Well, EuroCultAV readers it is that time again, the first of two times a year when Vinegar Syndrome unleashes a tidal wave of cinematic madness upon a waiting crowd of cult cineastes. This time there are 8 releases with a total of 13 films awaiting you within the sale. This includes 3 box sets, The Rene Cardona Collection, Scanner Cop and Scanner Cop II – The Showdown on GLORIOUS UHD (Take that Criterion!), and Televised Terror Volume 1 with 3 films of TV Horrors! On top of that there are two new films being added to the VSA lineup the absolutely insane CHAMPAGNE AND BULLETS and the sleazy vigilante revenger ALLEY CAT! We also get the punk rock violence of SURF II, and a UHD of the classic SIX STRING SAMURAI (KUROSAWA IT AIN’T!) Finally, we get a bit of classic MST3K fodder with the Albert Pyun (Sword and the Sorcerer) directed, Kathy Ireland starring Alien from L.A.
Televised Terror Vol. 1
Director – Various
Starring – Various
Discs – 3
There have been increasingly request for TV horror on Blu-ray over the years, and while there have been trickles of TV horror starting with VCI’s shocking decent Blu-ray of Dark Night of the Scarecrow, the genre has been largely underseen on the format. Luckly, that appears to be on the mend if Vinegar Syndrome’s Televised Terror Volume 1 (hopefully of many has anything to do about it). The set includes 3 films
Are You in the House Alone? From 1978
Calendar Girl Murders from 1984
and
Child of the Night from 1990.
Are You In the House Alone stars Kathleen Beller as Gail Osbourne a girl who is raped and left abandoned at her home as the film begins. We then flashback to her typical American high school life, which shows includes someone stalking her, calling her, and leaving the message “Are You in the House Alone?”. The film is a solid, moderately placed chiller that is less horror then teen drama, but is still quite a decent time-waster. The central performance from Beller is solid, and fits the tone of the film.
Calendar Girl Murders is a 1994 thriller that features Tom Skerritt and Sharon Stone. Tom Skerritt plays a Lieutenant who is investigating a series of models surrounding models for a newly launched nude calendar. He is assisted by photographer Cassie played by Sharon Stone. As a thriller it’s decent. Of course it’s made for TV so while the premise is sleazy the film is tepid, which in turn kind of makes it funny. The millionaire is played by Robert Culp, and Alan Thicke shows up which makes everything like a million times better.
Child of the Night from 1990 is an early role for a young Elijah Wood. In the film Luke (Wood) goes to his Father’s office on the water and ends up seeing a brutal murder committed by a guy in a raincoat with a hook. He now believes the murder was done by Captain Hook and is made a part of the investigation, which as it goes on causes murders to continue. More Tom Skerritt here, and that’s not a bad thing. This one also features Jo Beth Williams. The cast is solid, and this one offers a solid amount of suspense and creepy vibes.
Vinegar Syndrome presents all 3 films in their original 1:33:1 ratio in 1080p transfers. These look quite solid with filmlike natural qualities and solid color reproduction. Audio came through crisp and clear. Extras include audio essays by Amanda Reyes on all 3 films (she is accompanied by Sam Pancake on Calendar Girl) and an interview with Charles Bernstein on Are You in the House Alone?. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED I cannot wait for Volume 2!
The Cardona Collection
Director – Rene Cardona
Starring – Various
Discs – 3
Rene Cardona Jr. could be seen as Mexico’s answer to Roger Corman. Over a career spanning 5 decades Cardona directed at least 100 films in a variety of genres, his most well known efforts were films like Guyana – Cult of the Damned, Tintorerra, and some of the films included in this set like The Bermuda Triangle, and Treasure of the Amazon.
Treasure of the Amazon is probably the highlight of the set. In the film a group of treasure hunters go down to the Amazon to find a mystical lost treasure, the closer they get, the crazier and less trustworthy they get with one another. Oh yeah, and there are cannibals, alligators, piranha, and so forth standing in there way. Nudity, and gore aplenty. This film is a BLAST.
Rene Cardona Jr. directing John Huston! So John Huston rents out a boat to go treasure hunting basically in the Bermuda Triangle region, on the way a little girl ends up with a creepy doll that craves raw meat (or so she says), and things begin to get weird from there. People die, legs get crushed, there are freak storms, and creepy voices. The film is 2 hours long and never a dull moment!
The box set concludes with Cyclone. I thought I was going into this with a boring Alive knock off (Alive being a film that always bored me to tears). Damn, was I wrong. Basically 3 groups of people including airplane passengers, some islanders, and the crew of a fishing boat are hit by a harsh storm they are forced to survive on a damaged boat with no food, and surrounded by SHARKS (sharks just make every movie better). The cast is populated with a who’s who of exploitation cinema including Olga Karlatos of Zombie fame, Cardona regular (and Nightmare City’s own) Hugo Stiglitz, and of course Carroll Baker!
All 3 films in the Cardona Collection are well restored in glorious 1:85:1 1080p transfers. Colors are stable and well reproduced, detail is fine. Audio is handled with a DTS-HD Mono track that comes through nice and clear. Extras include a handful of interviews with Rene Cardona III, Producer Angela Lacona, and a Cyclone interview with Carroll Baker. There are also still galleries on each. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Scanner Cop/Scanner Cop II – The Showdown
Director – Pierre David/Steve Barnett
Starring – Various
Discs – 2
Can I say that sitting here with a UHD box set of Scanner Cop 1 and 2 while Cronenberg’s original Scanners is sitting locked up with Criterion who refuses to budge off Blu-ray really really amuses me? I actually go back a ways with these films. I rented them from my local video store in the early to mid 90’s, and until I got the tape in my VCR did not connect Scanner Cop to Scanners.
Scanner Cop does not have the best reputation, and honestly that is really not deserved. Scanner 2 and 3, yeah they kind of suck, Scanner Cop this one is fun. OK, with that out of the way this film was directed by Pierre David and stars Daniel Quinn as Samuel Staziak, a newly minted cop who finds himself on a beat where regular civilians are killing cops. It turns out the person causing this behavior is an evil brain surgeon Glock. Staziak uses his scanner powers to find Glock and stop the cop-killing!
Scanner Cop 2 – The Showdown is so 90’s it hurts. It brings back Quinn as Staziak, and this time he has another Scanner hunting him down. This time it’s a guy named Karl Volkin who is sucking the power out of other Scanners and leaving them dead and kinda gross looking in order to take their powers and make himself stronger than Staziak.
Scanner Cop and Scanner Cop 2 are solid 90’s thrillers. Aside from a few moments (notably the first scene in the first movie) the effects are pretty damn solid. I didn’t think I’d get too much out of these. I know my viewings of Scanners 2 and 3 when those Blu-ray’s did not make me appreciate those any more. These on the other hand, I ended up having fun with. They reminded me of something I’d see on late night TV circa 1995.
Vinegar Syndrome presents both films in 4k UHD and they look INSANE. Detail is supremely good, film like in all the best ways. Black levels are deep, flesh tones accurate. Audio is DTS-HD stereo and is well balanced, crisp, and clear. Extras include a 2 part making of documentary, a commentary track by We Hate Movies on the first film, and one with Steve Barnett and the 2nd. There is also a promo video on the first film HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Alien From L.A.
Director – Albert Pyun
Starring – Kathy Ireland, William R. Moses
Discs – 1
This is not the Albert Pyun film you were looking for. OK, OK, I’ve basically resigned myself to the fact that the Sword and the Sorcerer is trapped in rights hell. But Alien From L.A., which is a classic MST3K episode, and some of those were fun to watch without ‘bots. (I will say Manos is decent on its own, don’t judge me).
Anyway Alien from L.A. Stars Kathy Ireland as Wanda an L.A. Girl who goes to Africa to find her Father who may have died falling down a bottomless pit. She too falls down the bottomless pit, but it is not bottomless, and before you can say Jules Verne, she ends up as an alien from L.A. As she finds a civilization deep within the Earth!
I’d like to say that this viewing turned this film around for me. It didn’t. This one isn’t a great watch. Ireland is not a great actress, and Pyun does the nerdy girl cover-up for most of the movie with her. When he finally does the makeover thing with her… HE STILL KEEPS HER COVERED. So that sort of fails. That being said Vinegar Syndrome did with Alien from L.A. What they always to and that is MAKE THIS FILM SHINE. The Blu-ray is presented 1:85:1 1080p and looks gorgeous, colors pop, blacks are inky and deep. If you are a fan of this one, you are in for a treat. Extras include an interview with Albert Pyun, an interview with Thom Matthews, and an interview with Linda Kerridge.
Champagne and Bullets
Director – John De Hart, James Paradise
Starring – John De Hart, Wings Hauser, William Smith
Discs – 1
Champagne and Bullets is the MUST BUY of this lot. Like OK, Surf II, Six String Samurai yeah get those. After that GET THIS. It is the one and only film by John de Hart, so this is basically his life’s cinematic work. In this film (also known as Road to Revenge) he plays an ex-cop Rick Bode. Bode and his partner Huck recently left the force because of the corruption inherent in the department (or something like that). He ends up falling in love with the victim of a Satanic sex cult, and the cult leader was former boss. He swears to take them down.
This film is a wild piece of filmmaking. If you like The Room, Miami Connection, and Troll 2 this is up your alley. From the first moment to the last I was pretty much in stitches. I am really hoping this release helps this film find a new audience, because damn this film deserves it. The film is presented 1:85:1 1080p and it looks solid. It’s an early 90’s low budget flick and VS restored it as best as they could. Audio comes through quite well. Extras include a commentary by De Hart, as well as an interview with him. There is a Road to Revenge re-edit on video GetEven version again sourced from video, a trailer for Get Even. This is LOADED. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Surf II
Director – Randall M. Badat
Starring EDDIE DEEZEN, Linda Kerridge
Discs – 2
As soon as Surf II was announced I sort of freaked out. I knew that this was going to be a highlight of whatever the total lineup was, and something I’d definitely watch a few times over summer 2021. The film is a wild amalgam of Surf, Splatter, Trash, and Comedy all thrown together in a chunky blender.
The film starts the ICONIC Eddie Deezen as Menlo a psycho revenge driven nerd who invents Buzz Cola, a soda that will turn whoever drinks it into deranged zombies. He convinces some of his classmates Dad’s to produce it, and the 2 Dad’s convince the guys to push it on their surfer friends who become PUNK ROCK ZOMBIES!
If that synopsis didn’t sell you, I don’t know what will? This film has gore, crazy trashy comedy, 80’s style T&A, and is just so gleefully over the top, that it is a must see. It would make a great double feature with Troma’s Surf Nazis Must Die! (though I prefer this one).
Vinegar Syndrome presents Surf II in a splendid 1:85:1 1080p AVC encoed transfer. This one looks quite natural, nicely detailed. There were moments of print damage like speckling, but overall excellent. Audio is handled by a DTS-HD mono track that again comes through crisp and clear. Extras include the theatrical edit, a making of documentary, multiple commentary tracks, a sizzle reel, and a booklet with writings by Mike McPadden (RIP), Zack Carlson, and Joe Bob Briggs.
Alley Cat
Director – Victor Ordonez, Ed Palmos, Al Valletta
Starring Karin Mani, Robert Torti
Discs – 1
The other new titles added to the VSA lineup is 1984’s Alley Cat starring Karin Mani. This film opens with Mani starring as Billie Clark being woken up by a phone call from a neighbor alerting her to the tires on her car being stolen. Rather than allow it to happen she goes outside and kicks some ass! Unfortunately, this is the beginning of her problems rather than the end, as the criminals stab her grandparents in retaliation, and this sends her off on a vigilante spree that sees her in jail with a harsher sentence than the crimes she is protecting against. Regardless, she refuses to lie down and is fighting against the gangs taking over her neighborhood.
This one is a solid revenger. It’s not as over the top as something as Ms. 45, but is fun and exciting film. Mani plays Billie with enough depth that one can align with her plight. The film is injected with a certain amount of social subtext as well that makes it feel deeper than one might expect.
The Blu-ray is presented 1:85:1 with a 1080p AVC encoded transfer. Everything looks solid here, and quite film like. Audio is presented DTS-HD mono and comes through without obvious issues. Extras include an interview with co-director Al Valetta, and an interview with actor Robert Torti. There is also a trailer.
Six String Samurai
Director – Lance Mungia
Starring – Jeffrey Falcon, Justin McGuire
Discs – 2
I insist on occasion that the last great year for “cult” movies was 1994. On the Italian side it was the year that brought up Cemetery Man, in China we got Drunken Maste 2 I know those are just 2 quick examples, but they are examples of definitive greatness before both of those industries started to dwindle. But the 90’s did have a lot of cult greatness, and a lot of it does get overlooked. For example 1998 gave us Six String Samurai this rock and roll vs. heavy metal in a post apocalyptic hack and slash movie that is definitely a product of the 90’s, definitely weird, definitely cult, and definitely belonging on your shelf!
The film kind of takes place in a Fallout-esque reality where the Russians bombed us into oblivion in the 50’s, and the only safe haven is Vegas which is presided over by King Elvis Presley, who just died. Buddy, the Six String Samurai of the title, wants to be the new King of Vegas he just has to fight his way through the wasteland, and the four heavy metal horsemen of the apocalypse lead by death who want to stop him and take over Vegas in the glorious name of METAL (HAIL AND KILL!).
This movie is insane, one part Lone Wolf and Cub (granted the cub is annoying), another Wizard of Oz, add in some 50’s rock and roll, and some 80’s metal, some post apocalyptic cinema ala Mad Max and you begin to form a picture.
Vinegar Syndrome has put this insanity on UHD and I love them for it. This film’s dry desert like tones are perfect for the format. The 2160p transfer is AMAZING detail is over the top good, colors pop, everything just looks perfect. Audio comes through crisp, clear, and well balanced. Extras include 2 commentary tracks, a making of , a still gallery, a sort film, and a booklet of liner notes. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.