Vinegar Syndrome has announced its May batch of releases. They are: Macabre (1980), Nightwatch (1997), Explorers (1985), Anything That Moves (2025), and Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982).
Description: Jane Baker is finding life difficult to cope with following the death of her lover. Seeking seclusion, she takes a room in a large, gothic mansion, whose elderly owner is blind. But Jane is also keeping a horrifying secret; a remnant of her love which she cannot let go but must keep hidden. As her fragile mental state further deteriorates, visitors to the spooky old house come too close to uncovering the shocking truth, when Jane snaps and unleashes a wrath of increasingly bloody terror…
The first feature film directed entirely by Italian horror legend Lamberto Bava (A Blade in the Dark, Demons), the giallo-tinged, true-crime-inspired MACABRE (Macabro) offers a tense and grisly study of budding madness. Starring Bernice Stegers (Fellini's City of Women, Xtro) in a riveting performance utilizing the haunting beauty of New Orleans, and featuring a screenplay co-authored by Bava along with the great Pupi and Antonio Avati (The House With Laughing Windows, Zeder), this unnerving thriller at last hits 4K Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome in a brand new, absolutely gorgeous restoration of its totally uncensored original camera negative, along with a heaping assortment of fresh interviews and critical appraisals.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
TWO-DISC (4K BLU-RAY/BLU-RAY) COMBO PACK RELEASE
NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE CAMERA NEGATIVE
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
Three Versions of the film:
Italian theatrical version
International theatrical version
US theatrical version
Commentary track with film historians Eugenio Ercolani, Troy Howarth, and Nathaniel Thompson
"The Bloody Beginning" - an interview with director Lamberto Bava
"New Orleans Gothic" - an interview with writer Pupi Avati
"A Head for Producing" - an interview with producer Antonio Avati
"Jazzing for a Murder" - an interview with film music historian Pierpaolo De Sanctis
"Macabre Love" - an interview with Macabre expert Mark Thompson Ashworth
Macabre Q&A with Lamberto Bava
Original theatrical trailer
International theatrical trailer
40-page perfect-bound book with essays by Dakota Noot, Pierce Conran, and Danielle Burgos(limited edition only)
Description: Martin Bells is finding it tough to pay his way through law school, especially as his studies occupy nearly all of his waking hours. Needing to make extra income while remaining in a quiet environment, he takes a job as a night watchman at the city morgue. However, shortly after his arrival, a twisted necrophiliac killer begins murdering local prostitutes. As Detective Thomas Cray begins to investigate, the clues he uncovers unexpectedly start to point towards Martin as the prime suspect…
A twist-filled contemporary whodunit, adapted from director Ole Bornedal's own 1994 Danish film while taking cues from the then-reemerging Hollywood slasher boom, NIGHTWATCH (1997) offers an all-star cast including Ewan McGregor (Trainspotting), three-time Academy Award® nominee Nick Nolte (48 Hrs., The Thin Red Line), Academy Award® nominee Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men), Academy Award® nominee Brad Dourif (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest), and Academy Award® winner Patricia Arquette (Boyhood). Vinegar Syndrome is proud to bring this tense and grisly thriller to 4K Blu-ray, newly and exclusively restored in 4K from its original 35mm camera negative, and packed with both new and archival extras.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
TWO-DISC (4K BLU-RAY/BLU-RAY) COMBO PACK RELEASE
NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE CAMERA NEGATIVE
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
Commentary track with author/screenwriter Kelly Goodner and film historian Jim Hemphill
"World of Nothingness" (7 min) - an interview with co-writer/director Ole Bornedal
"A Thrilling Cast" (8 min) - an interview with casting director Rick Pagano
"Building Suspense" (10 min) - a featurette with production designer Richard Hoover and set decorator Brian Hasch
"The Paranoid Cinema of Nightwatch" (8 min) - a video essay by filmmaker Will Webb
Behind-the-scenes footage (10 min)
Still gallery (5 min)
Trailer
40-page perfect-bound book with essays by Phillip Escott, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, and Ariel Powers-Schaub (limited edition only)
Description: Inspired by his vivid dreams of flying through space and elaborate electrical grids, and fueled by comic books and classic sci-fi, 8th-grader Ben fantasizes about a way to explore the Universe. When his friend Wolfgang manages to build a matching circuit board from Ben's hazily-sketched diagrams of his dreams, the board eerily begins to program itself, resulting in precisely the technology they need to secretly cobble together a real spacecraft in a backyard. Along with their friend Darren, they venture out of suburbia and blast into the cosmos seeking whatever alien life they can find — perhaps even something which was reaching out to them all along.
A sentimental adventure of childhood wonder and the regenerative cycle of pop culture (and B-movies), which links '80s childhoods to the fantasy of '50s sci-fi, Joe Dante's EXPLORERS shows the Piranha director's unique skill in blending genres. Featuring childhood film debuts from Ethan Hawke (Dead Poets Society) and River Phoenix (Sneakers), with Robert Picardo (The Howling) and, naturally, Dick Miller (Gremlins), it also boasts extensive use of a broad range of effects by Rob Bottin and visuals from Industrial Light & Magic, as well as an epic score by Jerry Goldsmith (Alien). Vinegar Syndrome Ultra is proud to present this cult film to 4K Blu-ray in both its theatrical and home video versions, newly scanned and restored from its 35mm original camera negative, and featuring a brand new extended making-of documentary produced exclusively for this release. br>
Special Features and Technical Specs:
Commentary with the Movie Oubliette podcast (Theatrical Version)
"The Thunder Road: Making Explorers" - an all-new 77-minute documentary produced and edited by Elijah Drenner, exclusive for this release. Featuring new interviews with director Joe Dante, screenwriter Eric Luke, producer Mike Finnell, 2nd A.D. Carol Green, actor Robert Picardo, sound designer Mark Mangini, members of the ILM visual effects team, and newly discovered, never-before-seen on-set interviews with actors Ethan Hawke, River Phoenix, Jason Presson, make-up effects artist Rob Bottin, production designer Robert Boyle, and many more!
"A Science Fiction Fairy Tale" (64 min) - a making-of documentary from 2021
Deleted scenes - with commentary by director Joe Dante (34 min)
Original 1985 Electronic Press Kit (5 min)
"The Tale of the Farmer and the Wise Man" (10 min) - a 1976 UCLA student film by Explorers screenwriter Eric Luke
Still gallery (5 min)
Theatrical trailer
Teaser trailer
40-page perfect-bound book with writing by Max Evry, Michael Almereyda, Gabe Klinger, and Patrick Dahl (limited edition only)
Description: Nubile orphan Liam Woodlan and his lover-cum-partner-in-crime Thea Williams lead a carefree, renegade existence as Chicago "food delivery" bicyclists whose special services include providing erotic fulfillment to their charming and oddball customers. However, when a bloodthirsty serial killer begins targeting their lusty clientele, Liam and Thea find themselves at the center of the psychopath's deranged plan. Even worse, all of the clues seem to point towards Liam himself being the culprit. With a duo of strange detectives hot on his tail, looking for any and every excuse to nail him, Liam's perfect world starts to crumble as the killer draws him ever closer to the shocking truth.
The second feature film from acclaimed writer/director and underground filmmaking sensation Alex Phillips (All Jacked Up and Full of Worms), ANYTHING THAT MOVES is a lusty, bloody, and dreamy modern-day fusion of erotic thriller and murder mystery, all sensually photographed on Super 16mm film by Hunter Zimny (Funny Pages, The Scary of Sixty-First). Featuring arresting debut performances from Hal Baum and Jiana Nicole along with guest appearances from erotic film legends Ginger Lynn Allen (Too Naughty to Say No, The Devil's Rejects) and Nina Hartley (Boogie Nights), Vinegar Syndrome Pictures is immensely proud to present this soon-to-be cult film sensation on Blu-ray, jam-packed with comprehensive interviews with cast and crew, behind-the-scenes & making-of footage, and much more.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
Shot entirely on motion picture film and finished in 4K
"A Freaky Little Movie" (20 min) - an interview with writer/director Alex Phillips
"I'm Down for It" (20 min) - an interview with actor Hal Baum
"A Lucky Girl" (15 min) - an interview with actress Ginger Lynn Allen
"Bubblegum & Popsicle Sticks" (10 min) - an interview with Special Effects artist Cyle Williamson
"Keep Your Distance" (15 min) - an interview with actors Frank V. Ross & Jack Dunphy
"Making Art Together" (15 min) - an interview with actresses Jade Perry & Jiana Nicole
World Premiere at the 2025 Fantasia International Film Festival: Introduction, Q&A with members of the cast & crew, and Step & Repeat (25 min)
2025 Screening at Roxy Cinema NYC: Q&A with writer/director Alex Phillips & cinematographer Hunter Zimny (8 min)
A collection of behind-the-scenes footage from writer/director Alex Phillips
Trailer
20-page booklet with an essay by film writer Brandon Streussnig
The Disciples of James Dean, a small town James Dean fan club, planned to meet at the Woolworth's five and dime store in McCarthy, Texas on the twentieth anniversary of his death. On that date, September 30th, 1975, shop owner Juanita (Sudie Bond, Silkwood), welcomes the two remaining club members in town—Sissy (Cher, Moonstruck) and Mona (Sandy Dennis, That Cold Day In the Park)—to her shop for the memorial. As other out of town members arrive, so does the mysterious Joanne (Karen Black, Nashville). Through one long, hot day, The Disciples of James Dean unravel the mysteries, discuss the events and reconcile the truths of the past twenty years.
Adapted for the screen by Ed Graczyk from his stage play of the same name, Come Back to the 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean was the first of many stage-to-screen adaptations directed by Robert Altman (including his next three feature films: Streamers, Secret Honor and Fool for Love). Altman, having directed the Broadway show of Come Back to the 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, brought his stage cast back for the film adaptation, all reprising their Broadway roles, with Kathy Bates (Misery), Marta Heflin (A Perfect Couple) and Mark Patton (A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge) rounding out the ensemble. One of the great American films of the 1980s, Come Back to the 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean is a bittersweet ode to nostalgia, small town life and friendship while also featuring groundbreaking trans representation in Karen Black's portrayal of Joanne. Cinématographe is proud to present the world 4K Blu-ray debut of Robert Altman's oft-overlooked slice of Americana in a new restoration from its original camera negatives.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
TWO-DISC (4K BLU-RAY/BLU-RAY) COMBO PACK RELEASE
NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE CAMERA NEGATIVE
New audio commentary by trans film critics Willow Catelyn Maclay and Caden Mark Gardner
Archival audio commentary by film critic and historian Lee Gambin
Alive, Not Nostalgic - a new video appreciation of the film by filmmaker Isabel Sandoval
To Be a Woman: That's Priceless - a new video essay by curator and professor Dakota Noot
Cutting Jimmy Dean - an archival interview with film editor Jason Rosenfield
Designing Jimmy Dean - an archival interview with production designer David Gropman
Two Turner Classic Movies introductions to the film by Dave Karger with Willow Catelyn Maclay and Robert Osborne with Lorenzo Soria
New text essays by filmmaker Elsie Fisher; writer and filmmaker Drew Burnett Gregory; film critic Saffron Maeve; and film programmer Justine Smith