‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2’ Slashes into Blu-ray This December

Vinegar Syndrome‘s October releases include The Tenant, Corpse Mania, and Shanks on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray along with The Ghost Dance, Mind Benders, Dial D for Demons, and Forgotten Gialli: Volume 7 on Blu-ray.

Here’s everything you need to know…

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From maverick director Roman Polanski (Chinatown, Rosemary’s Baby) comes one of the most unusual and unsettling studio thrillers of the 1970s: The Tenant. Adapted from Roland Topor’s cult novel, Polanski casts himself in the lead, offering a uniquely demented and outrageously funny performance, and is supported by Melvyn Douglas (The Changeling), Shelly Winters (Night of the Hunter, Lolita), and Isabelle Adjani (Possession).

Featuring cinematography by two-time Oscar winner Sven Nykvist (Cries and Whispers) along with an original score by acclaimed composer Philippe Sarde (La Grande Bouffe), Vinegar Syndrome presents the 4K UHD debut of The Tenant, newly and exclusively restored in 4K from its original camera negative and featuring a wide array of new and archival extras including an expanded interview with Polanski himself.

Trelkovsky, freshly arrived in Paris, is in desperate need of a place to live. After inquiring at a large apartment complex run by the brooding Monsieur Zy, he’s offered the room of Simone Choule, a resident who recently attempted suicide by throwing herself out of the window. Undeterred by this macabre event, Trelkovsky is happy to move in. Shortly thereafter, he meets Stella, Simone’s friend, and does his best to comfort and befriend her. Quickly integrating into Stella’s bohemian social scene, Trelkovsky hopes that his life is finally turning a corner; that is, until his new neighbors begin acting strangely, making wild accusations against him, and displaying increasingly sinister and violent behaviors. As the weeks go on, Trelkovsky begins to suspect that something is very wrong in the stuffy old building and that Simone’s fatal plunge might not have been her own doing…

Additional info:

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Directed by horror maestro Chih-Hung Kwei (Hex, The Boxer’s Omen), Corpse Mania masterfully fuses Shaw Brothers’ well-regarded dramatic period pieces with the structure and style of the Italian giallo, offering foggy streets, gelled lighting, and grisly murders perpetrated by a black-clad killer.

Moving from twist to twist and sure to leave viewers squirming in horror all the way to the end, Vinegar Syndrome presents this essential Hong Kong horror on UHD, newly restored in 4k from its original camera negative, packed with extras, and featuring all the maggot-covered corpses one could ask for.

After a defiled corpse is discovered in an abandoned building, Inspector Zhang recognizes the scene as being similar to other mutilated bodies that have been turning up in the area. Realizing that there is a deranged serial killer at large, Zhang’s investigation soon leads him to a local brothel run by the headstrong Madame Lan, which appears to be the killer’s hunting ground. While public suspicion soon falls on a recently released-from-prison necrophile, Zhang is unconvinced, believing that the killer and their motive are hiding in plain sight.

Additional info:

• 2-disc Set: 4K Ultra HD / Region A Blu-ray
• 4K UHD presented in High-Dynamic-Range
• Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative
• Commentary with Ming Beaver Kwei, son of director Chih-Hung Kwei and filmmaker Alan Chu
• Commentary with film historian Samm Deighan
• “Statistics with the Producer” – an interview with producer Lawrence Wong
• Video interview with Lee San Yip, cinematographer on Corpse Mania
• Video interview with Ming Beaver Kwei, son of director Chih-Hung Kwei
• “Chih-Hung Kwei: Shaw Brothers’ Master of Horror” – a video essay by film historian and author Grady Hendrix
• Reversible sleeve artwork
• Newly translated English subtitles
• Spot gloss slipcover (designed by Chris Barnes), limited to 6,000 units

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The final film from gimmick-prone, American genre film icon William Castle (The Tingler, The House on Haunted Hill), Shanks is a decidedly surrealist amalgamation of quirky fantasy and mid-70s character-driven horror, anchored by a delectable dual performance from celebrated French actor Marcel Marcau.

With potently eerie camera work by 13 Ghosts cinematographer Joseph F. Biroc and an atmospheric score by legendary composer Alex North (Spartacus, The Bad Seed), Cinématographe presents William Castle’s often overlooked slice of mid- 70s alienation in its 4K UHD debut from a brand new restoration from its original negative.

Malcolm Shanks (Marcel Marceau, Barbarella) is a deaf, mute, reclusive puppeteer who lives with his overbearing sister (Tsilla Chelton, Peppermint Soda) and her lush of a husband, Mr. Barton (Philippe Clay, French Cancan). The only source of joy in his harsh world is his puppets, which is noticed by a beguiling inventor named Dr. Baker (also played by Marceau), who promptly offers him a job as his assistant. Upon Dr. Baker’s sudden death, Shanks discovers that he can, with the aid of electrodes, reanimate the dead, bringing a new reality to their experiments.

Additional info:

• 2-Disc Set: 4K Ultra HD + Region A Blu-ray
• New audio commentary with film historians Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw
• New interview with producer Steven North
• No Words for the Dead: Reanimating William Castle, Visual Language and The Path to Shanks – a new video essay by Daniel Kremer
• Marcel Marceau on Shanks – an archival interview with the actor
  Vintage radio spots
• New text essays by culture writer Heather Drain, film critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and film professor Murray Leeder, editor of ReFocus: The Films of William Castle
• English SDH subtitles
• J-card MediaBook slipcase (designed by Adam Maida), limited to 4,000 units

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Arriving in 1982 just as the slasher boom was waning, director Peter F. Buffa’s The Ghost Dance offered a novel spin on the already then-tired slice-and-dice formula by weaving American Indian folklore into its story whilst still offering up all the requisite hacking and slashing dictated by the genre.

Criminally underseen and hitherto languishing in a notoriously murky VHS transfer, Vinegar Syndrome has at long last summoned up The Ghost Dance for its Blu-ray world premiere, newly restored in 4K from original 35mm film elements – which finally affords viewers the chance to properly savor Fred Murphy’s (Stir of Echoes, The Mothman Prophecies) sumptuous desert photography – and offered up with a treasure trove of illuminating newly-produced special features.

When an excavation team led by Dr. Kay Foster unearths a burial site on an American Indian reservation, the tribal elders caution them that they are bringing about great danger – for they have disturbed the resting place of Nahalla, who, legend has it, was a sadistic and feared cult leader. Ignoring these warnings, however, the team transports the body back to the museum in hopes of identifying it. Sure enough, the grim predictions soon come to pass when a young couple are found gruesomely slaughtered after a late-night lovemaking session at the museum. Unbeknownst to Dr. Kay and her team, a local medicine man has managed to summon Nahalla. Now, possessed by his evil spirit, he is stalking the shadows, intent on meting out bloody vengeance to those who have disturbed his slumber.

Additional info:

• Region Free Blu-ray
• Scanned and restored in 4K from its 35mm internegative
• Commentary track with genre critic and author J.A. Kerswell and film and TV historian and author Amanda Reyes
• “Looking into the Past” (25 min) – an interview with co-writer/director Peter Buffa
• “This Is Great Stuff!” (22 min) – an interview with co-writer/producer Robert M. Sutton
• “Dances with Ghosts” (17 min) – an interview with stunt coordinator Don Shanks
• Reversible sleeve artwork
• English SDH subtitles
• Spot gloss slipcover (designed by Wes Benscoter), limited to 6,000 units

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An over-the-top and zany sci-fi comedy oozing with mid-80s aesthetics, actress-turned-director Eugenie Joseph’s (finishing director of Spookies) crackpot Canadian cult classic, Mind Benders stars Skip Lackey (Once Bitten), Lee Tergesen (TV’s Oz, Weird Science) in his first on-screen role, along with veteran character actor Roy Thinnes (Airport, Rush Week).

Produced by notorious New York exploitation filmmaker Jack Bravman (Snuff), Vinegar Syndrome Archive presents the worldwide Blu-ray debut of Mind Benders, newly scanned and restored from its 35mm original camera negative and featuring the first-ever on-camera interview with director Eugenie Joseph!

Frankie and Crash run the most popular high school radio show in town, keeping the students buzzing with rock ‘n’ roll music and rebellious influences. But when Principal Borden decides the good times are rolling too freely, he brings in the mysterious Dr. Gunbow to implement a new Behavioral Modification Program. Almost immediately, the school’s radio station is commandeered by agents of the program, and shortly thereafter, the students start displaying increasingly disturbing and zombie-like behavior while developing a newfound taste for violence against anyone who won’t conform. Realizing that whatever is going on is forcibly changing their friends, Frankie and Crash take it upon themselves to find out what Dr. Gunbow is up to and the ultimate goal of his mind-bending conspiracy.

Additional info:

• Region Free Blu-ray
• Scanned and restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative
• Commentary track with director Genie Joseph and writer/actor Skip Lackey
• Commentary track with James Branscome and Nick Vance of the Cinematic Void Podcast
• “High Tension High: The Making Of Mind Benders” (37 min) – a making-of documentary featuring interviews with producer Jack Bravman, director Genie Joseph, writer/lead actor Skip Lackey, and actors David Kener and Bill Curry
• Reversible sleeve artwork
• English SDH subtitles
• Slipcase (designed by Robert Sammelin), limited to 4,000 units

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Directed by notorious CAT III director Billy Tang (Dr. Lamb), Dial D for Demons sees Tang trade in his usual sex and violence for style and tension, resulting in a more atmosphere-driven ghost story.

Starring a cast of young and up-and-coming Hong Kong actors such as Jordan Chan (Bio-Zombie), Terence Yin (New Police Story), and Winnie Leung (The Deadly Camp), Vinegar Syndrome Archive presents this rarely-seen supernatural tale on Blu-ray for the first time in the United States, newly and exclusively restored for this release.

Needing a break from their busy lives, a group of young professionals living in Hong Kong decide to take a few days off and spend some time relaxing on a quiet and secluded island. After arriving at their rental property, one of the friends (who has the ability to see ghosts) begins having terrifying visions of people who have taken their own lives by inhaling burning charcoal. To make matters worse, the group of friends starts to receive cryptic messages on their pagers. Soon, the horror of the property begins to reveal itself and the group has no choice but to try to survive the night before falling victim to the evil that awaits them.

Additional info:

Political intrigue, covert operations, and spies are not the normal ingredients found in a giallo, but veteran director Carlo Vanzina (Nothing Underneath) concocts a delightfully distinctive murder mystery with Mystère (AKA Dagger Eyes). With twist after twist, this pulpy thriller stars Bond-girl Carole Bouquet (For Your Eyes Only) along with more familiar faces like John Steiner (Tenebre) and Gabriele Tinti (Love Camp).

Taking ample advantage of the beauty and treachery of Rome with long-time Fellini collaborator Giuseppe Maccari’s colorful photography while offering a throbbing score by Armando Trovajoli (Strange Shadows in an Empty Room), Vinegar Syndrome brings the quick-paced and highly entertaining Mystère to Blu-ray for the first time, newly restored in 4K from its original negative and offering an array of brand new interviews.

Mystère is one of Rome’s top call-girls whose clients range from political elites to business executives. Her friend Pamela, another prostitute, steals an expensive lighter from a recent client, only to be mysteriously murdered shortly thereafter. When Mystère discovers that not only has Pamela been killed but also the client from whom she stole the lighter, she realizes that her own life might be in danger, a fear quickly validated when she narrowly survives an assassination attempt. Desperate to figure out why she and Pamela were targeted, she finds an ally in Inspector Colt, who has been tasked with solving the crimes. But as their investigation deepens, it becomes clear that the seemingly ordinary lighter holds a potentially deadly secret.

Additional info:

• Region Free Blu-ray
• Scanned and restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative
• Presented in its original English language soundtrack as well as its Italian language dub soundtrack (untranslated)
• Commentary track with film historians Eugenio Ercolani, Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth
• “Two Brothers for a Mystère” (25 min) – an interview with writer Enrico Vanzina
• “An American in Rome” (20 min) – an interview with actor Greg Snegoff
• “The House of Mystère” (20 min) – an interview with production designer Paola Comencini
• Alternate Italian titles and credits
• Inside sleeve artwork
• English SDH subtitles

Obsession: A Taste for Fear

While the aesthetics of music videos had taken a firm hold on Italy’s genre film landscape, its stylistic grip on late ’80s gialli is no more apparent and better utilized than in Piccio Raffanini’s hypnotic Obsession: A Taste for Fear (AKA Pathos).

Starring Australian model Virginia Hey (Mad Max: The Road Warrior) and featuring a cameo appearance from musician Kid Creole, this non-stop visual feast offers mind-bending scope photography by Romano Albani (Phenomena) and a soundtrack comprised of international pop hits. Never legally available on disc and long subject to badly-cropped video versions that betrayed its striking production design, Vinegar Syndrome at last presents this totally unique 80s pop culture-infused giallo on Blu-ray, exquisitely restored in 4K from its original negative and offering a plethora of newly-produced bonus features.

Set in a semi-futuristic, technology-infused world, Diane is a top photographer for erotic and fashion magazines whose sexually liberated lifestyle carries over to her work. However, when Diane’s newest model, the statuesque Teagan, is found murdered on her set, suspicion falls not only on Diane but her entire production crew and other models. While Inspector Arnold initially assumes the killer is a nerdy technician, a second murder, which is captured on video, reveals the assailant to be a beautiful woman…

Additional info:

• Region Free Blu-ray
• Scanned and restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative
• Presented in its original English language soundtrack as well as its Italian language dub soundtrack (untranslated)
• Commentary track with film historians Eugenio Ercolani and Nathaniel Thompson
• “This Used to Be the Future” (29 min) – an interview with writer/director Piccio Raffanini
• “Supervising the Obsession” (16 min) – an interview with production supervisor Luciano Lucchi
• “A Taste for Synths” (14 min) – an interview with composer Gabriele Ducros
• “Cinema Killed the Video Star” (19 min) – a video essay by Rachael Nisbet
• Alternate Italian titles and credits
• Inside sleeve artwork
• English SDH subtitles

Sweets from a Stranger

A surprisingly socially-conscious giallo that earnestly reflects on the state of prostitution in Italy, prolific writer Franco Ferrini’s (Nothing Underneath, Rings of Fear) sole directorial effort, Sweets from a Stranger, offers a distinctive hybrid of razor murders and thoughtful commentary heightened by nuanced and believable characters.

Featuring a catchy score and title song by Umberto Smaila as well as a supporting performance from Italian genre legend Laura Betti (A Bay of Blood, Salò), this one-of-a-kind giallo makes its worldwide disc debut, newly restored in 2K from its original negative and including an abundance of new interviews filled with insight into this unusual production.

A bicycle-riding, razor-wielding killer is stalking and slashing Rome’s ladies of the night. Stella, who has risen above the level of streetwalker and now works as a high-class escort, is shocked when she learns that a dear friend has become the maniac’s latest victim. Disgusted by the failure of the police to either find the killer or even protect other women, she hatches her own plan to help fellow prostitutes organize and learn self-defense in the hopes that their own actions will lead to the culprit’s unmasking.

Additional info:

• Region Free Blu-ray
• Scanned and restored in 2K from its 35mm original camera negative
• Presented in its original Italian language soundtrack with newly translated English subtitles
• Commentary track with film historians Eugenio Ercolani and Troy Howarth
• “Cruising for Sweets” (13 min) – an interview with writer/director Franco Ferrini
• “Sweets Maker” (18 min) – an interview with producer Claudio Bonivento
• “Kill Me with Your Smaila” (35 min) – an interview with composer Umberto Smaila
• Inside sleeve artwork
• Newly translated English subtitles

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