Vinegar Syndrome has revealed that it will add three new releases to its catalog. They are: Reptilicus (1961), A Chinese Torture Chamber Story 1 & 2 (1994-1998), and Intrepidos Punks / Vengeance of the Punks (1988-1991).
A group of mining engineers prospecting for copper in the mountains of Lapland make an incredible discovery when their drilling unearths the remains of a giant, prehistoric amphibious reptile. A section of the creature's tail is exhumed from beneath the frozen tundra and transported to the National Aquarium in Copenhagen, where it's placed in a cold room to be studied by Professor Otto Martens and his research team. But when the door to the room is accidentally left ajar, the tail segment begins to thaw, quickly regenerating itself into a gigantic beast! Now loose and embarking on a cross-country rampage, the military are forced to employ all means necessary to rout the creature - now dubbed "Reptilicus" - before it launches a full-scale attack on the capital.
A Danish-American co-production, REPTILICUS is a delirious creature feature which serves as the Scandinavian answer to Godzilla, complete with astonishing scenes of its titular monster causing carnage in Copenhagen. Filmed in both Danish and English language versions, directed by Poul Bang and Sidney W. Pink (Journey to the Seventh Planet) respectively, REPTILICUS features a nearly identical cast to its Danish counterpart but adds in unique special effects flourishes such as the beast spewing acid saliva on its victims. The monster maniacs at Vinegar Syndrome are thrilled to regenerate REPTILICUS in a new 4K restoration from the original negative for its world UHD premiere, alongside an HD transfer of the Danish-language version - available on disc for the first time ever in the U.S. - and an array of newly-produced bonus features.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
ONE 4K BLU-RAY/TWO BLU-RAYS
NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
Includes the U.S. disc debut of the alternate 95-minute Danish version of REPTILICUS with newly translated English subtitles (Blu-ray only)
Commentary track with film historian Nicolas Barbano and novelist and critic Kim Newman
"Fifty Million Years Out of Time: Revisiting Reptilicus" (32 min) - a new retrospective featuring film historian/producer Robert Parigi and screenwriter/film historian C. Courtney Joyner
"Pink Goes West: Life After Reptilicus" (11 min) - an interview with filmmaker/historian Jay Jennings
"Invincible... Indestructible!" (29 min) - illustrator, author and film historian Stephen R. Bissette on Reptilicus and its enduring legacy
Notorious even amongst Hong Kong's Cat III films, A CHINESE TORTURE CHAMBER STORY 1 & 2 remain some of the most outrageous entries in the genre, thanks to their shameless blending of explicit sex and extreme violence all played with a touch of macabre humor. Unfolding like a set of Shaw Bros wuxia films gone horribly wrong, both take full advantage of their period settings to indulge in the grisly details of all types of archaic torture. Vinegar Syndrome is proud to present these two jaw-dropping highlights of early 90's Hong Kong exploitation filmmaking on Blu-ray for the first time in the U.S., newly and exclusively restored from their original negatives and presented completely uncut, along with the never-on-disc presentation of the Mandarin language edit of A CHINESE TORTURE CHAMBER STORY featuring exclusive and alternate scenes.
A CHINESE TORTURE CHAMBER STORY - A beautiful young woman named Little Cabbage is sold by her family to a wealthy scholar named Yang in order to become his future concubine. However, Yang's overbearing wife becomes jealous of Little Cabbage and arranges to have her married off to a well-endowed peasant. When Little Cabbage's new husband is found dead, poisoned by a powerful aphrodisiac, Little Cabbage and Yang are brought in front of a bloodthirsty court to face charges of conspiring to commit murder. Maintaining their innocence, Little Cabbage and Yang are forced to endure unspeakable torture at the hands of a corrupt judge in an attempt to make them confess. Cleverly told in a series of flashbacks, this horrific and hilarious film features wall-to-wall sex and violence, culminating in an explosive "climax" unlike anything you've seen before.
A CHINESE TORTURE CHAMBER STORY II - Ma, a man rising in the ranks of politics, is traveling to the capital when he is accosted by two down-on-their-luck bandits, Wong and Cheung. Taking pity on the two lowly peasants, Ma agrees to help his new friends better their lives, partly due to Ma's attraction to Wong's sister (who also happens to be Cheung's fiancée), the young and beautiful Lotus. When they all arrive in the capital to take Ma up on his generous offer, they discover that Ma has embroiled them in an elaborate con, and soon find themselves caught up in a saga of jealousy, betrayal, and of course...torture. An equally deranged follow-up to its infamous predecessor, this in-name-only sequel does its best to increase not only the amount of sex and eroticism, but also the levels of cringe-inducing violence.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
NEW 2K RESTORATIONS FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVES
Commentary track with film historian Samm Deighan (Part #1)
Commentary track with film historian Frank Djeng (Part #2)
Alternate 92-minute Mandarin language edit of A CHINESE TORTURE CHAMBER STORY with newly translated English subtitles
Brand new interview with Wong Jing, producer of A Chinese Torture Chamber Story 1 & 2 (5 min)
"The CAT III Films of Wong Jing" (17 min) - a video essay by Justin Decloux of The Important Cinema Club
"Titillating Torture" (18 min) - a video essay by film historian Erica Shultz
Original Cantonese and English trailers for A Chinese Torture Chamber Story
Original Cantonese trailer for A Chinese Torture Chamber Story II
English opening title sequence for A Chinese Torture Chamber Story
Booklet with an essay by film historian and author Grady Hendrix
From the weirdest depths of Mexico's genre cinema scene come two of the most infamous punksploitation classics of the 80's: INTRÉPIDOS PUNKS and VENGEANCE OF THE PUNKS. Serving up a non-stop feast of brutality topped off with an all-out assault of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, Vinegar Syndrome proudly presents the Blu-ray debut of these long-sought-after cult rarities, both newly restored in 4K and presented in their completely uncensored versions.
INTRÉPIDOS PUNKS - After Fiera and her punk cohorts break their leader Tarzan out of prison, no one is safe! The newly reunited gang are quick to resume their favorite pastimes: robbing banks, brokering drug deals, and securing weapons, all while leaving a trail of mutilated corpses in their wake. As the entire countryside becomes caught up in the punk's lifestyle of debauchery and violence, it's up to federal agents Javier and Marco to track them down before bloodthirsty anarchy becomes the new way of life.
VENGEANCE OF THE PUNKS - The punks are on the prowl again! After another explosive jailbreak, Tarzan and his gang are back on the streets, this time looking to exact revenge on the men responsible for landing them in the slammer. After ambushing federal agent Marco's party and murdering his entire family, they mistakenly believe that they've fully annihilated their enemies. But when it turns out that Marco didn't die in the ambush, the punks begin to get a taste of their own ruthlessness as Marco tracks them down and kills them one by one…
Special Features and Technical Specs:
NEW 4K RESTORATIONS FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVES
"Intrépidos Punks: A Surrealistic Mexican Scene" (30 min) - a making-of documentary featuring interviews with director Francisco Guerrero, along with actors Tito Guillen, Socorro Albarran, Carlos Hauptvgel, Fidel Abrego, Olga Rios, Rosita Bouchot and Arturo Masson
"La Venganza de los Punks: Punk is Dead" (21 min) - a making-of documentary featuring interviews with actors Tito Guillen, Socorro Albarran, Carlos Hauptvgel, Fidel Abrego, Olga Rios, Arturo Masson, Anais De Melo and Juan Moro
Original theatrical trailer for Intrépidos Punks
Booklet with an essay by Mexican art historian Claudia Pretelin