NOVEMBER 25
The Man Who Would Cheat Death [1959]
PHYSICAL MEDIA: 4K UHD
DIRECTOR: Terence Fischer
WRITER: Jimmy Sangster, Barré Lyndon
PRINCIPAL CAST: Anton Diffring, Arnold Marlé, Christopher Lee, Hazel Court
SYNOPSIS:
*This listing is for the standard edition version and does NOT come with a limited edition slipcase!*
In late nineteenth-century Paris, esteemed surgeon and talented sculptor Dr. Georges Bonnet is hiding an extraordinary secret – many years ago, he discovered the key to eternal life. Despite being 104 years old, he has the appearance of a man in his mid-30s. However, this incredible feat comes at a terrible cost, for every 10 years, Bonnet must undergo a surgery which requires the parathyroid gland of a living victim. When it becomes clear that his old friend and collaborator Professor Ludwig Weiss is no longer capable of conducting the surgery as he had previously, Bonnet kidnaps his old flame Janine Dubois in an attempt to coerce her new love interest Dr. Pierre Gerrard into taking up the task.
A joint venture between Paramount Pictures and Britain’s legendary Hammer Film Productions, who had just scored massive international hits with The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) and Dracula (1958), 1959’s THE MAN WHO COULD CHEAT DEATH saw director Terence Fisher return to the helm alongside writer Jimmy Sangster. With performances from Hammer stalwart Christopher Lee and Hazel Court (The Curse of Frankenstein) – whose topless scene fell foul of the UK censors, alongside a few seconds of the film’s fiery climax – Vinegar Syndrome is thrilled to present THE MAN WHO COULD CHEAT DEATH fully uncut for the first time on home video, newly restored in 4K for its world UHD premiere and stacked with new bonus features.
Bonus Features:
1. 2-disc Set: 4K Ultra HD / Region A Blu-ray
2. 4K UHD presented in Dolby Vision High-Dynamic-Range
3.Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative
4. Brand new commentary track with critics and authors Stephen Jones and Kim Newman
5. “A Hideous Concoction” (26 min) – film historian Jonathan Rigby on The Man Who Could Cheat Death
6. “The Man Who Could Direct Death” (24 min) – film historian Vic Pratt on director Terence Fisher
7. “Court in Session” (17 min) – film historian Melanie Williams on actress Hazel Court
8. “The Man Who Can Chat Death” (7 min) – an interview with uncredited third assistant director Hugh Harlow
9. Alternate censored ending
10. Reversible sleeve artwork
12. English SDH subtitles
TAGLINES:
- HIS HIDEOUS OBSESSION LED HIM TO COMMIT GHASTLY CRIMES OF PASSION AND VIOLENCE.
- BEHIND THIS FACE…a Terrifying Secret!
- Incredible Horror Like Never Before!
- His terrifying secret – his hideous obsession made him… [The Man Who Could Cheat Death]
GENRE: Horror, Sci-Fi, Drama
RATING: Not Rated
RUN TIME: 84 Minutes
STUDIO: Vinegar Syndrome
https://www.facebook.com/vinsyn
https://www.instagram.com/vinegarsyndrome/
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053041/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FTHMCZXL/
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Ruby [1977]
PHYSICAL MEDIA: Blu-ray
DIRECTOR: Curtis Harrington
WRITER: George Edwards, Steve Krantz, Barry Schneider
PRINCIPAL CAST: Janit Baldwin, Piper Laurie, Roger Davis, Stuart Whitman
SYNOPSIS:
*This listing is for the standard edition version and does NOT come with a limited edition slipcase!*
In 1930s Florida, mobster Nicky Rocco is gunned down by his own gang in front of his mistress, Ruby Claire, who turns out to be carrying his child. Almost two decades later, Ruby – once a songstress with dreams of stardom – is living out a quiet existence with her daughter Leslie, now a mute 16-year-old, in a large house adjoining a drive-in, which she runs alongside Nicky’s old gang members. When, one by one, the former mobsters start winding up dead in various bizarre and gruesome ways, a parapsychologist, Dr. Paul Keller, arrives on the scene to investigate. Upon witnessing a series of unsettling supernatural occurrences, he begins to suspect that Nicky is meting out revenge from beyond the grave against those who betrayed him while using his own teenage daughter as the conduit…
A commercial high point in the career of prolific director – and devout genre fan – Curtis Harrington (Night Tide, The Killing Kind), 1977’s RUBY sought to capitalize on the then-popular trend of possession movies which came in the wake of The Exorcist, while amping up old Hollywood nostalgia and unexpected gore amongst plentiful scenes of supernatural mayhem. Starring Piper Laurie in the titular role, fresh from her Academy Award-nominated turn in Carrie, alongside Stuart Whitman (The Comancheros, The Mark) and Roger Davis (TV’s Alias Smith and Jones), RUBY at long last arrives in its UHD world premiere courtesy of the drive-in deviants at Vinegar Syndrome, restored in 4K from its 35mm interpositive and loaded with a wealth of new and archival bonus features.
Bonus Features:
1. 2-disc Set: 4K Ultra HD / Region A Blu-ray
2. 4K UHD presented in Dolby Vision High-Dynamic-Range
3. Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative
4. Brand new commentary track with journalist and film historian David Del Valle and filmmaker David DeCoteau
5. Archival commentary track with director Curtis Harrington and actress Piper Laurie
6. Archival commentary track with David Del Valle and film historian Nathaniel Bell
7. “Keeping It Natural” (11 min) – a new interview with actor Roger Davis
8. “A Cinematic Summoning” (23 min) – a new interview with critic and author Kim Newman
9. Alternate TV Version of Ruby sourced from video (95 min)
10. 2001 video interview with director Curtis Harrington, conducted by journalist and film historian David Del Valle (59 min)
11. Two Sinister Image episodes with Curtis Harrington hosted by David Del Valle (57 min)
12. Theatrical trailer
13. Radio spot
14. Reversible sleeve artwork
15. English SDH subtitles
TAGLINES:
- A love affair with the supernatural.
- Christened in blood, raised in sin, she’s sweet sixteen, let the PARTY begin!
- A love affair with the supernatural
- PIPER LAURIE-Frightening in “Carrie”. Now…Terrifying as “RUBY”
GENRE: Horror, Drama
RATING: Rated R
RUN TIME: 85 Minutes
STUDIO: Vinegar Syndrome
https://www.facebook.com/vinsyn
https://www.instagram.com/vinegarsyndrome/
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076644/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FTHWWZ6N/
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Sleepless [2001]
PHYSICAL MEDIA: 4K UHD
DIRECTOR: Dario Argento
WRITER: Dario Argento, Franco Ferrini, Carlo Lucarelli
PRINCIPAL CAST: Chiara Caselli, Gabriele Lavia, Max von Sydow, Stefano Dionisi
SYNOPSIS:
*This listing is for the standard edition version and does NOT come with a limited edition slipcase!*
A series of grisly murders are taking place across the Italian city of Turin, prompting the authorities to fear that a copycat killer is on the loose and emulating a gruesome spree that occurred seventeen years prior. Those murders were pinned on a writer with dwarfism by the name of Vincenzo de Fabritiis, who subsequently passed away, effectively closing the case. Now, Detective Ulisse Moretti, who led the original investigation, finds himself drawn out of retirement, and, together with the young Giacomo Gallo – whose mother was a victim of the supposed “Dwarf Killer” – attempts to unravel the mystery of these new slayings as the mutilated corpses continue to pile up.
Returning to the atmosphere and themes of his landmark giallo Deep Red (1975), 2001’s SLEEPLESS saw the welcome return of horror maestro Dario Argento (Suspiria, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage) to the subgenre with which he had made his name. Starring Max von Sydow (The Exorcist) and featuring a host of splatterific, Grand Guignol set pieces courtesy of practical FX wizard Sergio Stivaletti, together with a pulse-pounding score by Argento regulars Goblin – who reunited especially for this movie – Vinegar Syndrome is thrilled to bring SLEEPLESS to UHD for the very first time, restored in 4K from the original camera negative and accompanied by a host of both new and archival bonus features.
Bonus Features:
1. 2-disc Set: 4K Ultra HD (High Bitrate UHD100) / Region A Blu-ray
2. 4K UHD presented in Dolby Vision High-Dynamic-Range
3. Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative
4. Commentary track with film historians Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth
5. “Still Awake” (15 min) – an interview with actress Chiara Caselli
6. “The One Who Saw” (10 min) – an interview with actor Stefano Dionisi
7. “Behind the Smile” (17 min) – an interview with actor Roberto Zibetti
8. “The Invisible Work” (25 min) – an interview with editor Anna Napoli
9. “One Last Score” (22 min) – an interview with composer Claudio Simonetti
10. “Bloodwork” (20 min) – an interview with special effects artist Sergio Stivaletti
11. “He Never Sleeps” (18 min) – an archival interview with co-writer/director Dario Argento
12. “Don’t Go to Sleep” (17 min) – an archival interview with actor Paolo Maria Scalondro
13. “The Cop and the Parrot” (11 min) – an archival interview with co-writer Franco Ferrini
14. “Blood on the Tracks” (16 min) – an archival interview with production designer Antonello Geleng
15. “Killed Three Times” (12 min) – an archival interview with actor Gabriele Lavia
16. Reversible sleeve artwork
17. Newly translated English subtitles
TAGLINES:
- A diabolical story becomes a city’s worst nightmare!
- A Diabolical Story Becomes A City’s Worst Nightmare
- Creepier than Jack the Ripper
GENRE: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
RATING: Rated R
RUN TIME: 117 Minutes
STUDIO: Vinegar Syndrome
https://www.facebook.com/vinsyn
https://www.instagram.com/vinegarsyndrome/
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0220827/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FTJ3VM9T/
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The Evilmaker & Abomination: Evilmaker 2
PHYSICAL MEDIA: Blu-ray
DIRECTOR: John Bowker
WRITER: John Bowker
PRINCIPAL CAST: Dori Schwartz, Felicia Pandolfi, Kylene Wetherell, Stephanie Beaton
GENRE: Horror
RATING: Not Rated
RUN TIME: 180 Minutes
STUDIO: Saturn’s Core/Vinegar Syndrome
https://www.facebook.com/saturnscoreaudiovideo7
https://www.facebook.com/vinsyn
https://www.instagram.com/vinegarsyndrome/
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0220451/
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0349063/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FTHJVQW7/
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Marley’s Revenge: The Monster Movie [1989]
PHYSICAL MEDIA: Blu-ray
DIRECTOR: Jet Eller
PRINCIPAL CAST: Alvin Johnson, Donnie Broom, Donnie Evans, John Robert Fisher
SYNOPSIS:
*This listing is for the standard edition version and does NOT come with a limited edition slipcase!*
Two men try to illegally smuggle their aunt and uncle into the country but are mistaken as drug smugglers by a small group of vigilantes. They are taken to an island where they are to be executed and buried with previously murdered drug dealers. The only problem is, the uncle is a voodoo priest, and he raises the dead from their graves to get revenge for the killing of the aunt. A 14 foot monster from hell, crazed vigilantes, and 84 zombies, try to keep our heroes from getting off the island.
MARLEY’S REVENGE is one of the most fun (and funny) 80s monster movies but somehow slipped through the cracks and didn’t get the recognition or distribution it deserved initially. We couldn’t be happier to present this new edition packed with hours of special features and even multiple versions of the movie!
Bonus Features:
1. New transfer from the original 1” video master
2. Alternate VHS cut
3. Commentary with director/writer Jet Eller and actor/writer Donnie Broom
4. Interview with Jet Eller
5. Interview with actor Alvin Johnson and Donnie Broom
6. Short film: Dummy (1978; 25 min)
7. Bonus Movie: Never Feed the Trolls (2010, 77 min)
8. Photo Galleries
GENRE: Horror, Comedy
RATING: Not Rated
RUN TIME: 82 Minutes
STUDIO: VHSHitfest/Vinegar Syndrome
https://www.facebook.com/vhshitfest/
https://www.instagram.com/vhshitfest/
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0242647/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FTHX3BDY/
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Backyard Bloodbaths [1987]
AKA “Summer Horror Day”
DIRECTOR: Martin Nike
WRITER: Martin Nike
PRINCIPAL CAST: Martin Nike, Lamar Bumbrey, Steven Smith, Mark Beswick
SYNOPSIS:
*This listing is for the standard edition version and does NOT come with a limited edition slipcase!*
Prepare for a movie marathon from the eighth dimension. BACKYARD BLOODBATHS is a triple feature of underground horror discoveries that have never been widely released. First is SUMMER HORROR DAY—a Casiocore splatterfest from the UK Video Nasty era that was shot entirely on Super 8 film. From there, we encounter 777—an experimental serial killer artifact that was conjured on video tape by teenagers in Tucson, Arizona and has never been released on any format. Finally, we visit BLACK MAMBA—a crazed psychedelic anthology from undiscovered auteur Belinda M. Wilson. Plus, the blood keeps flowing with THE PSYCHOTIC ODYSSEY OF RICHARD CHASE, A.I. MAMA, and BLOOD BATH: TALES OF EERIE PUBLICATIONS—three shorts that provide an ideal chaser for this surreal experience.
Bonus Features:
1. SUMMER HORROR DAY (1987, 55 mins, dir. Martin Nike): Restored from the original Super 8 film elements
2. Commentary with Nike and producer David Singer
3. 777 (1997, 74 mins, dir. Colin Anson): Preserved from the original S-VHS master
4. Commentary with cast and crew
5. BLACK MAMBA (2016, 102 mins, dir. Belinda M. Wilson): Preserved from the original digital master
6. Video introduction by Wilson
7. THE PSYCHOTIC ODYSSEY OF RICHARD CHASE (1999, 6 mins, dir. Carey Burtt): Restored from the original 16mm camera negative
8. Commentary with Burtt
9. A.I. MAMA (2020, 5 mins, dir. Asuka Lin)
10. Commentary with Lin and star/sound-designer Kei
11. BLOOD BATH: TALES OF EERIE PUBLICATIONS (2021, 10 mins, dir. Jason Willis)
12. Commentary with Willis
TAGLINE: If you think you’re still alive, you’d better check your pulse!
GENRE: Horror
RATING: Not Rated
RUN TIME: 4 Hours, 12 Minutes
STUDIO: Bleeding Skull/Vinegar Syndrome
http://bleedingskull.com/category/homevideo/
https://www.facebook.com/bleedingskull
https://www.instagram.com/bleedingskull/
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt38604249/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FTHZK61V/
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The Demon’s Rook [2013]
PHYSICAL MEDIA: Blu-ray
DIRECTOR: James Sizemore
WRITER: James Sizemore, Akom Tidwell
PRINCIPAL CAST: Ashleigh Jo Sizemore, James Sizemore, John Chatham, Melanie Richardson
SYNOPSIS:
*This listing is for the standard edition version and does NOT come with a limited edition slipcase!*
“A glimmering gem in a sea of low-budget splatter, THE DEMON’S ROOK is flat-out unlike anything previously put to film — a mindbending tour de force of DIY filmmaking that delivers in spades what films ten times its budget cannot. The fever dreams of Lucio Fulci collide with ’80s creature features in this surreal horror/fantasy, wherein a young boy named Roscoe is lured into a parallel dimension by the good demon Dimwos. Raised to manhood in this dark realm, a Christ-like Roscoe (played by writer/director James Sizemore) pops out of the Earth decades later, bringing with him the secrets of the netherworld. Unfortunately, a trio of malevolent demons is none too pleased with this and, after turning a group of dimwitted construction workers into marauding ghouls and slaughtering a gaggle of campers, is after Roscoe with a maniacal vengeance. Now, Earth’s only chance at survival is a hipster raised in Hell and his damaged childhood chum Eva, whose path to glory is lit in every color of Argento’s rainbow.
The homage-loving Sizemore has created a low-budget orgy of grue that can only be described as Return of the Living Dead by way of Jodorowsky, having lensed the entire head-scratching fantasy in his native Georgia and employing a nearly all-amateur cast and crew. The results, however, are astounding — with all manner of throat-ripping, head-smashing, and limb-severing from the self-taught Sizemore (who also handled a large majority of the film’s ample effects) and his band of skillful Southerners. And thanks to a helping hand from Ultra 8 executive producers (and TIFF superheroes) Colin Geddes and Katarina Gligorijevic, the finished product is polished and tight, while still feeling as indie as a feature can get. Featuring supernatural mind melds, fog-drenched weirdness, and naked women with blood oozing from their gaping eyes, THE DEMON’S ROOK is the sort of surreal cinematic oddity that will set your head spinning while simultaneously blowing your mind with its unabashed devotion to bucking the studio system and keeping things gleefully odd. By the time Roscoe and Eva face down the demons with their super-psychic, head-poppin’ powers, our nightmares have successfully made the leap from fantasy into the strange lo-fi world Sizemore has created for us. And regardless of his limited budget, this self-taught, first-time feature director has delivered a wonderfully weird film that will not be soon forgotten.” – Ted Geoghegan
Bonus Features:
1. New Restoration
2. New Audio Commentary with Filmmaker James Sizemore and Producer Tim Reis
3. Archival Audio Commentary with Filmmaker James Sizemore
4. 3 Deleted Scenes
5. Gag Reel
6. Short Film: The Goat Witch (2014)
7. The Demon’s Rook Music Video
8. Theatrical Trailer
9. Behind The Scenes Photo Gallery
10. Concept Art Photo Gallery
11. Fantasia International Film Festival Premiere Footage
12. Booklet Essay by filmmaker Keith Bearden
TAGLINE: The evil is upon us.
GENRE: Horror, Adventure, Fantasy
RATING: Rated TV-MA
RUN TIME: 103 Minutes
STUDIO: Dekanalog/Vinegar Syndrome
https://www.facebook.com/dekanalog
https://www.instagram.com/dekanalog
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2401215/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FTHQ6748/
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Somnium [2024]
PHYSICAL MEDIA: Blu-ray
DIRECTOR: Racheal Cain
WRITER: Racheal Cain
PRINCIPAL CAST: Chloë Levine, Grace Van Dien, Johnathon Schaech, Peter Vack, Will Peltz
SYNOPSIS:
*This listing is for the standard edition version and does NOT come with a limited edition slipcase!*
At experimental sleep clinic Somnium, dreams are made real. Side effects may include: hallucinations, confusion, paranoia, sleep paralysis, detachment from reality, lost sense of self, permanent nightmares.
Bonus Features:
1. Introduction by Director Racheal Cain
2. Commentary track by Writer & Director Racheal Cain
3. Deleted Scene: Flash Back
4. Interview With SFX artist Olga Tarnovetska & Actor Bries Vannon: “Creating the Monster”
5. Interview With VFX Effects Producer Matt Lathrom: “Creating the Void”
6. Interview With Actor Chloë Levine: “Building the Character of Gemma”
7. Behind the Scenes Slideshow
8. Trailer
GENRE: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Drama
RATING: Not Rated
RUN TIME: 92 Minutes
STUDIO: Yellow Veil Pictures/Vinegar Syndrome
https://yellowveilpictures.com/
https://www.facebook.com/YellowVeilPictures/
https://www.instagram.com/yellowveilpictures/
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4920098/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FTHHFZ94/
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