2026 Subscribers: This is included in your subscription package.
This limited edition box set (designed by Robert Sammelin) is limited to 6,000 units and is only available on our website and at select indie retailers. Absolutely no major retailers will be stocking them.
The 1990s proved to be a curious and complicated era for the giallo, with many films made for export markets and direct-to-video, while the form itself was tested with directors attempting new ideas and folding modern trends into their plots. Nevertheless, around the rise of the erotic thriller and despite the contraction of the Italian genre film market overall, the true spirit of the genre soldiered on, still alive and vibrant in the three rare gialli assembled here, all seeing their Blu-ray debuts.
--
MADNESS
Giovanna is a successful comic artist, and her brutal Doctor Dark comic has made her rich and somewhat notorious. While she and the comic are both under fire for possibly inciting readers to violence, a real-life murderer suddenly begins carving out the eyes of their victims only to deliver them to Giovanna. Under continuing pressure from her manager and the public, she flees to the country, eager to clear her head and distance herself from the fact that someone is making gruesome reality out of her fiction. Not only does the terror follow her, but now someone is calling Giovanna to menace her under the guise of Doctor Dark. Will the police find the killer before they reach Giovanna, or will all this nervous exhaustion do her in first?
An unusually sincere effort from the prolific genre workhorse Bruno Mattei, MADNESS (Occhi senza volto aka Eyes Without a Face) plays with several giallo motifs and a few contemporary thriller elements, while delivering plentiful gore and dramatic slayings. Shot by cinematographer Luigi Ciccarese (Ænigma), it features a slew of Mattei on-screen regulars, including Emy Valentino (Phantom of Death), Fausto Lombardi (Terror Express), Gabriele Gori (Convent of Sinners), and an intense lead performance by Monica Carpanese (Anthropophagus II). Vinegar Syndrome is eager to deliver to you this rarely seen late giallo entry, newly restored from its original negative.
directed by: Bruno Mattei
starring: Monica Carpanese, Emy Valentino, Fausto Lombardi, Gabriele Gori, Monica Carpanese
1993 / 90 min / 1.66:1 / English Mono
Additional info:
--
BUGIE ROSSE
Television journalist Marco knows the importance of a good story, a terrific scoop, and he's willing to do the deep research to secure his reputation. When investigating murders in his city's gay underground, he doggedly sticks to posing as a man lurking in the park for night-time tricks who may give him a lead, in spite of his own marked aversion to same sex contact. Although he gets arrested after each murder, and even if he's increasingly suspicious to the police, Marco stays on the story. His connections with the paper and a local prosecutor can only keep him safe for so long, and things look dire amid increasing tension with his wife and the psychic weight of the job. But he's just come across an attractive male hustler who may provide him with the clues he needs. That is, provided Marco can uncover the deep secrets that the killer will stop at nothing to protect.
The giallo loyalist Pierfrancesco Campanella (Bad Inclination) wrote and directed BUGIE ROSSE (Red Lies aka The Final Scoop) while still in his twenties, blending the psychosexual traditions of the style with modern technology such as IRC message boards. Portraying the weight of closeted life and sexual anxiety with stylized scenes of swingers bars and dark alleys as shot by veteran Mario Vulpiani (Watch Me When I Kill), the film also features a rare score from prolific soundtrack conductor Natale Massara (conductor of Blow Out and Body Double), and a cast including Tomas Arana (The Church), Gioia Scola (Too Beautiful to Die), Natasha Hovey (Demons), and Alida Valli (Suspiria). Vinegar Syndrome ardently presents this inspired giallo rarity newly scanned from its original camera negative.
directed by: Pierfrancesco Campanella
starring: Tomas Arana, Gioia Scola, Natasha Hovey, Alida Valli, Barbara Scoppa
1993 / 92 min / 1.66:1 / Italian Mono
Additional info:
--
MURDER IN BLUE LIGHT
Top model Starlet works for some of the highest-priced ad campaigns in New York, even if part of the job is occasionally fighting off a grabby client. But she regularly drops out of her high-fashion life to secretly turn tricks as Sherry, a dominatrix and role player for men looking to play out their oddest kinks with her. She doesn't need the money; instead, she's hunting for a certain man. Meanwhile, a rash of stabbing murders keeps occurring around her. Grizzled, sarcastic NYPD sergeant Flanagan is the only one who can keep Starlet out of harm's way, though she refuses to level with him, and instead plays detective herself. When Flanagan keeps coming up with nothing, despite constantly rousting local prostitutes, he decides to apply pressure elsewhere. With creeps from both the high and low elements of New York life, and a serial murderer about, how much longer can Starlet push her luck?
A film rooted in the sleazy New York trends of Italian cinema from a decade prior, MURDER IN BLUE LIGHT showcases the ability of veteran writer/director Alfonso Brescia (Naked Girl Murdered in the Park) to jump into any required genre. Featuring a good deal of actual New York City street scenes, including Times Square, it leans into the sleaze with a twisty backstory and hints of a police procedural through its US star, David Hess (Last House on the Left). Also featuring Florence Guérin (Faceless) as Starlet, Rik Battaglia (Nightmare Castle), and Riccardo Parisio Perrotti (The Psychic), Vinegar Syndrome presents this obscure late entry in the "amateur detective" giallo newly restored from its original camera negative.
directed by: Alfonso Brescia
starring: David Hess, Florence Guérin, Rik Battaglia, Riccardo Parisio Perrotti, Sonia Topazio
1991 / 89 min / 1.66:1 / Italian Mono
Additional info:
Overall rating: 4.77451 / 5 from 102 reviews.
This limited edition box set includes three rare 1990s gialli, newly restored and presented with fantastic extras and impressive packaging. Customers highly appreciate the restoration quality and the inclusion of insightful interviews and commentaries.
Review topics: ["quality","design","box","set","packaging","sound","effort","film","artwork","collection","series","boxset","restoration","gialli","transfer","giallo","release","genre","volume","madness","fun","art","offering","murder","booklet","extras","movie","addition","trio","obscurity"].
"Another great Forgotten Gialli set. This one is a bit stronger than volume 8 in my opinion. Entertaining early 90s Italian genre flicks… What’s not to like? As always the artwork is great, and the transfers are all solid. Informative extras as well. Definitely recommend picking this one up!"
"At this point, who isn’t hooked into this series? Minus a few Spanish Gialli, the Forgotten Gialli series at VS has focused heavily on the Italian giallo film. We all love our, Argento’s, our Fulci’s our (2)Bava’s and our Martino’s but this series focuses on the lesser known or seen variety. The three films included here are ones that were low on my radar to check out but nonetheless on my radar. However, after seeing the beautiful packaging, I knew they were gonna not only be seen but they were going to be added to the collection. Keep up the great Forgotten Gialli line VS! I’ll keep coming back!"
"The ninth volume in the Forgotten Gialli series showcases three late period offerings from the 90s! Excellent transfers and plentiful extras make this set yet another must have for Italian genre fans. Like the previous 8 installments, all three films sport their own jewel cases and are housed in a sturdy slip box."
"Forgotten Gialli 9 was a trio of 90's obscurities that I thoroughly enjoyed! Bruno Mattei's Madness was definitely a sight for sore eyes. Bugie Rosse was better than expected. I love Tomas Arana! And Murder in Blue Light was awesome. Gotta love David Hess! Great story, music, kills and atmosphere! Beautiful restorations! Keep em coming!"
"VSyn continues to keep Giallo flowing into film-lovers libraries with these mediocre efforts swaddled in gorgeous packaging. The ninth volume contains Madness, Bugie Rosse and Murder in Blue Light--all from the 1990s well after the 1970s zenith of the Giallo bubble. These are fun for fans of the genre and if you are 8 volumes deep as I am, you might as well buy into number 9."
"The Final Scoop is a sleazy snoozer. Murder in Blue Light is another sleazy snoozefest. Madness is a not-bad little '90s giallo that looks like it's from the '80s. Some decent kills and special effects makeup. Considering the controversially ultraviolet diegetic comic book is a such constant subject of discussion throughout the film, I'm disappointed they didn't show more art beyond its cover."
"A great fun collection of giallo obscurities from early 1990's. Even though the genre was dead at that time, this trio shows that it was still possible to make good giallos. Great quality restoration work and interesting extra bonus material!"
"I'm a sucker for gialli, so I'm compelled to pick up every one from this series. None of the films from this installment reinvent the yellow wheel, but I enjoy them plenty! I'm especially excited for the drift into the 1990s, a period from which we seemed to get so few of these films in the US. Thrilled to add this trio to the other sets on my shelf."
"MATTEI RULES. Loved this set. But Madness was the standout"
"Three more awsome films. One awsome looking box set. l love these set's these's are Vinegar Sydrome killing it. If you love your Gialli i highy recomend top notch!!!😎👌"
0 Item(s)
