press release
For VS proper, we’re off to England by way of Canada with a Blu-ray double feature of 60s chillers from Lindsay Shonteff. First up, DEVIL DOLL (1965), which serves up supernatural suspense by means of an extra angry ventriloquial figure and his no-less-evil owner, played by the great Bryant Halliday. But wait…our new 4K restoration of the original camera negative also makes the world home video debut of the complete and uncensored Continental Version, which finally re-integrates all of the film’s notoriously removed “saucy” content as well as fully reinstates all dialogue scenes, as originally intended. How could we top that? By adding to the package Shonteff’s no less bonkers CURSE OF THE VOODOO (1966), also starring Halliday and exclusively restored in 4K by us from its original negative!
This special limited edition spot gloss slipcover (designed by Robert Sammelin) is limited to 5,000 units and is only available on our website and at select indie retailers. Absolutely no major retailers will be stocking them.
Few filmmakers working in British genre cinema had more memorable careers than Lindsay Shonteff. The Canadian ex-pat produced an incredibly diverse body of work during his few decades spent toiling on the fringes of England’s low-budget film community. Still, few of his films have developed a wider - and more deserved - fan base than his set of 60s horror-shockers made for legendary producer Richard Gordon (Horror Hospital): DEVIL DOLL and CURSE OF THE VOODOO. Vinegar Syndrome is proud to offer both of these true cult classics, newly scanned and restored from their camera negatives in 4K and on Blu-ray for the first time.
Acclaimed magician The Great Vorelli dazzles audiences with his mastery of hypnosis while shocking them with a strange ventriloquist dummy named Hugo. Determined to uncover Vorelli’s methods for making Hugo’s movement and speech appear so real, reporter Mark English begins a covert investigation. However, nothing can prepare him for the strange and horrifying secret trapped inside the dummy, nor for the murderous actions it will take to be freed... Integrating the supernatural into a twist-filled story of revenge, DEVIL DOLL stars Bryant Haliday (Tower of Evil), William Sylvester (Gorgo), and Yvonne Romain (Night Creatures) and is presented in its “Continental” version, which has never before been seen complete and uncut on video!
Mike Stacey is a cold-blooded guide to novice big game hunters. While on safari in Africa, he has to clean up the mess of one of his clients, shooting a lion they wounded but couldn't kill. But no sooner than moving in to collect the body is he accosted by the local tribesmen who reveal that the lion is their deity and that any man who dares interfere will suffer unimaginable torments. Upon returning to England, Mike is besieged by unrelenting nightmares and a paranoid sense that he’s being watched, chased, and hunted like the animals he preys upon. As he descends further into madness, he realizes that the only way he can break the curse is by returning to Africa and again facing the deadly tribe... A 1960s update of Jungle adventure and horror films of the 1930s and 40s, CURSE OF THE VOODOO (aka Curse of Simba) again stars Bryant Haliday, Dennis Price (The Earth Dies Screaming), and Lisa Daniely (Lili Marlene).
Directed by: Lindsay Shonteff
Starring: Bryant Haliday, William Sylvester, Yvonne Romain, Dennis Price, Lisa Daniely, Sandra Dorne, Nora Nicholson, Mary Kerridge, Ronald Leigh-Hunt
1964, 1965 / 169 min (combined) / 1.66:1 / English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
Additional info:
This special limited edition spot gloss slipcover (designed by Robert Sammelin) is limited to 5,000 units and is only available on our website and at select indie retailers. Absolutely no major retailers will be stocking them.
Few filmmakers working in British genre cinema had more memorable careers than Lindsay Shonteff. The Canadian ex-pat produced an incredibly diverse body of work during his few decades spent toiling on the fringes of England’s low-budget film community. Still, few of his films have developed a wider - and more deserved - fan base than his set of 60s horror-shockers made for legendary producer Richard Gordon (Horror Hospital): DEVIL DOLL and CURSE OF THE VOODOO. Vinegar Syndrome is proud to offer both of these true cult classics, newly scanned and restored from their camera negatives in 4K and on Blu-ray for the first time.
Acclaimed magician The Great Vorelli dazzles audiences with his mastery of hypnosis while shocking them with a strange ventriloquist dummy named Hugo. Determined to uncover Vorelli’s methods for making Hugo’s movement and speech appear so real, reporter Mark English begins a covert investigation. However, nothing can prepare him for the strange and horrifying secret trapped inside the dummy, nor for the murderous actions it will take to be freed... Integrating the supernatural into a twist-filled story of revenge, DEVIL DOLL stars Bryant Haliday (Tower of Evil), William Sylvester (Gorgo), and Yvonne Romain (Night Creatures) and is presented in its “Continental” version, which has never before been seen complete and uncut on video!
Mike Stacey is a cold-blooded guide to novice big game hunters. While on safari in Africa, he has to clean up the mess of one of his clients, shooting a lion they wounded but couldn't kill. But no sooner than moving in to collect the body is he accosted by the local tribesmen who reveal that the lion is their deity and that any man who dares interfere will suffer unimaginable torments. Upon returning to England, Mike is besieged by unrelenting nightmares and a paranoid sense that he’s being watched, chased, and hunted like the animals he preys upon. As he descends further into madness, he realizes that the only way he can break the curse is by returning to Africa and again facing the deadly tribe... A 1960s update of Jungle adventure and horror films of the 1930s and 40s, CURSE OF THE VOODOO (aka Curse of Simba) again stars Bryant Haliday, Dennis Price (The Earth Dies Screaming), and Lisa Daniely (Lili Marlene).
Directed by: Lindsay Shonteff
Starring: Bryant Haliday, William Sylvester, Yvonne Romain, Dennis Price, Lisa Daniely, Sandra Dorne, Nora Nicholson, Mary Kerridge, Ronald Leigh-Hunt
1964, 1965 / 169 min (combined) / 1.66:1 / English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
Additional info:
- Region Free Blu-ray
- Newly scanned & restored in 4K from their 35mm original camera negatives
- Commentary track with writers/film critics Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw (DEVIL DOLL)
- Commentary track with producer Richard Gordon and film historian Tom Weaver (DEVIL DOLL)
- Commentary track with film historians Rod Barnett and Adrian Smith (CURSE OF THE VOODOO)
- "Time for Tommy's Tea" (20 min) - an interview with CURSE OF THE VOODOO editor Barrie Vince
- "Traditions and Legacies" (23 min) - writer and film critic Kim Newman on CURSE OF THE VOODOO
- "Casting a Spell" (25 min) - writer and film historian Jonathan Rigby on DEVIL DOLL
- Alternate clothed scenes for DEVIL DOLL
- Inside sleeve artwork
- English SDH subtitles
to preorder click here
About Vinegar Syndrome
Vinegar Syndrome is a film restoration and distribution company with a catalogue of hundreds of feature films, produced primarily between the 1960s and 1980s.
Founded by Ryan Emerson and Joe Rubin, VS has been acclaimed by The New York Times, Village Voice, Dangerous Minds, The Foglenest Files, and many others as one of the premier independent genre film focused distribution companies in the world, and was noted by Alamo Drafthouse Theatres as “…perhaps the most important home video label in the world for genre film…”
Our ever expanding catalog includes worldwide rights on such exploitation classics as Tammy & the T-Rex, Demon Wind, Spookies, Night Train to Terror, Terminal Island, Blood Harvest, Angel, The Lamp, Death Promise, Don’t Open Till Christmas, and countless others.
We also boast owning one of the largest catalogs of rare and classic X rated films, which can be found on our sister site Mélusine.
Vinegar Syndrome is a film restoration and distribution company with a catalogue of hundreds of feature films, produced primarily between the 1960s and 1980s.
Founded by Ryan Emerson and Joe Rubin, VS has been acclaimed by The New York Times, Village Voice, Dangerous Minds, The Foglenest Files, and many others as one of the premier independent genre film focused distribution companies in the world, and was noted by Alamo Drafthouse Theatres as “…perhaps the most important home video label in the world for genre film…”
Our ever expanding catalog includes worldwide rights on such exploitation classics as Tammy & the T-Rex, Demon Wind, Spookies, Night Train to Terror, Terminal Island, Blood Harvest, Angel, The Lamp, Death Promise, Don’t Open Till Christmas, and countless others.
We also boast owning one of the largest catalogs of rare and classic X rated films, which can be found on our sister site Mélusine.
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