For years it was the Spaghetti Westerns from Italy and Spain that got the attention of genre-fans and film buffs. But of late, another uniquely Italian group films have bubbled to the forefront of the home entertainment packaged media collector’s world … and that would be Giallo, those thrillers and mysteries with a blood-red edge to them.
The latest news from Vinegar Syndrome will certainly get the attention of giallo fans as Aug. 31 has been designated the street date for the three-film collection on Blu-ray titled Forgotten Gialli, Volume Two.
So without further ado, let’s get to the golden treasures that await fans at the end of August.
There will be a new 2K film restoration from the original 35mm camera negative for director William Rose’s 1974 film release of The Girl in Room 2A, which caught the attention of Joseph Brenner Associates, who picked it up for domestic theatrical distribution during the summer of that year. Vinegar Syndrome has both the English-dubbed theatrical track, as well as the original Italian-language track included here.
The film itself has one-foot in the horror camp (a serial killer murdering women) and the giallo camp, the mystery of why paroled young women are “vanishing” from a halfway house run by the kindly Mrs. Grant (Giovanna Galletti — Kill, Baby... Kill!, The Naked and the Wicked, Rome, Open City).
Which brings us to the latest arrival, Margaret (Daniela Giordano — The 5-Man Army, Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key, Have a Good Funeral, My Friend ... Sartana Will Pay), who did a short jolt in women’s prison for being in possession of marijuana. She soon discovers that Mrs. Grant has a creepy son, Frank (Angelo Infanti), whose “work room” gives off bad vibes, and she meets Jack (John Scanlon), who is trying to find out what happened to his sister, a former “guest” at Mrs. Grant’s halfway house.
The giallo elements are the mystery and Margaret’s detective work … the rest is pure horror. Bonus features included with The Girl in Room 2A are a vintage video session with actress Daniela Giordano and an audio “essay” with film historian Rachael Nisbet.
Next up is a new 2K film restoration (from the 35mm original negative) of director Ferdinando Merighi’s 1972 film, The French Sex Murders, which found its way to the domestic theatrical arena in 1976 as a dubbed release … and yes, Vinegar Syndrome has both the both the Italian and the English-dubbed soundtracks.
There’s an opening twist that sets up what follows. Antoine Gottvalles (Peter Martell) is a jewel thief with a nasty temper, which is broad front and center when he visits his favorite hooker at Madame Collette's brothel and proceeds to beat her to death. He’s quickly convicted of the crime and sentenced to death, but manages an ill-fated getaway that leads to his horrific death in an auto accident.
Soon, Madame Collette (Anita Ekberg) is also murdered, which raises the interest of Inspector Fontaine, played by none other than Robert Sacchi, who made a career of being the spitting image of Humphrey Bogart, including starring in director Robert Day’s The Man with Bogart's Face.
More of Madame Collette’s ladies of the night die bloody deaths and Inspector Fontaine is hard-pressed to bring the killer to justice … but he prevails, despite the brothel being emptied-out of its talent!!
Bonus features here include a vintage commentary option with Kat Ellinger and Samm Dieghan, plus the featurette titled “The Wild, Wild World of Dick Randall.”
Rounding out the Aug. 31 Forgotten Gialli, Volume Two Blu-ray collection from Vinegar Syndrome is the 4K film restoration (35mm negative) of director Tonino Valerii’s 1972 film release of My Dear Killer, starring George Hilton, who is out to investigate a brutal murder … a pure giallo mystery.
Bonus features include the original Italian-language track, plus there is an English-dubbed track as an option, the featurette titled “Innocence Lost” and a vintage video session with George Hilton and filmmaker Tonino Valerii.
All three films in the collection include English subtitles.
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