This listing is for the standard edition Blu-ray. The limited edition slipcover (designed by Earl Kessler Jr.) was limited to 4,000 units and is sold out. The two versions are identical, aside from the slipcover.
Welcome Vinegar Syndrome Labs (VSL) to the VS Sub-Label family! As with each of our sub-labels we are hoping to expand and defy expectations with the diversity of films we restore and release. As the name implies, VSL will serve as a kind of testing area for releasing genres and eras of film that one might not immediately expect to come from VS. The ultimate objective of VSL will be to see if these types of films will find an audience, and if so, pursue and release more of them…and even if not, still serve as a means of restoring more of the weird, rare, and unusual movies you might not expect from Vinegar Syndrome.
When reports of a clawed beast cause hundreds of natives to flee their Brazilian plantation jobs, the landowners send a macho trouble-shooter aptly named Rock Dean and cancer-researching doctor Andrea Romar deep into the rainforest for a steamy odyssey of dance numbers, headhunters, blowguns, grope-happy savages and one of the most infamous monsters in horror history!
From famed writer/director Curt Siodmak – scribe of THE WOLF MAN, I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE and DONOVAN’S BRAIN – comes perhaps the most notorious jungle shocker of the 50s: CURUCU, BEAST OF THE AMAZON! Starring 50s B-movie legend John Bromfield (REVENGE OF THE CREATURE), cult movie icon, Beverly Garland (IT CONQUERED THE WORLD), alongside Tom Payne (LOVE SLAVES OF THE AMAZON), Vinegar Syndrome Labs offers this criminally overlooked studio produced shocker on Blu-ray for the first time, newly restored in 2K from its completely uncensored 35mm dupe negative.
directed by: Curt Siodmak starring: John Bromfield, Beverly Garland, Tom Payne, Harvey Chalk, Larri Thomas, Wilson Vianna, Andrea Bayard 1956 / 75 min / 2.00:1 / English Mono
Additional info:
Region A Blu-ray
Newly scanned & restored in 2K from its 35mm dupe negative
Brand new commentary track with film historian / author Barry Forshaw and film critic / author Kim Newman
Archival video featurette with writer/director Curt Siodmak
Video trailer
Reversible sleeve artwork
English SDH subtitles
Overall rating: 4.20202 / 5 from 297 reviews.
AI Generated Review Summary
This limited edition Blu-ray of 'Curucu, Beast of the Amazon' offers an incredible restoration, great product quality, and fantastic special features. The film itself is highly recommended, with a wonderful transfer and a cool monster. The release is praised for its beauty and uniqueness.
Summary topics
Film Restoration Quality (6%): It was noted by customers that the restoration of this film was incredible and the print restoration was amazing.
Product Quality (6%): Customers expressed appreciation for the great quality of the product, with multiple reviews mentioning it.
Special Features (11%): It was highlighted by customers that the special features on the disc were great and well-reproduced.
Film Enjoyment (25%): Many customers appreciated the movie, describing it as one of the best B movies ever made and recommending it.
"The movie is fun and campy, and the new transfer looks great." — David W.
"The beautiful tropical locations and lush cinematography really set this film apart." — Shawn M.
"Another great presentation, a great little movie with great action and spirit" — Mike M.
Reviews
Campy goodness
"I can’t help but think that this movie was a direct inspiration for Larry Blamire’s “The Lost Skeleton Returns Again. ” If you love Z grade camp, you’ll love this movie."
— Robert W. (5/5)
Creature Feature Gets Its Due
"Curt Siodmak's 1956 jungle shocker has one of the most notorious monsters in 50s horror history, and Vinegar Syndrome Labs' first release brings it to Blu-ray fully uncensored for the first time, restored in 2K from the 35mm dupe negative. Beverly Garland is as watchable as ever, and the film's lurid Eastmancolor palette pops in a way no previous version has allowed. A strong debut for the VSL label."
— Tristin B. (4/5)
B-MOVIE AMAZONION CREATURE FEATURE FOLK TRILLER!
"FUN RETRO CREATURE FEATURE WITH VODOO & MAJESTIC VIBES. SPECTACULAR COLORS & BEAUTIFUL JUNGLE & TRIBAL LOCATIONS! DON'T EXPECT A FAST PACE GODZILLA LIKE HORROR, IT'S A SLOWER PACE AMAZONIAN FABEL THRILLER/DRAMA! EXCELLENT PERFORMANCES, WELL EDITED AND DIRECTED."
— Derek L. (4/5)
More Than the Monster Movie I Expected
"I went into Curucu, Beast of the Amazon expecting a straightforward 50s monster movie, but it turns out to be something rather stranger than that. The Amazon locations give it a great sense of adventure, and I enjoyed the colorful, pulpy feel of the whole thing even when it moves at its own leisurely pace. It is certainly not scary, and the monster side of things isn’t quite what the title promises, but I actually found that part of its charm. An enjoyable little oddity and another film I probably wouldn’t have bothered with if VS hadn’t put it in front of me."
— Antonio T. (4/5)
Light watch
"Fun, light romp of a film. Nice slipcover as well."
— Brett C. (3/5)
Pure ’50s jungle B-movie fun 😁
"Curucu, Beast of the Amazon is exactly the kind of old-school monster movie oddity I enjoy discovering through Vinegar Syndrome. It’s got jungle adventure, mystery, a ridiculous monster setup, and that very specific ’50s studio-B-movie charm where even the rough edges are part of the fun. Beverly Garland is great, the Brazilian location shooting gives the movie way more visual personality than I expected, and I actually liked the slower adventure-movie vibe. It’s not wall-to-wall creature action, but the atmosphere and scenery kept me into it. The whole thing feels like a little time capsule from a completely different era of genre filmmaking. The Blu-ray treatment is excellent too. The 2K restoration from the uncensored 35mm dupe negative looks surprisingly strong, and the commentary plus archival Curt Siodmak featurette give the release some real substance. The Earl Kessler Jr. slipcover is also perfect for that lurid vintage-poster look. Cheesy? Absolutely. Charming as hell? Yep. Exactly the kind of forgotten B-movie I’m glad somebody bothered to preserve. 😁"
— Jaskaran S. (4/5)
'50s Amazon adventure shot on location with mondo seasoning
"A monster that looks suspiciously like a man in a diseased dodo bird suit kills off a couple of workers on a plantation in Brazil. Enter Rock Dean, the son of the owner of the plantation, who gets the idea to head up to the Curucu Falls to try to figure out if this monster is real or not. He takes along doctor Andrea Romar, cancer researcher, at her request and against his wishes because the jungle is no place for a woman and, in the end, this turns out to be true (this film has, predictably, some old-fashioned views on the role of women in society). An advantage of this film is that it was actually shot in Brazil which gives this film some production value. It also gives the film, even though it's an US B-movie adventure, a bit more of a grounded-in-reality and grim shine. It would be too much to compare this to the '70s Italian cannibal films (this is way more tame in about every way) yet it comes off as a precursor to that type of jungle adventure. At least this contains some (stock) footage of all kinds of annimals and even a bit of animal cruelty (a snake strangling a mongoose). Watch out for the hilarious footage of a herd of stampeding buffalo's! The photography is colorful, the actor playing Rock Dean (John Bromfield) has a slight Rod Taylor-look to him and it turns out that the monster is indeed a guy in a daft suit (though that makes you wonder how anyone in real life would think it could be a genuine creature). It's a superficial jungle adventure with some confusing elements and character motivations (Andrea cures a tribesman, which in turn makes him her slave, and then a couple of seconds later the tribesman leaves her, with someone telling her "she can't do anything about it", huh?). The running time of 75 minutes is generous for this kind of thing."
— Tim V. (3/5)
Nice forgotten beast movie! but not great.
"Nice forgotten beast movie! but not great."
— Esteban M. (3/5)
50s Jungle adventure film
"Great scenery in this 50s jungle horror/adventure. Highly recommended for fans of this era. 4/5 stars!"
— Stephen H. (4/5)
Great
"A doctor and an adventurer journey to the Amazon, where they encounter a man in a bizarre bird costume terrorizing the local indigenous population."
— Sebastian V. (5/5)
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