four decades after its initial 1983 release a new restoration has arrived, newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative. While it’s not Mann’s original director’s cut, which still has never seen the light of day, Vinegar Syndrome announced the 4K UHD release as a surprise Black Friday sale and although all 12,000 limited edition copies are already sold out, one can get a glimpse of the restoration thanks to a new trailer.

Here’s the synopsis: “Nazi-occupied Romania, 1941: In a small and gloomy village hidden deep in the mountains, German troops have arrived to lay siege. Although warned by the townspeople to stay out of a mysterious and ornately carved structure known only as “The Keep,” two arrogant soldiers ignore their orders and break into the obelisk, hoping to find stowed treasure, but instead unleash an ancient evil force which, with each new victim, grows stronger and more powerful. After suffering large casualties at its hands, Captain Klaus Woermann is informed that the only person who might be capable of defeating this monstrous and demonic entity is an elderly Jewish historian named Dr. Theodore Cuza, who is being held captive with his daughter in a concentration camp…”

See the trailer below and learn more here.

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