Vinegar Syndrome has announced its September batch of releases. They are: Eurocrime Rarities: Volume 2 (1977-1980), The Murder Secret (1988), Sweet 16 (1983), Fear No Evil (1981), Blood Reincarnation (1974), New York Ninja (2021), Rad (1986), and Jacknife (1989).
Description:
As the 70s progressed and the poliziottesco field grew more crowded, some directors sought new frontiers and different spaces, growing the genre into unusual locales and sometimes even shooting films abroad. In this second volume, we bring you a trio of Italian crime rarities which made creative use of atypical settings.
BLUE NUDE
Rocco has come to New York City from Italy, confident that as long as he hangs in there, he'll one day make it in showbiz. In between wandering Times Square dazzled by its glitzy signage, a friend ropes him into acting in a hardcore film where he encounters Lilly, an established female porn actor. Barely scraping by, he finds himself taken advantage of by managers, young women, and crooked cops, all eager for a wide-eyed immigrant to abuse or extort. He hopes for a future with Lilly, but when harsh violence enters into Rocco's life, nothing can stop him from lashing out in this sordid world in which he's ended up. A one-of-a-kind document of late 70s street level Manhattan (and actual period sex film sets) from writer/director Luigi Scattini (Witchcraft 70), it stars Gerardo Amato (Sweets for a Stranger) as Rocco, Susan McBain (Barbara Broadcast), Renato Romano (The Bird with the Crystal Plumage), Robert Kerman (Debbie Does Dallas), and director/actor Carter Stevens (The Passions of Carol).
Special Features and Technical Specs:
NEW 2K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
Commentary track with film historians Eugenio Ercolani & Troy Howarth
"Peeping Luigi" (28 min) - an interview with film historian Franco Grattarola
Newly translated English subtitles
REGION-FREE
NO ALLA VIOLENZA (NO TO VIOLENCE aka DEATH HUNT)
In the picturesque Sicilian port city of Messina, Inspector Ettore Manetti (Al Cliver) is beginning to crumble. Violent crime is rampant, bikers have just beaten and killed a police officer, and now he's now been handed the job of catching three dangerous prison escapees. As the trio begins a series of kidnappings, they run down a little girl while narrowly evading capture. Tano, the girl's father, begins his own vigilante crusade as he ferociously strikes down anyone in his path in search of the men responsible. Exceedingly, violence is no longer limited to just the criminals. Ostensibly a passion project from prolific Messina-born actor Tano Cimarosa (Reflections in Black), who's credited with writing, directing, and playing the vigilante role, this regional film liberally showcases both scenic locations and shocking brutality. Also starring Paola Quattrini (The Case of the Bloody Iris), Ninetto Davoli (The Decameron), and Federico Boido (I Am Sartana, Your Angel of Death).
Special Features and Technical Specs:
NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
Presented in its original Italian soundtrack with newly translated English subtitles and its English dub soundtrack
Commentary track with film historian & critic Rachael Nisbet
"Mr. Cimarosa, I Presume?" (12 min) - an archival audio interview with writer/director/actor Tano Cimarosa
"Respect for Don Tano" (14 min) - an interview with film scholar Giacomo Di Nicolò
Newly translated English subtitles
REGION-FREE
POLIZIA SELVAGGIA (SAVAGE POLICE) aka CANI (MURDERER)
Ahmet toils away in Istanbul's lowest rung of petty crime, berated even by other thieves who call him the Leech. Stalking the streets for any potential score, he snatches a man's briefcase and steals his car, accidentally killing a detective in the process. When a manhunt ensues, Ahmet strains to flee the country, emboldened by the fact that the briefcase was packed with cash. Murat (Turkish star Tarık Akan), partner of the dead detective, sets out on his own path of vengeance while Ahmet's cruel desperation forces him into taking hostages in order to evade the police. This ambitious Turkish-Italian co-production written and directed by Guido Zurli (Black Deep Throat) heaps on psychotic sleaze and a truly vicious, depraved antagonist in Ahmet. Also starring Karin Well (Burial Ground), Edilio Kim (A White Dress for Marialé), and George Ardisson (The Long Hair of Death).
Special Features and Technical Specs:
NEW 2K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
Commentary track with film historians Eugenio Ercolani & Troy Howarth
"Irony Before All" (18 min) - an archival audio interview with director/co-writer Guido Zurli
"Once a Hero" (19 min) - an archival interview with actor Giorgio Ardisson
"The Italo-Turkish Disconnection" (24 min) - an interview with film historian Luca Rea
Alternate Turkish version of POLIZIA SELVAGGIA aka CANI (MURDERER) in standard definition (95 min)
40-page perfect bound book (limited edition only) with essays from film historians: Zach Lewis, Ethan Vestby, Edward Averill
Description: After receiving a mysterious invitation from his Aunt Marta, whom he hasn't seen in thirty years, Richard Hamilton is on his way to his estranged relative's countryside home with his wife and two children in tow. However, upon arrival, the family is bewildered to find not Aunt Marta, but the property's caretaker, Thomas, who informs them that Marta has regrettably been held up and will join them the following morning. When she again fails to appear the next day, her return apparently delayed further, a sense of creeping unease starts to mount. Sure enough, as an unseen assailant sets about dispatching the family members in various gruesome ways, Aunt Marta's dreadful secret gradually begins to reveal itself…
Helmed by Mario Bianchi, director of genre favorites Creeping Death and Satan's Baby Doll, and also a prolific maker of 1990s Italian sex films, 1988's THE MURDER SECRET (aka Don't Be Afraid of Aunt Martha) was one in a series of horror features released on home video under the banner of "Lucio Fulci presents". Featuring prolific genre actors Gabriele Tinti (Lisa and the Devil, Black Emanuelle) and Maurice Poli (Rabid Dogs), and boasting some of the series' most outrageous gore set pieces alongside a healthy dose of gratuitous skin-baring, Vinegar Syndrome is thrilled to unveil THE MURDER SECRET in its world 4K Blu-ray premiere, newly restored in 4K from its original 16mm camera negative and accompanied by a host of new, revelatory 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
Original English and Italian audio tracks, with newly translated English subtitles
Audio Commentary track with film historians Eugenio Ercolani & Troy Howarth
"Don't Be Afraid of Aunt Adriana" (26 min) - an interview with actress Adriana Russo
"Horror in B Minor" (17 min) - an interview with uncredited co-writer Francesco Valitutti
"Bread, Butter and Gore" (12 min) - an interview with teamster Roberto Stiffi
"Three Whites in Red Light" (26 min) - an interview with film historian Franco Grattarola
"Four Murders, Zero Secrets" (30 min) - an interview with film historian Stephen Thrower
Description: In the small Texas town of Sun Valley, all the boys are going crazy for the new girl Melissa. Beautiful, confident, and no stranger to smoking a joint or indulging in underage drinking, Melissa — still a few days shy of her sixteenth birthday — has caught the eye of men and boys alike. But things take a sinister turn when the boys she gets involved with start winding up dead, viciously stabbed in a series of seemingly frenzied knife attacks. It falls to Sheriff Dan Burke to investigate this perplexing rash of killings, aided in part by his eager, mystery-loving daughter Marci. Faced with mounting pressure from the townspeople, who are eager to point the finger at the local Native American population, can Sheriff Burke figure out why all the boys are quite literally dying to be with Melissa, before even more blood is shed?
A superlative slasher emerging from the tail end of the subgenre's golden age, 1983's SWEET SIXTEEN pulls together an astonishingly high-profile cast including Bo Hopkins (Mutant), Patrick Macnee (The Howling) and Susan Strasberg (The Manitou), alongside turns from genre regulars Don Stroud (Death Weekend) and Don Shanks (Michael Myers in Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers), as well as Friday the 13th Part III's Dana Kimmell. Helmed by director Jim Sotos (Forced Entry, Hot Moves), Vinegar Syndrome is thrilled to unveil the 4K Blu-ray world premiere of SWEET SIXTEEN, newly restored in 4K from its original camera negative, presented in both its original theatrical and international versions, and loaded with an exhaustive array of new and archival 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
The International and Theatrical cuts are presented on both disc formats
Archival commentary track with director Jim Sotos over the International cut
Commentary track with genre critic and author J.A. Kerswell and film and TV historian and author Amanda Reyes over the International cut
"Sweet First Movie" (26 min) - an interview with actress Aleisa Shirley-McKim
"Wild Man from Hawaii" (16 min) - an interview with actor Don Stroud
"The Acting Detective" (20 min) - an interview with actor Logan Clarke
"Sweet Picture Lock" (34 min) - an interview with editor Drake Silliman
"Human Barbie Dolls" (15 min) - an interview with costume designer Jill M. Ohanneson
"Music by Joel Wertman" (14 min) - an interview with music producer and supervisor Joel Wertman
Archival interview with actors Bo Hopkins and Aleisa Shirley-Mckim and director Jim Sotos (20 min)
Archival introduction with actress Aleisa Shirley-Mckim and filmmaker Scott Spiegel (2 min)
40-page perfect bound book (limited edition only) with essays by film historians: Alexandra West, Sam Cohen, and Stephen Thrower
Description: There's always been something wrong with Andrew Williams. Despite being a straight-A, model student, his nerdy demeanor, difficulty fitting in, and generally unpleasant attitude have long made him a social outcast. Harassed by the jocks, ignored by girls, and simply an all-around loner, Andrew soon discovers that he has secret, supernatural powers which he can use against his bullies. But as those who have wronged him start to meet horrifying ends, Andrew makes an even more startling self-discovery: he is literally the Antichrist and his purpose in life is to bring about the end of the world...
A marvel of truly independent horror filmmaking, FEAR NO EVIL was created by first-time filmmaker Frank LaLoggia (Lady in White) when he was only 25 years old, with a cast and crew largely composed of Western New York area locals. Boasting a starring turn from former child actor Stefan Arngrim (TV's Land of the Giants), it was an instant smash hit thanks to its cleverly-written characters and legendary special effects-fueled final act. With its skillful combination of early Satanic Panic tropes and elements of a juvenile delinquent thriller, the film went on to become both a drive-in theater and video rental favorite. Vinegar Syndrome is delighted to present the world 4K Blu-ray debut of this highly ambitious, bloody shocker restored from its original negative, and devilishly packed with extras including a bounty of fresh interviews, a brand new commentary and interview with LaLoggia, along with rarely seen archival materials.
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
Brand new commentary with writer/director Frank LaLoggia
"Lucifer C'est Moi" (57 min) - a featurette with writer/director Frank LaLoggia by Eugenio Ercolani
"Blood, Smoke & Mirrors" (20 min) - a featurette with special visual effects supervisor Peter Kuran, special photographic effects artist John D. Eggett, and pyrotechnician/special animator Susan Turner
"Small Town Horror" (19 min) - a featurette with Rochester crew Fredrick Armstrong of Animatus Studio and Ken Reimer on the set of FEAR NO EVIL
Original Super 8mm behind-the-scenes footage with commentary by Frederick Armstrong (17 min)
Extensive behind-the-scenes footage, courtesy of Frank LaLoggia (117 min)
Description: By turns violent, surreal, and doomily crushing, this obscure horror anthology centers around traditional Chinese ideas of the afterlife, updated for the early 1970s. Named for its longest story, BLOOD REINCARNATION spans the worlds of ghosts, murder, vengeance, and the dogged fury of deeds left undone—even from beyond the grave. Written and directed by the prolific Shan-Hsi Ting (The Queen's Ransom) and featuring a wild range of cinematography from Chris Chen Ching-Chu (Fist of Fury), the film features Dean Shek (Drunken Master), Lai Wang (Centipede Horror), Henry Yu Yang (The Fury of the Black Belt), Sha-Fei Ouyang (Seeding of a Ghost), Peter Yang Kwan aka Yang Qun (Tragic Hero), and Ting-Ken Shih (Master of the Flying Guillotine) amongst a slew of other classic Hong Kong actors.
1. THE TREASURE. When a man, his godmother, and his pregnant wife believe they've unearthed buried treasure, greed overcomes them, and in the ensuing quarrel, the godmother is killed. But when the wife is in labor and facing a difficult birth, could it be the work of the godmother's vengeful spirit?
2. THE WANTON. A married woman and her lover, eager to continue their affair unimpeded, lock her husband inside a wooden crate and dump it into the sea for him to drown. Before long, strange events all having to do with water start to impact the couple, as it seems the husband's ghost seeks retribution for his own aqueous agony.
3. LIU TIANSU. Esteemed doctor and healer Liu Tiansu is summoned by a mercenary to the county magistrate's compound. There, he's ordered to save the life of the magistrate's ailing fourth mistress. When Liu is double-crossed and the mistress dies, he's sentenced to death at once. The mercenary takes pity upon the innocent doctor, and although he must behead him, he teaches him the blood reincarnation technique. Following his advice, Liu Tiansu returns as a ghost of himself, with only a short period of time to sort things out...
Special Features and Technical Specs:
NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM AN INTERPOSITIVE
Commentary track with film critic Erica Shultz
Dissecting the Horror (16 min) - film historian Samm Deighan discusses BLOOD REINCARNATION
This special limited edition variant deluxe magnet box + slipcover set (designed by Robert Sammelin), includes a 40-page perfect bound book and is limited to 3,000 units. It is only available on our website and at select indie retailers. Absolutely no major retailers will be stocking them. The original limited edition magnet clasp box was limited to 10,000 units and is sold out. The two versions are identical, aside from the packaging.
John is just an average man working as a sound technician for a New York City news station, until one day his pregnant wife is brutally murdered while witnessing the kidnapping of a young woman in broad daylight. Turning to the police for help, John soon learns that the city is overrun with crime and the police are too busy to help. Dressing as a white ninja, John takes to the streets as a sword wielding vigilante hell bent on cleaning up the streets of the city he once loved by ridding it of muggers, pickpockets, rapists, and gang members. However, in John's quest for justice, he soon finds himself the target of every criminal in the city, including a mysterious villain known only as the Plutonium Killer. Will John survive to become the hero that New York City so desperately needs?
Originally directed by and starring martial arts actor John Liu (The Secret Rivals, Invincible Armor) in his only American production, New York Ninja was filmed entirely on 35mm in 1984, but the project was abandoned during production resulting in all original sound materials being lost over time. 35 years later, Vinegar Syndrome acquired the original unedited camera negative and painstakingly constructed and completed the film. Enlisting the voice talents of genre favorites: Don "The Dragon" Wilson (Bloodfist, Whatever It Takes), Linnea Quigley (Return of the Living Dead, Nightmare Sisters), Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes, Auntie Lee's Meat Pies), Vince Murdocco (Night Hunter, LA Wars), Matt Mitler (The Mutilator, Battle for the Lost Planet), Leon Isaac Kennedy (Lone Wolf McQuade, Penitentiary), Ginger Lynn Allen (The Devil's Rejects, Vice Academy), and Cynthia Rothrock (China O'Brien, Martial Law) Vinegar Syndrome Pictures is extremely proud to present this truly one of kind film experience. Restored in 4K from the original camera elements, New York Ninja is finally available in all of its ridiculous over-the-top glory for the first time ever after spending nearly four decades in film obscurity.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
TWO-DISC BLU-RAY SET
4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
Digitally mastered 2.0 stereo mix with an optional analog mono mix
Commentary track with re-writer/re-director/editor Kurtis M. Spieler
"Re-Enter The New York Ninja" - an extended making-of documentary with the cast and crew
"Re-Directing New York Ninja" - an interview with Kurtis M. Spieler
"The Music of New York Ninja" - interviews with the members of Voyag3r
"Locations Unmasked" - revisiting the locations of New York Ninja with Michael Gingold
Deleted scenes with commentary
B-roll and outtake montage
Original sizzle reel VHS
Theatrical trailer
Still gallery
Case artwork by Tom Hodge of The Dude Designs
Blu-ray sleeve artwork by R.P. "Kung Fu Bob" O'Brien
High schooler Cru Jones is the fastest and most talented BMX rider in his small logging town. When Duke Best, owner of the Mongoose bicycle company, decides to hold a competition at a nearly impossible-to-complete BMX course named Helltrack, Cru decides it's his destiny to compete in the race, which offers a $100,000 cash prize. But unknown to Cru, Duke only concocted the race as a publicity stunt to promote his own top rider, Bart Taylor, and plans to do everything in his power to keep the unsponsored Cru from entering. To make matters even more complicated, Cru soon learns that the race is scheduled the same day he's supposed to take the SATs and finds himself with a choice between his future in college and a race where all the odds are stacked against him...
Among the most beloved films to emerge from the mid '80s BMX bike craze, RAD has earned an ever-growing cult audience, and its stars include Bill Allen (Streamers), Lori Loughlin (The New Kids), two-time Academy Award nominee Talia Shire (Rocky, The Godfather), Golden Globe nominee Jack Weston (Dirty Dancing), Ray Walston (Fast Times at Ridgemont High), H.B. Haggerty (The Big Brawl), Marta Kober (Friday the 13th Part 2), and actual Olympic champion Bart Connor. Directed by prolific stuntman/filmmaker Hal Needham (Smokey and the Bandit) and featuring stunning photography by Richard Leiterman (Stephen King's It [1990]), this exuberant, fast-paced inspiration for scores of future BMX enthusiasts is back on Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome, in a brand new, breathtaking 4K Dolby Vision presentation.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
THREE-DISC (ONE 4K BLU-RAY/TWO BLU-RAYS) SET
PREVIOUSLY RESTORED IN 4K
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
A video conversation from Rad Day 2024 led by super-fan Ed Helms with actors Bill Allen and Bart Conner, along with Robert Schwartzman, son of Rad producer Jack Schwartzman and founder of Utopia Pictures
How Did This Get Made? podcast on Rad with Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, and Jason Mantzoukas (audio played over the film)
Commentary track with filmmakers Joe Lynch and Becca Howard
Commentary track with lead actor Bill Allen
Commentary track with actress Talia Shire and Robert Schwartzman
Commentary track with Bill Allen, actor Bart Conner, writer/co-producer Sam Bernard, along with BMX riders Eddie Fiola, Martin Aparijo, Jose Yanez and Jeremy Moser
"A Rad Documentary" (63 min) - a feature-length documentary from 2025 directed by Michael Kirsch featuring numerous interviews with the cast and crew
Trailer for "A Rad Documentary"
"The Stuntman Directs" (16 min) - an interview with director Hal Needham
"Writing Something Rad" (17 min) - an interview with writer/co-producer Sam Bernard
Archival interviews with actor Bart Conner, writer Sam Bernard, and BMX riders Eddie Fiola, Martin Aparijo, and Jeremy Moser (25 min)
Original EPK behind-the-scenes featurette (5 min)
On-set interviews with actors Bart Conner, Lori Loughlin, and Bill Allen (11 min)
"Rad 25" (10 min) - selected footage from the 25th anniversary event in Cochrane, Alberta, Canada
"Break the Ice" music video (4 min)
Extensive behind-the-scenes photographs from the set by BMX riders Jeremy Moser and Jose Yanez (4 min)
Introduction from the 2020 home video release with lead actor Bill Allen
80-page perfect bound book (limited edition only) with essays from film historians: Dan Ozzi, Will Sloan, Kentucker Audley, Paul Corupe, and cartoons by Charles Forsman and Rick Trembles
Original theatrical trailer
Revisiting Rad episode from The Confused Breakfast podcast (62 min)
Description: Megs (Robert De Niro, The Deer Hunter) and Dave (Ed Harris, The Right Stuff) are two Vietnam veterans coping with their own mental-health issues post-war. When it becomes clear that Dave is struggling with alcoholism, Megs attempts to help him come to terms with his past as a soldier while, at the same time, falling in love with Dave's sister, Martha (Kathy Baker, The Right Stuff). While Dave is at odds with the love shared between Megs and Martha, he comes to realize that they all need each other.
Adapted for the screen by Stephen Metcalfe, from his own play Strange Snow, Jacknife marks the first American feature film for noted British director David Jones (84 Charing Cross Road). Shot almost entirely on location in Connecticut by British cinematographer Brian West (84 Charing Cross Road, Wake in Fright) and featuring a trio of exemplary performances from its three lead actors, including Ed Harris's Golden Globe®-nominated turn, Jacknife is a long-overlooked entry in post-Vietnam war cinema of the 1980s. Cinématographe is proud to bring David Hugh Jones's intimate drama to Blu-ray for the first time in the world, in a brand new restoration.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
NEW RESTORATION OF THE FILM
New audio commentary with film historians Daniel Kremer and Bill Ackerman
Understanding the Pain - a new video interview with actor Ed Harris
Be Really Truthful - a new video interview with actress Kathy Baker
Knowing Them at the Beginning - a new video interview with producer Carol Baum
Filming In Connecticut - a new video interview with actress and writer Illeana Douglas, author of Connecticut In the Movies
New text essays by film critics Murtada Elfadi, Glenn Kenny and Dan Mecca