Vinegar Syndrome has revealed its January slate of 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray releases. They are: Virtuosity (1995), Deranged (1974), The Seventh Curse / Witch From Nepal (1986), and Curse of the Devil / The Vampires Night Orgy / Demon Witch Child (1973-1975).
Description: The near future: A virtual reality company is completing the development of a highly sophisticated training simulator designed to give police a taste of how to handle the dangers they might encounter in the field while tracking and apprehending criminals. In order to perfect this state-of-the-art technology, prisoners are selected based on their skills and toughness and forced to serve as test subjects. Amongst the chosen inmates is Parker Barnes, an ex-cop serving time for circumventing the law and taking justice into his own hands. When one of the software's most lethal virtual criminals, SID 6.7 - an amalgamation of vicious sadists and serial killers throughout history - figures out how to jump from the computer world into the real world through the use of nanotechnology, the company behind the program quickly attempts to cover up their malfeasance. As SID 6.7 runs amok on the streets of L.A., leaving a trail of bloody violence in his wake, the police reluctantly admit that they are powerless to stop him. Their final hope is to enlist the help of Barnes, the only man to defeat SID 6.7 in the virtual world, in order to put an end to his flesh-and-blood reign of terror before any more innocent lives are taken.
Produced during the height of tech-themed sci-fi and action films, VIRTUOSITY remains one of the subgenre's most creative and thrill-packed examples. Elevated by director Brett Leonard's (Lawnmower Man) highly stylized action and stunt sequences, this powerhouse blockbuster stars Oscar® winners Denzel Washington (Training Day) and Russell Crowe (Gladiator) in one of his first - and most unhinged - American roles as the deranged SID 6.7. Further distinguished by Leonard's then-groundbreaking integration of live-action film photography and cutting-edge digital effects, VIRTUOSITY remains a cornerstone of 90s cyberpunk cinema.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
NEW 4K RESTORATION
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
Commentary track with director Brett Leonard and Jim Branscome from Cinematic Void
Commentary track with writer and film historian Walter Chaw
"Democratizing Virtual Reality" (13 min) - an interview with director Brett Leonard on the making of Virtuosity
"Ahead of its Time" (14 min) - an interview with producer Gary Lucchesi on the development and legacy of Virtuosity
"A Virtual Reunion" (38 min) - a featurette with Brett Leonard, Kelly Durkin, and Georg Berger - the pioneers behind the interactive screens of Virtuosity
"God Complex" (18 min) - an interview with author Eric Bernt on writing Virtuosity
"Character First" (18 min) - a featurette on assembling the cast of Virtuosity, featuring interviews with casting director Deborah Aquila, and supporting actors Stephen Spinella, and Mari Morrow
Ezra Cobb leads a simple life on an isolated family farm with his overbearing, god-fearing mother, who spends her days ranting about the evils of women and the sins of the flesh. When Ma Cobb suddenly and violently expires, Ezra is plunged into a deep despair, and his already troubled mind crosses over into full-blown psychopathy. Wracked with loneliness, Ezra begins plundering the local graveyard to obtain companions to bring home with him, starting with his dear mother, whom he props up in her bed and holds conversations with. But soon, even this collection of cadavers isn't company enough for old Ez', and he decides to turn his attention to fresher subjects…
Based on the real-life case of the "Plainfield Ghoul" Ed Gein - the infamous Wisconsin murderer and graverobber whose exploits similarly inspired the likes of Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Silence of the Lambs - 1974's DERANGED offers up one of the most faithful cinematic retellings of this true-crime story, with Roberts Blossom (Home Alone) delivering a chilling and highly credible central performance as Ezra Cobb. Co-directed by Jeff Gillen and Alan Ormsby (who also penned Bob Clark's Deathdream), and with early special effects work from a young Tom Savini (Dawn of the Dead) - some of which proved so gruesomely effective that they had to be excised to secure the film a theatrical release - Vinegar Syndrome is delighted to disinter the fully unexpurgated version of DERANGED for its world 4K Blu-ray premiere, newly restored in 4K from its original camera negative and loaded with a ghoulish array of new and archival extras.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
NEW 4K RESTORATION
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
Commentary track with writer and co-director Alan Ormsby
Commentary track with special effects artist Tom Savini
Commentary track with film historian Richard Harland Smith
"Very Unnatural Deaths" (12 min) - an interview with special effects artist Tom Savini
"It Was a Fun Time!" (12 min) - an interview with actor Brian Smegal
"Disturbed, Demented, Deranged" (24 min) - an interview with Nightmare USA author Stephen Thrower
"The Making of Deranged" (13 min) - an archival documentary
Golden Harvest was one of Hong Kong's biggest and most prolific producers of big-budget genre films, with titles ranging from martial arts adventures to grisly horror and thrillers. Presented here are a set of genre-defying and genre-blending classics that skillfully intertwine horror, action, fantasy, and generally jaw-dropping weirdness.
Dr. Yuan is a world-famous adventurer whose exploits have found him playing everything from hostage negotiator to exploring the most offbeat corners of the globe. While in the jungles of Thailand, Dr. Yuan rescues a young woman from a bloodthirsty supernatural sect named the "Worm Tribe," as they attempt to sacrifice her to their ancient evil deity. After a Worm Tribe elder forces the doctor to swallow a handful of bullets, Dr. Yuan becomes afflicted by the "seven blood curses," which cause the bullets to burst from his body. Determined to find a cure before the seventh and final curse takes his life, Dr. Yuan returns to the jungle, where he must defeat the Worm Tribe and other unexpected supernatural obstacles.
An off-the-wall blending of action, adventure, and insane supernatural horror, Lam Ngai Kai's (Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky) THE SEVENTH CURSE offers enough mind-boggling mayhem to satisfy even the most jaded genre film fan's appetite, from thrilling action sequences, plentiful practical creature effects, and all the over-the-top blood and violence perfected by Cat III cinema. Featuring memorable performances by Hong Kong film legends Chin Siu-Ho (Fist of Legend), Chow Yun-fat (Hard Boiled), and Maggie Cheung (Hero), THE SEVENTH CURSE makes its US Blu-ray debut newly restored and fully uncut.
Joe and his girlfriend travel to Nepal to escape their busy lives. However, their vacation takes an unwelcome turn when Joe is injured while on safari and goes missing. Once found, he is brought to a hospital where a mysterious woman tells him that he's been chosen to be the leader of a mystical tribe in order to fight against an evil sorcerer. Upon returning to Hong Kong, Joe tries to forget about his ordeal. However, the mysterious woman tracks him down, and the two soon fall madly in love. Unfortunately, the sorcerer is also in Hong Kong searching for the mysterious woman, and Joe soon finds himself embroiled in a savage fight between good and evil.
Starring international superstar Chow Yun-fat (The Killer), WITCH FROM NEPAL is a thrilling Hong Kong actioner fused with fantasy and supernatural horror. Directed by action choreographer Ching Siu-Tang (A Chinese Ghost Story) and culminating with an impressive final showdown that defies both time and space, this genre-bending oddity finally comes to US Blu-ray, newly restored and completely uncut.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
TWO-DISC SET
Newly color-graded and restored by VS from studio-supplied masters
Newly translated English subtitles for both films
Brand new commentary track with martial arts film expert Frank Djeng for the Hong Kong Version of The Seventh Curse
Brand new commentary track with film historian & author Samm Deighan and author & podcaster Mike White for the Hong Kong Version of The Seventh Curse
Brand new commentary track with martial arts film expert Frank Djeng for Witch From Nepal
"Lam Ngai Kai: Hong Kong's Master of Fantasy" (17 min) - a video essay by film historian and author Samm Deighan
From bloodier and sexier reimaginings of gothic tropes to shameless homespun ripoffs of international hits, 70s Spanish horror films offered wild and unforgettable delights for audiences domestically and abroad. Three key names working in the genre, Carlos Aured, León Klimovsky, and Amando de Ossorio, helped define and refine what genre films in Spain became most infamous for. Presented here is one key work by each auteur, all of which have been newly and exclusively restored by Vinegar Syndrome for this release.
In CURSE OF THE DEVIL (El Retorno de Walpurgis), director Carlos Aured's (Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll) second collaboration with star Paul Naschy (Frankenstein's Bloody Terror), lycanthrope Waldemar Daninsky is back; doomed to become a bloodthirsty werewolf as punishment for his family's involvement in centuries-old witch trials. Co-written by Naschy and focusing on his familiar blend of carefully constructed characters juxtaposed with gruesome gore, CURSE OF THE DEVIL has been newly restored in 4K. It is presented in its uncensored original version, which features extended nudity and bloodier violence as compared to the more commonly seen international cut.
In THE VAMPIRES NIGHT ORGY (La Orgía Nocturna de los Vampiros), director León Klimovsky (The Werewolf Versus the Vampire Woman) skillfully integrates a suspenseful vampire film with a tense survival thriller as a busload of travelers become stranded in an eerie village where, each night after dark, the townspeople transform into ravenous bloodsuckers. Featuring a cast of Spanish genre-cinema luminaries, including Jack Taylor (Female Vampire) and Helga Liné (Horror Express), this atmosphere-drenched drive-in hit comes newly restored in 4K and presented in its nude export version.
In DEMON WITCH CHILD (La endemoniada), one of the first and most shameless European "re-imaginings" of The Exorcist, director Amando de Ossorio (Tombs of the Blind Dead) revels in over-the-top trashiness as innocent tween Susan Barnes becomes possessed by demonic forces after a vengeful witch gives her a strange, cursed doll. From low-fi spinning torsos to late-night human sacrifices, career horror filmmaker Ossorio keeps the entertainment value high, enhanced by a cast of veteran Spanish character actors, including Daniel Martín (A Fistful of Dollars) and Fernando Sancho (Voodoo Black Exorcist), while the film looks better than ever, having been newly scanned and restored in 4K.
Special Features and Techncial Specs:
THREE-DISC SET
NEW 4K RESTORATIONS FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGAITVES
Newly translated English subtitles for both films
Presented in both their original Spanish language soundtracks with newly translated English subtitles, along with their English language dub soundtracks
Reversible sleeve artwork
CURSE OF THE DEVIL
An interview with Sergio Molina, son of actor / co-writer Paul Naschy (13 min)
An interview with Sitges Film Festival director Ángel Sala (15 min)
"Paul Naschy: Interview with the Werewolf" (15 min) - an archival interview with Paul Naschy
Original Spanish and English language trailers
Alternate 'clothed scenes' from the international version
Alternate English language main title sequence
English SDH subtitles
REGION-FREE
THE VAMPIRES NIGHT ORGY
An interview with actor Jack Taylor (9 min)
An interview with Sitges Film Festival director Ángel Sala (13 min)
An interview with filmmaker Victor Matellano (12 min)
English SDH subtitles
REGION-FREE
DEMON WITCH CHILD
An interview with actress Marian Salgado (22 min)
Marian Salgado at Fancine de Lemos film festival (6 min)
Introduction by Ángel Sala, Carlos Benítez and Xavi Sánchez Pons (10 min)
Featurette with Ángel Sala and Xavi Sánchez Pons (23 min)