Vinegar Syndrome has revealed a new batch of 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray releases. They are: Of Unknown Origin (1983), Ice Cream Man (1995), Bloody Psycho (1989), Faces of Death III (1985), The First Deadly Sin (1980), Death of a Cheerleader (1994), and Disappearance (2002).
Ambitious Manhattan executive Bart Hughes has pretty much got it made. He and his beautiful wife and young son live in an exquisite Upper East Side brownstone that Bart himself renovated entirely by hand. And he's just been handed a difficult project at work, which could advance him considerably. But when his wife and son take a trip to Vermont, a most unwanted intruder joins Bart at home, a being which will challenge all his wits, cunning, and brute force. A shrewd NYC sewer rat proves its survival instincts can shred any human's nerves just as it chews through wires or concrete. Only one animal can win in this battle at home, but which one?
A wicked, unnerving thriller centered upon an electrifying Peter Weller (RoboCop) in his first lead role, OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN brings an intense man-versus-beast tale indoors. Directed by George P. Cosmatos (Tombstone), it also features supporting roles by Lawrence Dane (Happy Birthday to Me), Jennifer Dale (Stone Cold Dead), Louis Del Grande (Scanners), and Shannon Tweed (In the Cold of the Night). Vinegar Syndrome is scratching and gnawing to deliver you this fast-moving chiller in 4K UHD, newly scanned from its original camera negative.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
TWO-DISC (4K BLU-RAY/BLU-RAY) COMBO PACK RELEASE
NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
Archival commentary track with director George P. Cosmatos & actor Peter Weller
Brand new commentary track with Bill Bria and Ashley Coffin from Bill & Ashley's Terror Theater podcast
Man vs. Rat (21 min) - a new interview with actor Dr. Peter Weller
Out of the Blue (16 min) - a new interview with actress Jennifer Dale
The Art of Rat (7 min) - a new interview with special effects artist Stephan Dupois
Of Unknown Origin: From Animal Attack Movie to Urban Survival Thriller (14 min) - a video essay by film historian and author Samm Deighan
Locations Then and Now (8 min) - with Canadian writer, director, and film programmer Vincenzo Nappi
The Origins of Unknown Origin (14 min) - an archival interview with producer Pierre David
Hey, Weren't You in Scanners? (14 min) - an archival interview with actor Louis Del Grande
That Rat Movie (18 min) - an archival interview with writer Brian Taggert
Gregory Tudor spent years in a mental hospital after the trauma of witnessing the cold-blooded killing of his beloved childhood ice cream man, Butch Brickle. Eventually released to the alleged care of the vapid Nurse Wharton, and still entirely consumed with the art of frozen confections, Gregory takes over Butch's ice cream business and, of course, his iconic truck. But Gregory's secret recipes for Rocky Road and Pistachio have improved upon those of his idol, as he adds selected bits of human corpses for an extra tasty treat. But when a few neighborhood kids get a bit too nosy and arouse the interest (and hunger) of the police, Gregory has little choice but to make sure they end up in the next batch of his popular ice cream.
A deliciously twisted horror confection of the direct-to-video era, Norman Apstein's ICE CREAM MAN offers an outrageous starring turn from master character actor Clint Howard (Evilspeak, Apollo 13) as Gregory, in addition to memorable supporting performances from Olivia Hussey (Black Christmas), David Naughton (An American Werewolf in London), Jan-Michael Vincent (The Mechanic, TV's Airwolf), and David Warner (In the Mouth of Madness). Vinegar Syndrome is excited to dish out this absurdly gory and darkly humorous cult favorite to 4K Blu-ray, newly restored from its original negative and offering an extensive selection of extras.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
TWO-DISC (4K BLU-RAY/BLU-RAY) COMBO PACK RELEASE
NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
Commentary track with director Norman Apstein
Ice Cream Man: Monstervision Summer School Edition (120 min) - with Joe Bob Briggs & Clint Howard
A One in a Million Shot (11 min) - a brand new interview with actor Karl Makinen
Happy Happy Days (19 min) - a brand new interview with special make-up fx artist Bryan Blair
What's the Scoop? (20 min) - an archival interview with actor Clint Howard
Directing Ice Cream Man (15 min) - an archival interview with director Norman Apstein
Recalling Ice Cream Man (7 min) - an archival interview with producer David M. Goldstein
40-page perfect bound book with essays by film historians Patrick Dahl, BJ Colangelo, and JA Kerswell (limited edition only)
Esteemed parapsychologist Dr. Werner Vogler has come to the castle home of Mrs. Rezzori, a beautiful but irascible wheelchair-bound aristocrat, to practice his famed energy healing on her. Arriving on the grounds, Vogler is immediately struck by the sense that something dreadful once occurred at the castle, and he soon learns that its abandoned wing is rumored by locals to be haunted. Sure enough, as his stay progresses, the doctor begins to be assailed by gruesome visions of a frenzied stabbing and a ghoulish figure in a wheelchair. With the aid of a local journalist and Mrs. Rezzori's estranged cousin, Micaela, Vogler starts to unravel the castle's ghoulish past - unwittingly setting in motion a horrifying and bloody series of events.
Produced as part of a series of direct-to-video horror movies distributed under the banner of "Lucio Fulci presents" to capitalize on the Italian Godfather of Gore's name, 1989's BLOODY PSYCHO stands as one of the most downright entertaining entries in the cycle, serving up an assortment of brutal supernatural slashings alongside a healthy dose of sexual intrigue. Helmed by director Leandro Lucchetti (Apocalypse Mercenaries) and reuniting actors Brigitte Christensen and Marco Di Stefano from the previous year's Blood Delirium, the Italian horror hounds at Vinegar Syndrome are delighted to let BLOODY PSYCHO loose in its world 4K Blu-ray premiere, restored in 4K from its original 16mm negative and stacked with a host of brand new bonus features.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
TWO-DISC (4K BLU-RAY/BLU-RAY) COMBO PACK RELEASE
NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
Commentary track with film historian and critic Rachael Nisbet
An Involuntary Cult (26 min) - an interview with director Leandro Lucchetti
Italy's Danish Scream Queen (24 min) - an interview with actress Brigitte Christensen
Desecrating the Frock (23 min) - an interview with actor Marco Di Stefano
Plunging into Any Genre (17 min) - an interview with actor Vassili Karis
Avo, a Love Story (14 min) - an appreciation of Avo Film, the Italian home video distributor of the "Lucio Fulci presents" titles, by film critic Pier Maria Bocchi
FACES OF DEATH III is part of our Vinegar Syndrome Archive collection, celebrating forgotten cinematic oddities from the video store era. This collection was inspired by our own brick & mortar video stores, with locations in Bridgeport, CT, Denver, CO, Toronto, ON, and Pittsburgh, PA.
Unique to this line, each numbered limited edition release will come fitted in a specially designed, bottom loading VHS inspired slipcase, while also including a double-sided poster.
These releases will ONLY be available on our website and at participating indie retailers. Absolutely no major retailers will be stocking them. This spot gloss slipcase edition (designed by Steak Mtn.) is strictly limited to 3,333 units. This release may (but probably not) be followed by a standard edition in the future.
The shocking analysis of death in full color continues in the expanded, ambitious FACES OF DEATH III! Amid the ongoing success of their appalling series of video-rental favorites, the makers of Faces of Death decided to branch out and make a more conventional "mondo movie." The result was FEAR, an exploration of fears, superstitions, urban legends, and the real-life carnage that so often accompanies them. Despite having had a brief release in Europe, by the time a US debut was ready, the runaway demand for Faces of Death sequels was so overwhelming that FEAR was re-tooled and re-titled to FACES OF DEATH 3, which featured the return of the erudite Dr. Francis B. Gröss (Michael Carr) in video-only hosting segments.
Even with the enduring popularity (and wild notoriety) of the Faces of Death series on home video, audiences have been deprived for over forty years of the opportunity to see what is easily the most unusual and unexpected release from the Faces of Death universe. Vinegar Syndrome Archive is very proud to bring this wild and original mondo production to 4K Blu-ray, painstakingly restored to its initial theatrical version as FEAR, in addition to its much more commonly seen FACES OF DEATH III video version, and packaged with an array of extra features.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
TWO-DISC (4K BLU-RAY/BLU-RAY) COMBO PACK RELEASE
NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE 16MM ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION
Alternate Faces of Death III video version, sourced from standard definition tape
Detective Sergeant Edward X. Delaney has only a few weeks left before he retires after decades of service with the NYPD. Weary after seeing it all in a city now down at the heels, and with his wife just hospitalized with critical organ failure, he finds himself desperate to sort out a few Manhattan serial killings which leave victims with a gaping, round hole in their skulls. His captain wants him out, the department doesn't care, and all that Delaney has left is his dogged determination and a few sympathetic old friends and civilians who lend him a hand. Meanwhile, the killer's mysterious weapon, and completely random means of choosing his victims on the dark, isolated streets of affluent neighborhoods, is all for Delaney to solve in a city that no longer seems to make any sense.
A downbeat, gritty, neo-noir thriller set against sleazy 1980s NYC, director Brian Hutton's (Kelly's Heroes) adaptation of author Lawrence Sanders' bestselling novel, THE FIRST DEADLY SIN, marked the final starring role for legendary singer and actor Frank Sinatra (Von Ryan's Express, The Manchurian Candidate). It also boasts supporting roles from Academy AwardŽ winner Faye Dunaway (Network, Mommie Dearest), Tony AwardŽ winner James Whitmore (The Shawshank Redemption, Planet of the Apes), Academy AwardŽ nominee Brenda Vaccaro (Midnight Cowboy, The House by the Lake), and Joe Spinell (Rocky, Maniac). Vinegar Syndrome Labs is delighted to finally bring this underseen, dirty old New York gem to Blu-ray, newly restored and featuring an illuminating assortment of extras.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
A Scene with Sinatra (9 min) - a new interview with actor Jeffrey DeMunn
A Consummate Artist (20 min) - a new interview with Laurent Bouzereau, Director/Producer of FAYE (2024)
A Tender Capstone (21 min) - a new featurette with James L. Neibaur and Gary Schneeberger, film historians and co-authors of Frank Sinatra on the Big Screen: The Singer as Actor and Filmmaker
Sinascapes (10 min) - a new featurette looking at the locations of THE FIRST DEADLY SIN
Santa Mira High is a competitive place, where even the principal challenges students to strive for excellence in every regard. No one hears this message more than Angela, who's convinced this is her year to join the newspaper staff, get in with the popular crowd, and make the cheerleading team. But the popular girls are led by Stacy, who's quick with a put-down and often more than a little mean. When Stacey suddenly winds up stabbed multiple times and left on a neighbor's doorstep, her death rocks the entire close-knit community of Santa Mira. The police have no real leads or any evidence as to who the killer is, while the high school kids go after their own candidate for the crime. Now that the FBI has been called in and the media are becoming increasingly involved, will revealing the truth further divide the once-peaceful town?
A long-time cable TV favorite based on a real case from a decade earlier, DEATH OF A CHEERLEADER from veteran director William A. Graham (Return to the Blue Lagoon) brought together younger stars Kellie Martin (Life Goes On) and Tori Spelling (Beverly Hills, 90210), alongside prolific veteran players Valerie Harper (Rhoda) and Eugene Roche (Soap). This high school potboiler, originally broadcast under the title A Friend to Die For, also features supporting roles by James Avery (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), Christa Miller (Shrinking) and Terry O'Quinn (The Stepfather). Iconoscope is pleased to present this early '90s small-screen gem newly scanned in 4K from its original camera negative and accompanied by a host of newly produced special features.
STREET DATE: SEPTEMBER 29.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
Newly transferred and restored original 2.0 stereo soundtrack
Audio commentary with author and film historian Amanda Reyes
"A Friend to Die For: Margaret Langrick Is the Accidental Actor in a Floppy Hat" - an interview with actress Margaret Langrick
"To Be the Best? The Dark Side of Establishment Values in Death of A Cheerleader" - a visual essay by author and critic Scott Humphries
While Jim Henley is taking his family on a scenic road trip through the Nevada desert, his son Matt asks them to stop to photograph a ghost town called Weaver. The problem is, none of the locals seem to have ever heard of it, and it's not on any of the maps except for a vintage one Matt dug up. Once there, they find more and more evidence that this abandoned town harbors something very alive and extremely perilous, and others who've gone to explore Weaver may have suffered horrible consequences. As they continue to poke around Weaver, an unknown force appears bent on making sure that Jim and his family aren't going anywhere.
An ambitious, thoroughly creepy thriller written and directed by prolific telefilm writer Walter Klenhard (Buried Alive II), DISAPPEARANCE uses the barren Australian outback as a stand-in for the US southwest for a tense tale inspired by desert horrors such as The Hills Have Eyes. Reuniting TV's L.A. Law veterans Harry Hamlin (Clash of the Titans) and Susan Dey (Looker), the film also boasts sweeping and eerie desert cinematography by David Connell (Storm of the Century) and an unsettling score by Shirley Walker (Final Destination). Iconoscope is elated to release this late-cycle telefilm on Blu-ray for the first time, newly scanned in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative and loaded with an array of supplemental extras.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
Original 2.0 stereo soundtrack
Audio commentary with director Walter Klenhard, moderated by author and film historian Amanda Reyes
Audio commentary with film historian Rob Kelly and author Daniel Budnik
Still Gallery
Original broadcast trailer
Original video trailer
24-page booklet with an essay by film journalist and critic Simon Foster