The Vinegar Syndrome Discussion Thread

[Lorne Marshall]

The other is a never officially on disc, SoCal lensed early 70s proto-slasher, which has been the victim of decades of poor quality (and often censored) 'PD' releases. Our new restoration of the camera negative seeks to right that wrong.

Since there's a posting of someone's guesses, I thought I'd take a stab (>groan<) at offering a couple of possible titles, both of which have been released on DVD in sub-par renditions:

SCREAM BLOODY MURDER (1973)
LEGACY OF BLOOD (sometimes known as BLOOD LEGACY, 1971)

[Jobla]

The Gary Graver film I'd love to have VS release is SANDRA-THE MAKING OF A WOMAN (1970), which was a single X release that was banned in at least one state (under the alternate title I AM SANDRA, I think). Drive-in fave Monica Gayle stars as Sandra, and Gary Kent is in the supporting cast. Another cast member is the guy who played the snobby rich kid/rapist in BILLY JACK, but he used a different stage name for SANDRA, perhaps not wishing to be associated with an X-rated film.

[Ian Jane]

From the VS Facebook group:

"Since it's been a while, I think I should formally announce one of the upcoming hardcore titles. I was just flipping through it again and found myself more impressed than I remembered. It's the first (or several, perhaps) Gary Graver directed film we're planning to release, 1981's INDECENT EXPOSURE.

Although Graver is probably most remembered in the hardcore film world for his thriller AMANDA BY NIGHT (no, we don't own it, so don't ask), like most of the top tier hardcore directors, he best proved his abilities when helming strong, character driven dramas.

EXPOSURE initially tricks you into thinking it's gonna be a fluff piece comedy, but as the film progresses, it becomes abundantly clear that C.W. O'Hara's screenplay is interested in exploring aging, female bonding and friendships, romantic longings, and emotional insecurities, while final third tiptoes ever slightly into the realm of possible fantasy.

Aside from Graver's typically assured camerawork, the other main anchor of this one is its uniformly excellent cast: Veronica Hart, Jesie St. James, Robert Kerman, Rob Everett, Georgina Spelvin, and Tirg give their all and add depth and credibility to their characters.

Most exciting, for me at least, is that our upcoming release will make the first (that I know of) uncut home video presentation and reinstates nearly 10 minutes of dialogue and character development that had been cut from previous video versions to fit this nearly 100 min movie onto a T-90 tape (the closest to an uncut version currently available is a fan composite which includes some of the missing bits from a German dubbed VHS, which doesn't help as it's all heavy dialogue sequences)."

[Ian Jane]

Some interesting speculation...

[Derrick King]

I hate to say this, but one of the VS guys sounds like Sasha Whiteman,the blonde rich kid on Bob's Burgers.

[Ian Jane]

VS guys are on the new Shock Waves podcast.

https://audioboom.com/posts/7570407-...r-syndrome-iii

[Ian Jane]

Recent VS interview posted here:

https://airmail.news/issues/2020-4-18/smut-and-vinegar

[Ian Jane]

AGFA/Alamo Drafthouse/VS are presenting Wonder Women as their next Weird Wednesday entry (virtually, of course).

https://drafthouse.com/virtual-cinema/wonder-women

[Ian Jane]

VS announced that "we've also picked up another never-on-disc, early 80s slasher! It's a west coast production.”

[Lalala76]

My copy of Malibimba is bouncing around in Chicago, and has been for a while. I get messages from Royal mail saying that Its being shipped overseas, then I dont get any tracking for a week or so..and then it's back at Chicago. I imagine the longer this awful situation with Coronavirus continues the more it will affect the whole postage system. I have several pre-orders from the States and I'm just wondering if it's better for these boutique labels just to hold off shipping internationally until its over.

[Ian Jane]

Import CDs has a VS sale going on right now.

https://www.importcds.com/search?mod=ST&q=Vinegar+Syndrome&ft=Blu-ray#!?pagenum=1&sortby=PriceLowHighor

[Epic Bisto]

FUCKIN' INTREPIDOS PUNKS!!!!!!

[Ian Jane]

[Matt H.]

PATTY HEARST is kind of a slog, and I say that as a big fan of Schrader. Of course it has some good stuff in it, but I would never watch it again. A lot of people are going to hate it.

[Ian Jane]

The latest newsletter:

The Flash Pre-order for our monumental Halfway to Black Friday sale is now up and running and will be going strong until around Sunday at 11:59 PM EST! Mark your calendar: Halfway to Black Friday = May 22-25th!

The centerpiece of the sale, and perhaps the most hotly debated title in VS release history (even before it was officially announced!), is Hal Needham's 1986 cult sensation, RAD. This video store favorite is making its decades belated disc debut, newly restored and available in a strictly limited 4K UHD/Blu-ray combo pack, fully loaded with an astonishing array of both new and archival interviews, deleted scenes, never before seen BTS footage, and more, and fitted with a gorgeous 3D lenticular front/holographic back slipcover designed by Earl Kess and based on the iconic original poster artwork.

But that's not even close to all of the cinematic delights planned for May. Also coming are:

Academy Award nominee Paul Schrader's brooding true crime thriller (which also earned Schrader a nomination for the Palme D'Or), PATTY HEARST. This suspenseful and at times unnerving masterpiece co-stars William Forsythe and Ving Rhames and is finally being resurrected from MOD hell, to Blu-ray.

Then, Joel Bender's gory and T&A jammed horror rarity, THE IMMORTALIZER, comes to Blu in a sparkling new restoration. This low rent, high sleaze treat is full of slimy brain transplants, mutants, gratuitous nudity, and the type of carefree exploitation stylings that were on their last leg in the late 80s.

But wait, there's even more!

As always, we have two top secret titles in store, which will be announced at the start of the Halfway sale, but are available now for your pre-ordering convenience.

One is a shockingly mean spirited and highly demanded gem that will be sure to drop the jaws of even the most jaded exploitation aficionados, and will be making its worldwide disc debut, with all of its unflinching brutality presented in crisp high definition.

The other is a never officially on disc, SoCal lensed early 70s proto-slasher, which has been the victim of decades of poor quality (and often censored) 'PD' releases. Our new restoration of the camera negative seeks to right that wrong.

Now, on to the important stuff…How to order

You have three tiers to choose from:

Everything, for those who know a good deal when you see one, and enjoy some intrigue. This gets you RAD, PATTY HEARST, THE IMMORTALIZER, as well as the two mystery titles (which, if you ask us, might be the highlights of the bunch).

For the gamblers, there's the option to just hedge your bets and pick up the two surprise titles on their own. The risk is low and the enjoyment will be high.

Last, for those with commitment issues, you can just order RAD (and then be sad later when you see what you're missing out on).

Some closing notes and reminders:

• To all YEARLY SUBSCRIBERS, you will already be getting ALL OF THIS.
• All titles have a limit of One Per Customer.
• By placing an order now, you're getting bumped to the head of the line, because Flash Pre-orders get shipped first (after our subscribers)!
• By taking advantage of this flash pre-order, during our upcoming Halfway to Black Friday sale you can use our free 'Add to my existing order' feature so everything you get ships together in one large package, and you only have to pay for shipping once! Pretty neat, huh?
• We also can't stress enough that, by placing a Pre-order for the 'Everything' package now, you'll be saving handsomely when compared to buying all of the same titles titles during the Halfway Sale.