Thursday, March 28, 2024

Dr. Terror's House of Horrors – Vinegar Syndrome (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: UK, 1965
Director: Freddie Francis
Writer: Milton Subotsky
Cast: Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Donald Sutherland, Roy Castle, Alan Freeman, Neil Mcallum

Release Date: March 26th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 98 Minutes 17 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region A (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $52.98

"Five men, all strangers, board a carriage on a train from London to the town of Bradley, where they're joined at the last minute by a sixth - a mysterious, black-clad older gentleman who introduces himself as Doctor Schreck (German for “terror”, as he informs them). Bearing a stack of Tarot cards, Doctor Schreck claims to have the ability to read fortunes, and although some of the group are initially skeptical, it’s not long before his fellow passengers are asking him each in turn to relate what the future holds in store. What follows is five fiendish tales of terror, as the doctor reveals the various dreadful fates that are to befall his traveling companions - which include bone-chilling encounters with werewolves, killer plants, voracious vampires and all other manner of horrors!" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD), 4.5/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative".

Dr. Terror's House of Horrors comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD

Disc Size: 60.2 GB

Feature: 59.9 GB

There have been at least three Blu-ray releases of Dr. Terror's House of Horrors. The worst-looking of these three was Olive Films U.S. release, while Odeon Entertainment’s UK release and Wicked Visions German release are comparable in most areas. That said, as good as any of those releases were, this new 4K transfer from Vinegar Syndrome is superior in every way. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and compression are solid, contrast and black levels are excellent, and the image always looks organic.

Dr. Terror's House of Horrors comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.4 GB

Feature: 26.1 GB 

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option: a DTS-HD mono mix in English with removable English SDH. The audio is in excellent shape, the dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should. Range-wise, this audio track sounds great.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include an archival audio commentary with director Freddie Francis and moderator Jonathan Sothcott.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include promotional image gallery #1, promotional image gallery #2, English language theatrical trailer (1 minute 6 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), German language theatrical trailer (2 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital mono German, no subtitles), Italian language theatrical trailer (2 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian, no subtitles), an archival audio interview with screenwriter/producer Milton Subotsky (12 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio interview with producer Max Rosenberg  (1 minute 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actor Kenny Lynch (24 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actress Ann Bell (21 minutes 22 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actor Jeremy Kemp (8 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival making-of documentary titled House of Cards (57 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with author Stephen Thrower titled Tales of Terror (39 minutes 2 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette titled A New Home of Horror including never-before-seen interviews with actress Katy Wild, second assistant director Hugh Harlow, propman Arthur Wicks, continuity supervisor Pauline Harlow and dubbing mixer John Aldred (14 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles) and an archival audio commentary with Freddie Francis and Jonathan Sothcott.

Other extras include reversible cover art and a slipcover (limited to 8,000 units).

Summary:

Directed by Freddie Francis, whose other notable directing credits include Paranoiac, The Skull, and Girly. Besides directing, Freddie Francis has an extensive resume as a cinematographer, and a few of his notable credits as a cinematographer include Time without Pity, Sons and Lovers, The Innocents, and The Elephant Man.

The narrative revolves around five strangers traveling on a train who have their futures revealed to them by a fortune teller named Dr.Schreck.

Dr. Terror's House of Horrors narrative features five tales with an opening sequence that sets the premise in motion and a twist ending that perfectly brings these five tales together.

The first tale, ‘Werewolf’ revolves around an architect who is lured by a vengeful werewolf back to an estate that was formerly owned by his family. The second tale, ‘Creeping Vine,’ centers on a family who finds themselves besieged by vines that kill anyone who tries to remove them. The third tale, 'Voodoo', involves a musician who tries to steal music that he heard at a voodoo ceremony. The fourth tale, ‘Disembodied Hand’ revolves around an art critic who becomes the target of a disembodied hand. The fifth tale, ‘Vampire’ centers on a doctor who discovers that his new wife is a vampire.

Of course, one of the strengths of Dr. Terror's House of Horrors is its cast. Which features several recognizable faces like Christopher Lee The Wicker Man) in the role of Franklyn Marsh, the critic who is terrorized by a disembodied hand; Donald Sutherland (Don’t Look Now) in the role of a newlywed doctor who discovers that his wife is a vampire; and Peter Cushing (Corruption) in the role of the tarot card reader Dr. Schreck (aka Dr. Terror). Other recognizable faces include Michael Gough (Horrors of the Black Museum) and Bernard Lee, who is most remembered for portraying ‘M’ in the first eleven James Bond films.

From a production standpoint, the visuals are rock solid and give these tales a tremendous amount of atmosphere. And when it comes to pacing, there are no issues with forward momentum, as this film does a great job in its transition from one tale to the next. Out of these five tales, the strongest one would be ‘Disembodied Hand’, while the weakest of the lot is ‘Voodoo’. That said, no matter where you stand with any of these tales, the end result is a highly effective horror film that holds up remarkable well even after all of these years.

Dr. Terror's House of Horrors is an exceptional release from Vinegar Syndrome that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and a wealth of informative extras, highly recommended.

                                                             4K UHD screenshots.












Written by Michael Den Boer

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Spanish Blood Bath: Night of the Skull / Violent Blood Bath / The Fish with the Eyes of Gold – Vinegar Syndrome (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Spain, 1974 (Night of the Skull), Spain/Italy, 1974 (Violent Blood Bath), Spain, 1974 (The Fish with the Eyes of Gold)
Directors: Jesús Franco (Night of the Skull), Jorge Grau (Violent Blood Bath), Pedro L. Ramírez (The Fish with the Eyes of Gold)
Cast: Alberto Dalbés, Evelyne Scott, William Berger, Maribel Hidalgo, Lina Romay, Vicente Roca, Yelena Samarina, Antonio Mayans, Ángel Menéndez, Luis Barboo, Swan Heinze, Jesús Franco (Night of the Skull), Fernando Rey, Marisa Mell, Máximo Valverde, Espartaco Santoni, Elisa Laguna, Julián Navarro, María Vico, Carmen Martínez Sierra, Nené Morales, José Lifante (Violent Blood Bath), Wal Davis, Norma Kastel, Ada Tauler, Ricardo Vázquez, Barta Barri, María Elena Arpón, Rex Martín, Víctor Israel, Montserrat Prous, Gustavo Re (The Fish with the Eyes of Gold)

Release Date: February 27th, 2024
Approximate Running Times: 82 Minutes 31 Seconds (Night of the Skull), 92 Minutes 8 Seconds (Violent Blood Bath), 84 Minutes 19 Seconds (The Fish with the Eyes of Gold)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Night of the Skull), 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Violent Blood Bath, The Fish with the Eyes of Gold)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Spanish (All Films), DTS-HD Mono English (Violent Blood Bath)
Subtitles: English (All Films), English SDH (Violent Blood Bath)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $54.98

"In the early 70s, while Italy led the charge in the production of gialli, its neighbor to the West, Spain, began churning out more and more of its own takes on the genre. With their uniquely Catalan flavor and casts, this trio of criminally-underseen Spanish gialli have all been newly restored in 4K from their 35mm camera negatives and are at last making their worldwide Blu-ray debuts from Vinegar Syndrome.

After Lord Archibald Marion is brutally murdered by an unknown assailant, the bitter and feuding members of his family gather at his large country mansion for a reading of the will. But their arrival is marked by a second grisly killing, that of Archibald's wife, which sets into motion an increasingly chilling series of deaths. One of only a handful of traditional gialli directed by Jess Franco (Venus in Furs), the improbably Louisiana-set, Night of the Skull (La noche de los asesinos) is a delightfully pulpy old-dark-house whodunit.

A notoriously harsh French judge, vacationing at a luxury resort, finds his holiday interrupted when a mysterious killer begins murdering those in and around the hotel. But what makes these killings all the more unsettling is that they're being carried out identically to the methods used by the judge's executed murderers. Offering a more subtextual narrative which leads to a memorably cynical and downbeat ending, Jorge Grau’s (The Blood Spattered Bride) Violent Blood Bath (Pena de muerte) is a uniquely thought-provoking entry in the annals of Spanish gialli.

Derek, a handsome young Englishman, has recently moved to a Spanish seaside town. A lothario, Derek is quick to begin seducing the local women, only for a murderer to start picking them off one by one. Despite his protests of innocence, the police conclude that Derek is a sex maniac and responsible for the crimes. However, could another individual be behind the heinous killings? Remaining thematically and structurally aligned with its Italian forebears, Pedro Luis Ramírez’ (School of Death) The Fish with the Eyes of Gold (El pez de los ojos de oro) is an engrossing, twist-filled coastal caper with plenty of murders and other macabre surprises." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5 (Night of the Skull), 4.5/5 (Violent Blood Bath, The Fish with the Eyes of Gold)

Here’s the information given about the transfers, "Newly scanned & restored in 4K from their 35mm original camera negatives".

Night of the Skull comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 27.8 GB

Feature: 22.4 GB

Violent Blood Bath comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 36.2 GB

Feature: 26.6 GB

The Fish with the Eyes of Gold comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 27.1 GB

Feature: 22.9 GB

When it comes to colors, image clarity, and black levels, the three films are comparable quality-wise. Flesh tones look correct, colors look very good, image clarity and black levels are strong, compression is solid, and all three films always look organic. That said, all three films have some source-related debris and other source imperfections. Night of the Skull has the most of these imperfections.

Audio: 3.75/5 (DTS-HD Mono Spanish - Night of the Skull), 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Spanish - Violent Blood Bath, Violent Blood Bath - DTS-HD Mono English, DTS-HD Mono Spanish - The Fish with the Eyes of Gold)

Night of the Skull comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish with removable English subtitles. Dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. That said, there are some sibilance issues that are most noticeable when it comes to the score.

Violent Blood Bath comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Both audio tracks are in good shape; dialog comes through clearly; everything sounds balanced; and ambient sounds are well represented. Included are removable English subtitles for the Spanish language track and removable English SDH for the English language track.

The Fish with the Eyes of Gold comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish with removable English subtitles. The audio is in good shape, dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and range-wise things sound very good.

Extras:

Extras for Night of the Skull include an interview with actor Antonio Mayans (13 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles) and an interview with Sitges Festival director Ángel Sala (9 minutes 35 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles).

Extras for Violent Blood Bath include an interview with Carlos Grau, son of director Jorge Grau (20 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), an interview with actor José Lifante (11 minutes 32 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles) and an interview with Ángel Sala (9 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles).

Extras for The Fish with the Eyes of Gold include 5 Spanish Giallo Recommendations by Ángel Sala (2 minutes 20 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles) and an interview with Ángel Sala (14 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles).

Other extras include reversible cover art and a spot gloss slipcover (limited to 5,000 units).

Summary:

Night of the Skull: Though Jess Franco’s films from the 1970s were known for their erotic content, every now and then he would make films that were more conventional. Case in point: Nigth of the Skull is a film that would see Jess Franco return to his Gothic horror roots. That said, Edgar Allan Poe’s The Cat and the Canary and an unnamed Edgar Wallace novel are two sources Jess Franco drew from for Night of the Skull.

The narrative revolves around a family who gathers for the reading of a will for their recently deceased patriarch.

After you have seen a good number of Jess Franco’s films, you start to notice recurring elements. And though Night of the Skull has a few of these elements, like his overreliance on zoom shots and a whipping scene that is reminiscent of his De Sade-influenced films, The result is a fairly straight-forward Gothic horror film that looks and feels like it could have been directed by anyone.

Besides Gothic horror elements, Night of the Skull at times feels like an Agatha Christie murder mystery. The bulk of the narrative is about the police and their investigation into the growing number of corpses. And when it comes to the kills, each one is different and inventive. When it comes to the kills, don’t expect gore; they are virtually bloodless.

The performances are best described as serviceable; there is no one performance that stands out, and the cast does have a few recognizable faces. Notably, Lina Romay was still in the early stages of her four-decade collaboration with Jess Franco. The cast also features Antonio Mayans (Cries of Pleasure), another frequent collaborator of Jess Franco.

When discussing the films of Jess Franco, there are generally two kinds of people: “those who love just about everything Jess Franco has done” and “those who think he is a talent-less hack." I would put myself in the first group of those who love just about everything he has done. I have seen 120 of his films to date, and I would say that I have enjoyed something about every one of them. Ultimately, Night of the Skull is a film that really never goes anywhere, and I can’t imagine anyone enjoying this film outside of Jess Franco completists.

Violent Blood Bath: Directed by Jorge Grau, whose other notable films are Blood Ceremony, The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue, and Hunting Ground.

The narrative revolves around a judge on vacation who starts to question his sanity when a series of murders happen that are identical to the cases he worked on.

Violent Blood Bath has an excellent premise about a judge known for his harsh punishments. The narrative explores how his judgments have weighed heavily on him; though he has sentenced many to death, they have committed heinous crimes and are most deserving of their verdicts.

Another area where Violent Blood Bath excels is the well-crafted narrative. Besides very effectively using flashbacks that provide insight into the people sentenced by the judge, the narrative also does a great job concealing who is committing the mimic killings.

When it comes to the performances, the cast is all very good, especially Fernando Rey (The French Connection) in the role of the judge. He delivers an exceptional performance that perfectly captures the essence of his character and their state of mind. Another performance of note is Marisa Mell (Danger: Diabolik) in the role of the judge’s much younger trophy wife.

Though there are a series of grisly murders, they all happen off-screen. Showing the aftermath of the carnage actually enhances these moments. That said, these moments are surprisingly strong, despite the lack of stylized onscreen kills.

Though Spanish and Italian thrillers of the 1970s have many similarities, Violent Blood Bath is a film that bears little connection to the Italian-made thrillers. In Violent Blood Bath, the protagonist's perspective and state of mind play a significant role since what unfolds is in the realm of the psychological instead of the visceral. Ultimately, Violent Blood Bath is a well-made psychological thriller that does a fantastic job of building momentum towards a twist finale that brings everything that preceded it into focus.

The Fish with the Eyes of Gold: Directed by Pedro L. Ramírez, who is most known for directing School of Death.

The narrative revolves around an Englishman who becomes the prime suspect while on holiday in a Spanish seaside town.

The Fish with the Eyes of Gold is a Spanish thriller that falls in line with Italian thrillers of the 1970s. The mystery of the killer and the murder set pieces are stylish and have a visceral tone. And another familiar trope of childhood trauma plays a significant role in The Fish with the Eyes of Gold.

One thing you can count on when watching an Italian thriller, and in this case, a Spanish thriller, is a violent kill that sets the narrative in motion. In the opening moments, someone wearing a diving suit savagely murders a woman on the beach. This scene does a superb job of setting the tone for what follows. Also, though there are clues to the killer's identity, the narrative does a good job concealing who the killer is.

When it comes to the performances, they are adequate; no one performance stands out. The most recognizable cast member is Montserrat Prous (Sinner: The Secret Diary of a Nymphomaniac) in the role of a promiscuous woman who ends up being the killer's second victim. She makes the most out of her limited screen time. By far and away, the weakest performance is by Wal Davis (The Horrible Sexy Vampire) in the role of the protagonist. Ultimately, The Fish with the Eyes of Gold is a well-made Spanish thriller that has an ample amount of carnage, sleaze, and a few well-placed red herrings.

Spanish Blood Bath is another solid release from Vinegar Syndrome; each film comes with a strong audio/video presentation and informative extras for each film, recommended.



























Written by Michael Den Boer

Sunday, March 24, 2024

Singapore Sling – Vinegar Syndrome (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Greece, 1990
Director: Nikos Nikolaidis
Writer: Nikos Nikolaidis
Cast: Meredyth Herold, Michele Valley, Panos Thanassoulis

Release Date: March 26th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 111 Minutes 44 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Greek/English/French
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $44.98

"On a dark and stormy night, Mother and Daughter, a wealthy pair of psychopathic killers with a penchant for murdering their servants, happen upon a badly injured man, laying dying in the mud. Bringing him back to their opulent villa, they begin nursing him back to health; naming him Singapore Sling in the process. As soon as he is "well" enough, the twisted duo begin subjecting him to every manner of torture imaginable. But as each of them develop their own unique interest in their mysterious victim, a perverse love triangle begins to unfold, leading to shocking revelations..." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative".

Singapore Sling comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.5 GB

Feature: 30.4 GB

The source looks excellent; image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image looks organic.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Greek, English, and French. There are no issues with distortion or background noise; the dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Range-wise, this track sounds excellent. Included are removable English subtitles for Greek and French dialog and removable English SDH for all dialog.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an interview with cinematographer Aris Stavrou (5 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Panos Thanassoulis (9 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Michele Valley (12 minutes 22 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Marie-Louise Bartholomew, wife of director Nikos Nikolaidis (11 minutes 39 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival documentary from 2011 exploring the work of director Nikos Nikolaidis titled Directing Hell (80 minutes 47 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Greek with removable English subtitles), reversible cover art, a spot gloss slipcover (limited to 5,000 units) and a 20-page booklet with an essay titled The Guts of Noir written by David Church.

Summary:

Looking for his long-lost love, Laura, a man ends up in the arms of the same woman who killed Laura.His captors are a mother-daughter team who use torture to get them off while having sex. They give the detective the nickname Singapore Sling. The women reenact right before his eyes their various murders, including the murder of his girlfriend Laura. Will Singapore Sling be able to escape before it becomes his turn to die?

Singapore Sling is without a doubt the most bizarre murder mystery ever committed to celluloid. The story shifts from conventional moments, which reveal the mysteries the detective seeks to uncover, to set pieces that are beyond description. There is vomiting and golden showers while having sex and gutting victims’ organs by organs that pop up at regular intervals throughout the 112 minutes.

While watching Singapore Sling, the time length does become a problem as things drag and scenes start to resemble scenes you have already seen. Then there is the acting, which is also unconventional, with characters breaking the fourth wall and talking into the camera. That said, the performances definitely veer into the realm of the over-the-top. Another thing about the characters that some might find off-putting is that the three characters each speak a different language: Greek, English, and French.

Fortunately, when it comes to the visuals, Singapore Sling delivers, and then some. Shot in striking black and white, the visuals have a film noir quality to them that works well within the confines of the story as it unfolds. Ultimately, Singapore Sling is a perfect blend of exploitation and avant-garde that is a must-see film if you are a fan of transgressive cinema.

Singapore Sling gets a definitive release from Vinegar Syndrome that comes with an exceptional documentary about the director Nikos Nikolaidis and a solid audio/video presentation. Highly recommended.








Written by Michael Den Boer

Dr. Terror's House of Horrors – Vinegar Syndrome (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo) Theatrical Release Date: UK, 1965 Director: Freddie Francis Wri...