Vinegar Syndrome has announced its February batch of 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray releases. They are: The Carpenter (1988), White Cannibal Queen (1980), The Possession of Joel Delaney (1972), The Mansion of Madness (1973), Female Perversions (1996), and Joy of Sex (1984).
Description: Alice Jarett, recently released from a mental hospital, is taken by her husband Martin to their new and spacious home, located deep in the countryside, for which Martin has hired a group of builders to complete its renovation. In the middle of the night, something stirs Alice awake, and as she goes to investigate, she is shocked to discover a remaining carpenter hard at work in the wee hours. Besieged by loneliness, Alice strikes up a casual friendship with the mysterious man, inviting him to continue working at his leisure. But as prowlers and unwanted guests begin turning up at the home, sometimes to harass, sometimes to menace, and sometimes to attack Alice, her carpenter always seems to be on hand to gorily dispatch anyone who comes too close. Has she found her guardian angel? Is she, in fact, a delusional psychopath? Or does the carpenter have his own axe to grind?
An off-the-wall and thoroughly bizarre slasher produced in Quebec by American exploiteer Jack Bravman (Snuff, Zombie Nightmare), director David Wellington's THE CARPENTER offers an oddball storyline, gruesome kills, and a jaw-dropping starring performance from the one-and-only Wings Hauser (Vice Squad). Vinegar Syndrome is delighted to bring this sleeper classic of late 80s horror to Blu-ray, newly restored in 2K from the best existing film elements and featuring a making-of documentary consisting of new interviews with cast and crew, including star Wings Hauser.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
NEW 2K RESTORATION FROM A 35MM RELEASE PRINT
Commentary track with director David Wellington and writer Doug Taylor
Commentary track with William Morris and John Dickson of The Oscarbate Film Collective and Podcast
"Aggressively Itself" (33 min) - a making-of documentary featuring interviews with the cast and crew
"Tools to Play With" (8 min) - an interview with actor Wings Hauser
Description: During the course of a tropical expedition, Jeremy Taylor and his family become the unsuspecting prey of a primitive and cannibalistic tribe. While his wife is savagely killed and devoured, and Jeremy's arm is also dismembered and devoured, his young daughter is instead taken prisoner by the tribe. Years later, Jeremy has not given up hope of rescuing his daughter and, with the aid of some friends, organizes a new expedition to bring her home. However, to his shock and dismay, he discovers that her white skin and blonde hair have caused her to become worshipped as a god by the cannibals and that she has gained a tolerance for consuming human flesh.
An expectedly outrageous lo-fi cannibal film from Euro-sleaze master Jess Franco (Venus in Furs), this delectable marvel of bad taste stars Al Cliver (The Beyond), Sabrina Siani (2020 Texas Gladiators), Olivier Mathot (Draguse), Franco regular Antonio Mayans (Night of Open Sex) and, of course, his wife and muse Lina Romay (Female Vampire). Bursting with the bizarre and transgressive creative flair for which Franco is known, on top of plentiful gut munching and other perversity, WHITE CANNIBAL QUEEN (aka La Dea Cannibale) remains a fascinating outlier from Franco's transition between more commercial and erotically-minded fare and his plunge into almost outsider art weirdness throughout the 80s. Vinegar Syndrome is delighted to present this oft-overlooked effort on Blu-ray for the first time, newly scanned and restored in 2K from its 35mm camera negative.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
NEW2K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
Presented in both its original Italian language soundtrack with newly translated English subtitles and the English language dub track
Commentary track with film historians Eugenio Ercolani and Troy Howarth
"Jungle Holocaust" (31 min) - an interview with actor Antonio Mayans
"Sardonic Cannibals" (33 min) - an interview with Stephen Thrower, author of Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema of Jess Franco
"European Cannibals" (33 min) - an interview with film historian Eugenio Ercolani
"Meat Market" (28 min) - an interview with film historian Alessio Di Rocco
Description: Joel Delaney would seem to be an average burnout type, eschewing his high-class and wealthy upbringing for an affected hippie lifestyle. But when he moves into an apartment previously inhabited by a now-deceased serial killer in Spanish Harlem, Joel begins changing. Initially, his wealthy sister Norah attributes his behavior to moodiness and disillusionment, but as Joel becomes increasingly hostile and aggressive, she begins to fear something worse is afoot. When Joel's temperament spills over into violence, after which a series of seemingly accidental deaths occur, Norah begins investigating her brother's new lifestyle, which plunges her into the world of Espiritismo and the occult.
A tense and genuinely unnerving story of paranoia and the supernatural from acclaimed director Waris Hussein (A Touch of Love) and adapted from Ramona Stewart's chilling novel of the same name, THE POSSESSION OF JOEL DELANEY was one of the earliest films to emerge in the cycle of 1970s possession thrillers. Helmed with an emphasis on documentary-like realism and taking great visual advantage of seedy, early 70s New York City, courtesy of cinematographer Arthur J. Ornitz (Serpico, Death Wish), the film stars Oscar® winner and five-time nominee Shirley MacLaine (The Apartment, Terms of Endearment) in what is one of the most unusual and unforgettable roles of her career, alongside cult film star Perry King (Mandingo, Class of 1984) in one of his earliest leading roles. Long subject to either heavily edited or low-quality home video presentations, Vinegar Syndrome, at last, presents the UHD debut of this uniquely terrifying film, presented in its original theatrical version, freshly restored in 4K from its 35mm camera negative.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
4K BLU-RAY/BLU-RAY COMBO PACK
NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
Commentary track with film historian and author Samm Deighan
"The Believer" (17 min) - an interview with director Waris Hussein
"Twin Spirits" (12 min) - author and film historian Kelly Goodner on the adaptation from book to film
"Hex and the City" (14 min) - the locations of The Possession of Joel Delaney
Description: Journalist Gaston LeBlanc travels deep into the woods of France in order to investigate a mental institution run by the famed Dr. Maillard, who purports to have developed an experimental form of treatment for his patients, which he deems to be more "soothing." Once Gaston and his entourage arrive just outside the institution walls, they are immediately greeted by a hostile display from the guards. Being the only one allowed inside, Gaston meets with Dr. Maillard, who gives him a tour of the facility and explains his new treatment method, seemingly allowing the patients to roam the grounds freely and engage in their own delusions. Gaston is also introduced to Dr. Maillard's beautiful niece, Eugénie, who he is warned is more dangerous than she appears. As Gaston spends more time in the institution, he becomes wary of Dr. Maillard's intentions as the patients engage in an almost cult-like worship of him, and soon, Gaston begins to question what is actually taking place inside the sanitorium walls.
The directorial debut of infamous Mexican director Juan López Moctezuma (Alucarda), THE MANSION OF MADNESS (aka Dr. Tarr's Torture Dungeon) is loosely based on Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether." Mixing gothic horror elements with contemporary absurdism, THE MANSION OF MADNESS uses stunning visuals clearly inspired by Moctezuma's peer Alejandro Jodorowsky (El Topo) in order to satirize medical treatment theories. Featuring engaging performances by Arthur Hansel (10 to Midnight) as Gaston and Claudio Brook (The Devil's Rain) as the deranged Dr. Maillard, Vinegar Syndrome Labs is proud to present this unique blend of literary horror and absurdist imagery on Blu-ray and newly restored in 4K from the original camera negative.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
Presented in both its original English language soundtrack and its Spanish language dub track with newly translated English subtitles
Commentary track with Mexican film historian and author Francisco Peredo
"Surreal Experiment" (16 min) - an interview with actress Ellen Sherman
"Room for Play" (6 min) - an interview with production designer Gabriel Weisz Carrington
"Art in 24 Frames Per Second" (15 min) - an interview with Alessandra Moctezuma, daughter of director Juan López Moctezuma
"Alucardos: Portrait of a Vampire" (89 min) - a feature-length documentary from 2011 on director Juan López Moctezuma
Description: Eve Stephens (Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin), an ambitious and successful trial lawyer in Los Angeles, is up for appointment as a judge while juggling her proclivity for meaningless sex and her relationship with her kleptomaniac sister Madelyn (Amy Madigan, Field of Dreams). As she navigates intimate relationships with both male and female partners, including geologist John (Clancy Brown, Blue Steel) and psychiatrist Renee (Karen Sillas, Simple Men), Eve finds fantasy and reality converging, leading to a tense climax that will decide her personal and professional fate.
A contender for the Grand Jury Prize at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival, FEMALE PERVERSIONS marks the feature film debut of director and co-writer Susan Streitfeld as well as the American film debut of Tilda Swinton. Based on the 1991 psychology text Female Perversions: The Temptations of Emma Bovary by Louise J. Kaplan, Streitfeld's film is an inspired amalgamation of erotic drama and psychological thriller set within the cutthroat environs of the Los Angeles justice system. Long unavailable on home video, Cinématographe is proud to present the world blu-ray release of Susan Streitfeld's daring foray into the perverse in a brand new restoration from its original 35mm camera negative.
Special Features and Techncial Specs:
NEW RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
New audio commentary by film critic and historian Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
Coming Back Around - a new video interview with director and co-writer Susan Streitfeld
A Real Story - a new video interview with co-writer Julie Hébert
Ahead of its Time - a new video interview with cinematographer Teresa Medina
Jumping Through Hoops - a new video interview with actress Karen Sillas
The Soul of Film - a new video interview with actress Frances Fisher
No Egos - a new video conference with actress Dale Shuger
New text essays by film critic Kate Hagen, essayist Philippa Snow and culture writer Madelyn Sutton
Description: High school senior Leslie Hindenberg (Michelle Meyrink, Real Genius) is convinced she's dying following a medical exam, believing she has only six weeks left to live. Determined to not die a virgin, Leslie sets out on a mission to lose her virginity before her presumed untimely demise. The problem is, her father (Christopher Lloyd, Back to the Future) is a physical education teacher at her school, serving as an obstacle for would-be suitors. That is, until she meets Alan Holt (Cameron Dye, Valley Girl), a similarly virginity afflicted teen on the same mission.
Inspired by Alex Comfort's non-fiction global bestseller, JOY OF SEX is a raucous 80s sex comedy directed by Martha Coolidge (Valley Girl, Real Genius) and adapted for the screen by Kathleen Rowell (The Outsiders) with Joyce and John Salter (billed on screen as J.J. Salter). Featuring a talented, eclectic, supporting cast that includes Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters), Colleen Camp (Clue), Lisa Langlois (Class of 1984) and Heidi Holicker (Valley Girl), JOY OF SEX is an often overlooked coming-of-age comedy from one of the freshest American filmmakers of the 80s. Cinématographe is proud to present Martha Coolidge's ribald, feminist, tale of virginity loss in a brand new 4K restoration from its original camera negative, supervised by the filmmaker, for the first time on home video since VHS!
Special Features and Techncial Specs:
NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
New audio commentary with film historian Elizabeth Purchell and film critic Katie Rife
Realities of Filmmaking - a new video interview with director Martha Coolidge
It Was All Cut - a new video interview with screenwriters Kathleen Rowell, Joyce Salter and John Salter
Passionate About It - a new video interview with actress Colleen Camp
Coolidge - a new video essay profile of Martha Coolidge by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
Grace Under Fire - a new video interview with actress Lisa Langlois
New text essays by film critics Marya E. Gates, Kristen Lopez and Stephanie Monohan