The Birds II: Land's End - August 30th

[Mikezilla3k]

The Birds II: Land's End Blu-ray

This special limited edition embossed and spot gloss slipcover (designed by Robert Sammelin) is limited to 6,000 units and is only available here at VinegarSyndrome.com!

Ted and Mary have just moved, with their two young daughters, to the sleepy coastal town of Gull Island so that Ted can complete work on his thesis. Everything couldn’t seem more picturesque about their new, seaside home…that is, except for the increasing number of aggressively behaving birds. After surviving an unprovoked nighttime avian invasion, Ted becomes determined to figure out the cause of their unusual behavior; an investigation which leads him to uncover the sinister goings on in the nearby waters. All the while, the birds increase their now deadly attacks, moving up from family pets to human victims…

One of the handful of direct-to-cable-television horror movies produced in the early to mid 90s by Universal, THE BIRDS II: LAND’S END is a jaw dropping animal attack spectacle from director Rick Rosenthal (Halloween II) which stars Brad Johnson (Always), James Naughton (Cat’s Eye), Chelsea Field (Master of the Universe), and Tippi Hedren (The Birds). Never released on disc, Vinegar Syndrome brings this notorious sequel to Blu-ray, newly restored from its 35mm interpositive and featuring comprehensive interviews with cast and crew.

directed by: Rick Rosenthal
starring: Brad Johnson, Chelsea Field, James Naughton, Tippi Hedren
1994 / 86 min / 1.33:1 / English Stereo

Additional info:

Region A Blu-ray
Newly scanned & restored in 2K from its 35mm interpositive
Commentary track with film historians Amanda Reyes and Sam Pancake
“Don't Remake Hitchcock Movies” (54 min) - an extensive making-of documentary featuring interviews with its cast and crew
“The Silence of the Birds” (17 min) - an interview with composer Ron Ramin
“The Locations of Birds II” (11 min) - a locations featurette with production assistant Craig Edwards
Still Gallery
Reversible cover artwork
English SDH subtitles

https://vinegarsyndrome.com/collecti...s-ii-lands-end

[bigdaddyhorse]

This looks like a prime candidate for whichever future sale it really goes down 50% to.

Morbidly curious as I've never seen it, but no way am I paying full price for an expected crapfest, undemanded sequel, made decades too late. Guess I could try popular online video sites, if not too late for that.

[badfingerboogie]

Absolutely gorgeous cover... shame about the film though

[Member-222782]

I've never watched Birds II - at least I don't think I have. Some on the Vinegar Syndrome thread are saying there's a fair amount of gore in this - maybe this is why VS decided to give it a standalone release and not stick it in a future TV Terrors set. I hope they haven't given up on TV movie collections. There's a lot of good ones out there but I think these will sell better in sets.

[puffketeer]

Originally Posted by Cinema84

I've never watched Birds II - at least I don't think I have. Some on the Vinegar Syndrome thread are saying there's a fair amount of gore in this - maybe this is why VS decided to give it a standalone release and not stick it in a future TV Terrors set. I hope they haven't given up on TV movie collections. There's a lot of good ones out there but I think these will sell better in sets.

it originally aired on showtime (i.e. not network TV), so that probably explains it

[DR Herbert West]

Finally. My Alan Smithee collection is almost complete.

[Marsupial Werewolf]

You can't run from HOWLING IV, V and VI forever, Vinegar Syndrome!

[DR Herbert West]

Originally Posted by Marsupial Werewolf

You can't run from HOWLING IV, V and VI forever, Vinegar Syndrome!

Yes, please!

[Verisimilitude1984]

Originally Posted by DR Herbert West

Finally. My Alan Smithee collection is almost complete.

Are you including Hellraiser IV: Bloodline in that?

[DR Herbert West]

Originally Posted by Verisimilitude1984

Are you including Hellraiser IV: Bloodline in that?

Absolutely.

[dubhousing]

Originally Posted by puffketeer

it originally aired on showtime (i.e. not network TV), so that probably explains it

The Birds II: Land's End was a Showtime original movie, and part of a series of television-movie sequels to classic horror films, that were commissioned by the network. Psycho IV: The Beginning and When a Stranger Calls Back were also part of this series. I don't know if there were any others. I have a hunch there was one other film, but I can't remember what it was, if I'm right.

Psycho IV and When a Stranger Calls Back are both very good. I'll argue that the latter is even better than When a Stranger Calls, which is also a good film (Fred Walton directed both films).

On the other hand, what little I've heard about The Birds II: Land's End has not been positive. It's been pretty difficult to find since 1994, until now.

[AKORIS]

Originally Posted by dubhousing

The Birds II: Land's End was a Showtime original movie, and part of a series of television-movie sequels to classic horror films, that were commissioned by the network. Psycho IV: The Beginning and When a Stranger Calls Back were also part of this series. I don't know if there were any others. I have a hunch there was one other film, but I can't remember what it was, if I'm right.

Psycho IV and When a Stranger Calls Back are both very good. I'll argue that the latter is even better than When a Stranger Calls, which is also a good film (Fred Walton directed both films).

On the other hand, what little I've heard about The Birds II: Land's End has not been positive. It's been pretty difficult to find since 1994, until now.

I truly have never understood the love for the original WHEN A STRANGER CALLS... it's a movie that has a terrific opening act and a good jump scare in the final moments.......... the rest of the film is thoroughly mediocre....

yes... I even liked the remake better!

[GeoffOliver]

This would look amazing next to my 4K steelbook of the original. I haven't seen this film, but I'll take everyone's word that it's very bad. Still, I'm sure this film has QUITE a story to tell, and it might be worth picking up down the line for that. This was back when Universal was producing belated sequels to their horror IP for Showtime (Psycho IV and When A Stranger Calls Back were the others), to very mixed success.

Originally Posted by AKORIS

I truly have never understood the love for the original WHEN A STRANGER CALLS... it's a movie that has a terrific opening act and a good jump scare in the final moments.......... the rest of the film is thoroughly mediocre....

yes... I even liked the remake better!

I enjoy Acts 1 and 3 a lot, and while the middle act is something you just kinda have to sit through, it's never outright bad. It was interesting to see veteran stage actress Colleen Dewhurst as the victim for a good portion of the film instead of some young teenage/college girl for fanservice purposes. It keeps the film from sinking into exploitation, and the film takes itself a lot more seriously than many slasher-esque films of the period. It's debatable on if it's successful in its themes, but it really was trying to say something about the criminally mentally ill and their victims. WASCB is almost better in most ways, even with a ridiculous twist. It was kind of a precursor to the recent trend of Final Girls and similar characters dealing with their past trauma (Halloween 2018, Terminator: Dark Fate, Scream 2022), and it wouldn't surprise me if David Gordon Green and Danny McBride (writers of H'18) had seen that film.

The 2006 remake though? I wanted to like it so much, but it bored me to tears.

[puffketeer]

Originally Posted by dubhousing

The Birds II: Land's End was a Showtime original movie, and part of a series of television-movie sequels to classic horror films, that were commissioned by the network. Psycho IV: The Beginning and When a Stranger Calls Back were also part of this series. I don't know if there were any others. I have a hunch there was one other film, but I can't remember what it was, if I'm right.

Psycho IV and When a Stranger Calls Back are both very good. I'll argue that the latter is even better than When a Stranger Calls, which is also a good film (Fred Walton directed both films).

On the other hand, what little I've heard about The Birds II: Land's End has not been positive. It's been pretty difficult to find since 1994, until now.

yeah I remember renting a VHS copy of it probably 20 years ago or something and if my memory holds up it's... not great. no wonder it never made it to disc before now, unlike those other two

[Killer Meteor]

Dark Corners - The Birds 2 - Land's End: Review - YouTube

[dissention]

It's not good, but it isn't nearly as bad as it's made out to be; the entertainment value is incredibly high. If it hadn't been saddled with the name "The Birds II," it would simply be another campy 90s TV movie like I'm Dangerous Tonight, Strays, and countless others.

Then again, if it didn't have such a lousy reputation, VS wouldn't be trying to sell it for a laughable $30. Bless their hearts.

[Place Logo Here]

Will likely pick up in a future sale. Really in it only for the morbid curiosity factor, maybe more so the special features (especially the Reyes commentary).

So, could we finally get the made-for-TV sequel to Rosemary's Baby on disc?

[Donl1282]

I can’t find this listed anywhere else for pre-sale besides VS.

[bergman864]

Originally Posted by Donl1282

I can’t find this listed anywhere else for pre-sale besides VS.

It won't be for another month.

[Akoutroubas]

Originally Posted by Donl1282

I can’t find this listed anywhere else for pre-sale besides VS.

"This special limited edition embossed and spot gloss slipcover (designed by Robert Sammelin) is limited to 6,000 units and is only available here at VinegarSyndrome.com!"