Vinegar Syndrome Announces Limit Edition Blu-ray Slate For Release On Sept. 29

Vinegar Syndrome tunes into its “Archive Collection” on Sept. 29 for a four-movie slate of film restorations featuring direct-to-video treasures from the Golden Era of VHS.   These are limited editions, so when they are gone … they are done.

 

Leading the way (yes, always a subjective evaluation) is a new 2K film restoration (from the original 35mm interpositive) of director Rafal Zielinski’s 1992 (produced in 1988, but shelved for a while) deadly “treasure hunt” film, Spellcaster.

 

It features punk rock recording artist, Adam Ant, but really stars Gail O’Grady (three-time Emmy nominee for NYPD Blue, plus such films as Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, Lycan, Celtic Pride, etc.) and Bunty Bailey (former fashion model, who appeared in such films as Dolls, Glitch! and Defunct).

This is an early Charles Band production (before Puppet Master) with Adam Ant as the mysterious Diablo, who is hosting a rock-music video/treasure hunt at a creepy old castle, with contestants on the prowl for a million-dollar check, while “recording artist” Cassandra Castle (Bunty Bailey) and video disc jockey “Rex” (Richard Blade — Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Crystal Heart) put on a show.

 

Counted among the contestants are Jackie (Gail O’Grady) and her brother, Tom (Harold Pruett), who scramble about the castle’s labyrinth in search of the treasure, unaware that their fellow treasure-hunters are being picked off one by one!!  

 

What makes the film so much fun — besides the creatures and the blood-letting — is the twist ending.   The devil actually gives up a soul when a deal is proposed that is so tempting that … well, let’s just say it is very clever, especially in light of some the stuff that passes for variety entertainment these days.

 

As to bonus goodies, at press time Vinegar Syndrome is reporting that three featurettes are being produced featuring actor Richard Blade and f/x artists/actors William Butler and Michael Deak. 

 

Also heading home from Vinegar Syndrome on Sept. 29 as limited edition Blu-ray product offerings are director Robert C. Hughe’s 1988 “stone age” slasher flick, Memorial Valley Massacre (a 4K film restoration from the original 35mm negative), a new 2K film restoration of director Claudio Lattanzi’s 1987 “haunted house” thriller, Zombie 5: Killing Birds and filmmaker Rubén Galindo Jr.’s 1989 Spanish-language import, Grave Robbers.