Mexican Gothic - The Films of Carlos Enrique Taboada (1975-1986) (Vinegar Syndrome)

[MifuneFan]

Vinegar Syndrome will be releasing a nice set featuring three gothic horror films from Mexican director Carlos Enrique Taboada . This set is limited to 6,000 copies, and will include a hard slipcase, plus slipcover, both with newly commissioned art by Tony Stella.

Mexican Gothic: The Films of Carlos Enrique Taboada


https://vinegarsyndrome.com/collecti...nrique-taboada

This special limited edition 2-disc Blu-ray set comes with a spot gloss hard slipcase + slipcover combo (designed by Tony Stella), includes a 40-page perfect bound book and is limited to 6,000 units. It is only available on our website and at select indie retailers. Absolutely no major retailers will be stocking them.

Bewitched children, revenge seeking spirits and murderous thieves. Revered in his country but criminally under-known outside of it, three of Mexican genre film master Carlos Enrique Taboada's most influential works are collected here for the first time on Blu-ray.

Poison for the Fairies:
When young Flavia arrives at her new school she is quickly befriended by Veronica. What starts out as an innocent friendship turns terrifying when Veronica reveals herself to be a Witch. Unsure of the truth, Flavia enters into a manipulative relationship as Veronica's accomplice as the line between what is real and imagined blurs and leads to a spiral of magic, death, sacrifice and murder!

Darker Than Night:
Ophelia has just learned of the death of her Aunt, whom she had never trusted. In a sinister twist of fate, she has now inherited her Aunt's estate, along with all of its tenants, living and dead. Inviting her three close friends along, Ophelia moves into the gothic house. But shortly after disregarding her Aunt's posthumous requests to care for Bequer, the house cat, their lives are turned upside down as horrors reveal themselves and a supernatural force starts to violently pick off the girls one by one!

Rapiña:
Woodcutter Porfirio has always accepted his meager existence, however one day while working in a remote, forested mountain, Porfirio is the sole witness to the crash of a luxury plane. Desperate to escape his circumstances, he seizes the opportunity to loot the wreckage with his neighbor and co-worker, Evodio. But soon, best laid plans lead to treachery and murder…

Few directors other than Taboada have left such a distinct footprint on Mexico's horror genre. These three films, with ample violence, wretched depravity and supernatural evil, adeptly place their horror to Mexican society and culture at large and all have been newly restored in 4K by Vinegar Syndrome from their original 35mm camera negatives!

directed by: Carlos Enrique Taboada
starring: Ana Patricia Rojo, Elsa María Gutiérrez, Leonor Llausás, Claudia Islas, Susana Dosamantes, Lucía Méndez, Helena Rojo, Pedro Armendáriz Jr., Ignacio López Tarso, Germán Robles, Norma Lazareno, Rosenda Monteros
1975-1986 / 305 min (combined) / 1.85:1 / Spanish Mono with English subtitles

Additional info:

• 2-Disc Region Free Blu-ray Set
• Newly scanned & restored in 4K from their 35mm original camera negatives
• Presented in their original Spanish language soundtracks with newly translated English subtitles
• Poison For the Fairies - video essay with genre film scholar Valeria Villegas (14 min)
• Darker than Night - video essay with genre film scholar Valeria Villegas (15 min)
• Rapiña - video essay with genre film scholar Valeria Villegas (15 min)
• Reversible sleeve artwork
• Newly translated English subtitles

Mexican Gothic: The Films of Carlos Enrique Taboada [Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray Collection Promo] - YouTube

[OceanBlue]

This Mexican gothic horror boxset is for me, among the highlights of the VS and Partner label announcements for March. Screenshots/screen captures aren't always accurate, but when I looked at the VS website listing page for this boxset in more detail, and the screenshots/screen captures, I was impressed (the films look very nice). It's certainly going on my list of VS and Partner label titles I want to get.

[Martin_31]

The year I can’t subscribe, and they release one of my most wanted directors on Blu-ray. It will be mine.

[Cujo]

Still absolutely thrilled to finally have confirmation of this set. All the Cardona, Jr. talk had me worried. I've asked everyone from Arrow to Criterion about Taboada's films over years.

Blacker than Night (not "Darker", that would be Más oscuro que la noche) is my favorite of his films, an elegant slow-burner creating an enormous amount of tension through anticipation. I easily rank this right alongside the acknowledged classics of the haunting/ghost sub-genre. Poison for the Fairies is a psuedo-fantasy centered around toxic friendship, child wonderment gone amuck and parental failure with two stellar kid performances. It's also got an ending that disturbed me more than countless gore-soaked opuses combined. I've never seen Rapiña, and, while I welcome the chance to view a Taboada I haven't, I was really hoping for The Book of Stone. That would've given me my Taboada top three.

Anyway, barring another pick from my signature wishlist showing up, this is release of the year for me already. As I said in the VS thread, another volume with Book, Drifter in the Rain and Even the Wind is Afraid would be utterly welcome.

[ravenus]

I've only seen Book of Stone by the director, and I loved that as a subtle kind of gothic horror. Hope these are are as good as that one.

[Richard--W]

This is a most welcome release.

I'll bet if this set does well there will be another set
collecting Book of Stone, Even the Wind Is Afraid
and Drifter In the Rain.

[Cranberry Moonwalk]

I got my set today and watched Poison for the Fairies based on Guillermo Del Toro's recommendation.

While it's not a horror film (it's more of a coming-of-age drama with some implied supernatural stuff), it was very well made, creepy, and looked great. The person who played Veronica was amazing and reminded me of a very young Jennifer Jason Leigh.

I highly recommend this set based on that film alone.

[Telstar]

If only they'd subbed Book of Stone for Rapiña.

[DukeTogo84]

I didn't buy this set only because I simply have too many movies to watch, but regretting my choice. I think I'll buy this when the April titles go on sale.

[russweiss1]

DVDBeaver review:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film11/blu-...da_blu-ray.htm

[russweiss1]

Another review:

http://www.mondo-digital.com/taboada.html

[ShawDonkey]

Started set with Rapiña and it was great. Starts really slow but things get interesting when woodcutter and his friend go to loot the crashed plane. Mexican mountain locations are impressive. I think will watch other 2 movies tonight. I don`t know this director but if there will be vol2 definitely interested.Bit regret now did go for standard release and missed the book.

[ShawDonkey]

Darker than night was best Really interesting one and then Rapiña which was so good also. However Poison for fairies was a bit dull. It concentrates far too much into Flavia and Veronice, either or both are in about every scene. Strange decision from director faces of adults are almost never shown. When around 45 minutes gone was quite tired of seeing V&F. It helps locations and sets are nice, score is ok so helped to get into the end of movie and last minutes were good but it`s a movie I likely never revisit.

[Bradsdadg]

Originally Posted by ShawDonkey

Darker than night was best Really interesting one and then Rapiña which was so good also. However Poison for fairies was a bit dull. It concentrates far too much into Flavia and Veronice, either or both are in about every scene. Strange decision from director faces of adults are almost never shown. When around 45 minutes gone was quite tired of seeing V&F. It helps locations and sets are nice, score is ok so helped to get into the end of movie and last minutes were good but it`s a movie I likely never revisit.

Appreciate the reviews. I found Poison for the fairies to be the only good film in the set. I didn't think it was that strange to only show Flavia and Veronica's faces because they want you to see everything at their level and the adults were not really integral to the story.

The reason you see the two girls in the film so much is because the film is literally about them and their toxic relationship.

The other two movies in the set to me were soap operas and will not be anything I will ever watch again.

[Mushi Minion]

Originally Posted by Bradsdadg

Appreciate the reviews. I found Poison for the fairies to be the only good film in the set. I didn't think it was that strange to only show Flavia and Veronica's faces because they want you to see everything at their level and the adults were not really integral to the story.

The reason you see the two girls in the film so much is because the film is literally about them and their toxic relationship.

The other two movies in the set to me were soap operas and will not be anything I will ever watch again.

This was my take on the set as well. Rapina in particular being especially weak.

[russweiss1]

Mexican Gothic: The Films Of Carlos Enrique Taboado (Vinegar Syndrome) Blu-ray Review

https://rockshockpop.com/articles/mo...blu-ray-review

[checkerboard]

I'm torn- the standard edition of this can be bought for close to $20 now (deep discount with current coupon) but the booklet is so tempting! anyone have thoughts?

[Mr. Thomsen]

Originally Posted by checkerboard

I'm torn- the standard edition of this can be bought for close to $20 now (deep discount with current coupon) but the booklet is so tempting! anyone have thoughts?

You could wait for VS' Black Friday sale at the end of the month. You should be able to get the limited edition with the booklet at 50% off the SRP then. Would still be a bit more expensive than the standard edition now, but at least only with a few bucks and not twice as much.