René Cardona Jr. was the king of Mexican exploitation cinema throughout the 70s and 80s, directing dozens of films in a variety of genres and taking creative inspiration from the most popular trends in American and Italian genre cinema. Vinegar Syndrome presents The Cardona Collection: Volume 1, containing three of his violent, horror tinged adventure and disaster movies, all newly restored from their original negatives.
TREASURE OF THE AMAZON
Gringo, an American ex-pat driven mad by a failed (and deadly) treasure hunt in the Amazonian rainforest, is encouraged by two novice adventurers to help them recover Gringo’s mythic loot. Setting out on their journey, they cross paths with Klaus von Blantz, a deranged and greedy ex-Nazi, who has launched his own fortune seeking expedition and Clark, another American hunting for oil. As greed and jealousy grows between the competing posses, they discover that their biggest threat isn’t each other, but the ravenous native beasts around them…and some very hungry local tribesmen…
A terrifically entertaining and twisted Mexican take on Italian style cannibal and jungle films, René Cardona Jr.’s TREASURE OF THE AMAZON is chock full of all the right ingredients: gratuitous gore (and some imaginatively nasty death scenes), cannibal natives, animal attacks, and a surprise A-list cast featuring Oscar Nominee Stuart Whitman (Night of the Lepus), Donald Pleasance (Halloween), and Golden Globe winner, Bradford Dillman (Piranha) playing along side Eurosleaze film favorites such as Hugo Stiglitz (Nightmare City) and John Ireland (One on Top of the Other). Vinegar Syndrome is delighted to present this overlooked piece of Amazonian set splatter to Blu-ray, newly restored in 4K from its original negative!
THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE
Edward, a wealthy old man, has commissioned a yacht to take his family on an expedition to investigate underwater ruins in the Bermuda Triangle. While at sea, his daughter discovers a strange looking doll floating in the water, to which she takes an immediate liking. No sooner than entering the Bermuda Triangle, increasingly mysterious events start to befall the travelers, as the group begins loosing all sense of time. And it’s not long before various members of the party turn up dead, while the strange doll develops an appetite for fresh flesh…
A strange Mexican-Italian co-production that balances adventure and survival film tropes along with touches of supernatural horror and mystery, René Cardona Jr.’s THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE stars two-time Oscar winner, John Huston (Chinatown, Prizzi’s Honor), Italian sex symbol Gloria Guida (To Be Twenty), Euro starlet Claudine Auger (Thunderball), and Mexican exploitation stalwart, Hugo Stiglitz (Survive!). Imaginatively weird and frequently jaw dropping, Vinegar Syndrome brings THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE to Blu-ray for the first time, newly restored from its original 35mm negative.
CYCLONE
When a powerful cyclone sweeps through the Caribbean, downing a small plane, sinking a fishing boat, and sweeping people off of the nearby islands, a group of sea bound survivors take refuge on a damaged boat. Stranded and with no way to communicate with land, the days drag on and hunger and hopelessness overtake the group. However, their horror is only beginning as food supplies start to dwindle and the survivors are forced to take unspeakable measures to stay alive, all as carnivorous sea life circles in, seeking fresh blood…
An epic disaster thriller made on a shoe-string that slowly morphs into an unsettling tale of survival and desperation, René Cardona Jr.’s cult classic, CYCLONE brings together a remarkable cast, headlined by five time Oscar nominee, Arthur Kennedy (Let Sleeping Corpses Lie), exploitation queen Carroll Baker (Orgasmo, Baby Doll), Spaghetti crime favorite, Lionel Stander (Milan: Caliber 9), and Italian character actress, Olga Karlotos (Fulci’s Zombie). Elevated by a lush score from two time Oscar nominee, Riz Ortolani (Goodby Uncle Tom, Don’t Torture a Duckling), Vinegar Syndrome presents this star-studded thrill ride on Blu-ray for the very first time, presented in both its commonly seen English export version as well as it’s rare, alternate Mexican theatrical cut, both of which feature extensive alternate footage!
