The Vineyard (1989) from Vinegar Syndrome

[DR Herbert West]

the wines created by dr. Elson po have been known for decades as among the finest in the world, but unknown to the public, po has been using his vintning and chemistry skills as a front for a much more sinister purpose; harvesting fresh blood from his youthful victims to produce an elixir designed to keep him young forever. Unfortunately, his special potion seems to be weakening in its strength and po finds himself in need of fresh bodies. Deciding to use his connections to the film industry, he presents himself as a potential film investor and invites a group of attractive young actors and models to his secluded island mansion, with the intent of harvesting their life sustaining properties. When they arrive, po becomes convinced that statuesque beauty, jezebel, might be the ideal candidate from which more elixir can be created and sends his henchmen out with the task of violently killing off her friends.

A wild late 80s horror film starring and co-directed, with william rice, by character actor james hong (chinatown, big trouble in little china), the vineyard mixes just about every popular horror trope around into a non-stop assault on the senses. Featuring everything from zombies, to supernatural mysticism, to slasher touches, along with bouts of martial arts and loads of t&a, all photographed by john dirlam (gone in 60 seconds), vinegar syndrome is delighted to present the world blu-ray debut of the vineyard, newly restored in 4k from its original 35mm camera negative and loaded with revealing interviews with its creators.

Directed by: James hong & william rice
starring: James hong, karen lorre, harry mok, michael wong
1989 / 94 min / 1.85:1

• region free blu-ray/dvd combo
• newly scanned & restored in 4k from its 35mm original camera negative
• “welcome to the vineyard” - a brand new interview with director/actor james hong and producer/actor harry mok
• “zombies from san jose” - a brand new interview with co-director william rice
• “sacred earth and restless souls” - a brand new interview with cinematographer john dirlam
• original theatrical trailer
• reversible cover artwork
• english sdh subtitles

[darkness2918]

This is something ive always wanted to see so I pre ordered it through VS.

[FarewelltotheFlesh]

Originally Posted by darkness2918

This is something ive always wanted to see so I pre ordered it through VS.

You won't be disappointed. Don't expect anything too serious. It has some fun gory bits, a sleazy vibe and lots of entertainment value. It's also inventive with some awesome atmosphere. Definitely worth owning.

[ArnoldLayne56]

Wow those caps are gorgeous- and the blonde

Throw in these audience reviews from RT and I'm in for 20...


The N
Oct 23, 2016
no hay subtitulos, entonces no entendí muy bien por qué los muertos reviven como zombies.
(There are no subtitles, so I didn't quite understand why the dead revive like zombies.)

Orlok W
Aug 16, 2013
A hilariously horrendous hunk of late 80's low-budget horror schlock--Days of Wine and Rotten Zombies!!

Jordan F
Jun 08, 2013
Fitting well into the 'so bad it's good' category, The Vineyard is frankly awful, and relies far too much upon nudity to maintain attention. When everything is put together there isn't much to enjoy bar a few laughs at some shady acting and shadier effects.

TTT C
Dec 22, 2012
Very cheesy but still a lot of fun.

Grant S
Jul 16, 2012
Pretty much a standard b-grade 70s/80s horror movie. Low production values, basic plot, hammy acting, cheap special effects. Not all bad, plus the "so bad it's good" cliche could easily apply here. Deliciously bad in spells! The zombie scenes, and sub-plots, could easily have been taken from Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video, just with cheaper cinematography and effects.

[agenda]

Just arrived: COMPARISON

[Eschenpod]

Really enjoyed this movie and James Hong is batshit crazy.

[DaylightsEnd]

I am absolutely floored at the truly excellent and highly competent job that Vinegar Syndrome continues to churn out on ALL these transfers. They treat every single project, whether or not it's a grade B/C horror flick or some euro-sleaze soft porn, as if it's a golden-era mega-classic. The amount of skill and effort exhibited in their remasters and restorations, especially on challenging standard blu ray products, is utterly remarkable. Each title that gets the VS treatment is well worth the typical $22 price of admission, and then some. I NEVER hesitate to buy a VS disc, knowing it's virtually certain to be the very best presentation they can possibly get it to be. Encodes, color saturation, contrast...they smash most of their projects clean out of the park. I can't say enough good things about the VS discs I've bought, especially when I directly compare them to output from companies like Kino or Mondo or Severin, or even the early Arrow productions. VS is simply levels above.