This limited edition 3-disc set (designed by Alessa Kreger) is limited to 8,000 units and is only available on our website and at select indie retailers. Absolutely no major retailers will be stocking them.
Special note: this is Volume #2 of a three part (and world first) expanding box set featuring the films of René Cardona Jr.
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 2, containing three of his violent, horror tinged adventure and disaster movies, all newly restored from their original negatives.
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Beaks: The Movie (1987 / 100 min / 1.85:1 / English Stereo):
When TV reporter Vanessa is given an assignment to cover some local bird attacks, she sees it as a lowly assignment from her sleazy producer. But as the number of deadly incidents grow and Vanessa's investigation deepens, she discovers something much more sinister waiting in the wings. Soon humanity is under violent siege from all forms of avian predator and nowhere is safe to hide from these fearsome fowl, who hope to pec and gouge their way to world domination!
A globe-trotting and action packed classic from the animal attack genre, Rene Cardona Jr’s BEAKS (aka Birds of Prey) pays playful homage to Hitchcock while infusing this story with way non stop carnage and death defying stunts as only he can. Starring Michelle Johnson (Tales From the Crypt), Christopher Atkins (The Blue Lagoon) and Sofia Infante (Los placeres ocultos), Vinegar Syndrome is proud to present the world Blu-ray debut of BEAKS, presented in its uncut international version and newly restored in 2K!
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Under Siege (1980 / 94 min / 1.85:1 / Spanish Mono):
When an organized crime group pulls the heist of their criminal careers things quickly spiral out of control into a nightmare of violence. After robbing several casinos in a synchronized attack, the group splinters in order to escape, only to be dogged by police task forces and relentless detectives at every turn. When one faction ultimately takes refuge in the home of an upscale family, it's up to the father to save his family as the criminals fall, one by one, and desperation sinks in.
A stellar example of Cardona Jr.'s prowess as a director, this film grabs you from its opening moments and the tension never lets up. Pulling from an all-star ensemble featuring Stuart Whitman (The Longest Day), Francisco Rabal (Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!), Hugo Stiglitz (Nightmare City), Antonella Interlenghi (City of the Living Dead) and Marisa Mell (Danger: Diabolik) Under Siege (aka Hostages), is a non-stop thrill ride, newly restored from the 35mm camera negative of its original Spanish language version.
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La casa que arde de noche (1986 / 103 min / 1.85:1 / Spanish Mono):
Eleazar is a smooth talking strong man who works at a notoriously sleazy brothel. His charming ways have put him in the good graces of the house's madame. That is until Lalasana, a seductive new prostitute, enters the brothel and does everything in her power to get to the top. While Eleazar and Lalasana vie for the favor of the house madame they will do anything to stop the other, but when their feud turns into a sexual fire, the intensity and heat threaten to turn all they've worked for into a pile of ash.
A mid-80s entry into the psycho-sexual thriller genre, this film is a twisting and turning tale with all the sex and sleaze you can handle. Starring frequent Cardona collaborators Sofia Infante (Treasure of the Amazon) and Salvador Pineda (Beaks: The Movie), La casa que arde de noche (aka The House That Burns at Night) is a welcome addition to U.S. home video, restored from its 35mm original camera negative.
Alex Dinamo is the top agent at The International Service and is always busy either taking down criminals or making ladies swoon. But now, the criminal enterprise, Secret Organizational Service (S.O.S.) is about to complete its long-in-the-works plot to destabilize the world with illegal arms deals. Using an international fashion show as their front, they're getting together for one last meeting before enacting their master plan. Will Agent Dinamo be able to pry away from all the scantily clad models long enough to foil S.O.S.'s plans or will they succeed?!
In this lighter action comedy, Cardona Jr. sets his sights on sending up the spy film genre. Filled with action set pieces and chase sequences, Cardona is in familiar territory while keeping the mood and pace free and fun. Starring Julio Alemán (El Tunco Malclovio), Sonia Infante (Beaks: The Movie), Sonia Furió (Aventura) and Noé Muayama (Infernal Rapist) and in a new restoration from its 35mm internegative, Vinegar Syndrome is proud to present S.O.S. Conspiración Bikini.
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directed by: René Cardona Jr. starring: Hugo Stiglitz, Stuart Whitman, Michelle Johnson, Christopher Atkins, Julio Alemán, Sonia Infante, Noé Muayama, Francisco Rabal, Antonella Interlenghi 1967-1987 / 386 min (combined) / 1.85:1 / Spanish Mono & 2.0 English Stereo
Additional info:
3-disc Region Free Blu-ray Set
Newly scanned & restored in 4K from various 35mm original elements
Commentary track with film historian Viviana García-Besné for S.O.S. CONSPIRACIÓN BIKINI
"On The Run" (19 min) - an interview with filmmaker René Cardona III on UNDER SIEGE
"We Were Wild" (16 min) - an interview with UNDER SIEGE actor Hugo Stiglitz
"Don’t Shoot" (10 min) - an interview with UNDER SIEGE actor Orlando Urdaneta
"All in the Family: The Cardona Legacy" (15 min) - an interview with Andrea Cardona, granddaughter of René Cardona Jr.
"Union City: Behind the Entertainment" (14 min) - an interview with LA CASA QUE ARDE DE NOCHE production assistant Felipe Marino
"From P.A. to Producer" (17 min) - an interview with LA CASA QUE ARDE DE NOCHE actress Mineko Mori
Promotional still gallery
Reversible sleeve artwork
Newly translated English subtitles
Overall rating: 4.450893 / 5 from 224 reviews.
AI Generated Review Summary
The Cardona Collection: Volume Two is a limited edition 3-disc set featuring three newly restored films by René Cardona Jr. Customers praise the transfer quality, captivating film assortment, and incredible artwork. The sturdy packaging and box design are also highly appreciated.
"Excellent collection, this volume had 4 movies in it so a great value overall." — Chris G.
"The sound and video are very crisp and clean, and the movies themselves are also very good!" — Paul K.
"Great collection, great price, great quality." — John T.
Reviews
Grungy Mexican exploitation flicks from
"Grungy Mexican exploitation flicks from several genres. They're all worth watching, and the supplements are really informative."
— Steven K. (5/5)
Nice release! Movies are kinda
"Nice release! Movies are kinda hit or miss, but all fun in their own way."
— Dale V. (3/5)
Great release. Love the case.
"Great release. Love the case."
— Sean M. (5/5)
B-Movie Collection
"These are B-movies in the true sense of the word. Plot and characters actions will shift scene to scene without much logic. There are some cool vibes in things like La casa que arde de noche and Under Siege has some pretty impressive vehicular stunts that can be worth watching."
— Marcus P. (4/5)
Fantastic collection of some so-so films
"Well, Vinegar Syndrome sure knows how to sell their products. The cover is a cavalcade of color splashed around to depict a bunch of spectacular scenes. The transfer quality of the films isn't always demo material yet one would be hard pressed to find better representations. It's just a shame the films themselves aren't top shelf material. I'm going to focus on the 1 title that made me go for it. Beaks is one of those films which I learned existed fairly early on in my trash movie watching days yet never seemed to find on VHS or DVD. Now it finally exists in its best form courtesy to Vinegar Syndrome who put this in their Cardona Collection set number 2. It's clear the print they used isn't in the best shape but knowing their reputation, this is probably the best it will ever look. Now, how's the film itself? Quite terrible, to be honest, but still has trashy charm. Apparently this was advertised in Italy (1 of 5 countries that co-produced this!) as a sequel to The Birds. Let me tell you, it falls short. First of all, those thinking that the mistreatment of animals died down during the earlier part of the '80s (I always think Italian cannibal films and Asian jungle adventures), this one will prove you wrong. There's even a sequence where it seems a real bird is blown up with dynamite! Second, there is hardly any story here. It's basically just a collection of different bird attack sequences happening all across the globe (Spain, Italy, Puerto Rico, Peru and Mexico) while in the meantime the journalist duo of camera man Peter and reporter Vanessa (the American name actors Christopher Atkins and Michelle Johnson) uncover the reason for the aviary turning its wings against humanity. It's obviously also an ecological message movie, which seems ironic seeing what methods Cardona and co used to get this thing under wraps. Third, and this might be the most important one, it lacks the gung ho spirit of some of the sleazier/trashier Italian and HK films of the era. Sure, it's fun to watch Atkins making funny faces all the time (something tells me he wasn't taking the acting job of appearing in this so seriously). Yes, eyes do get picked out in gory detail. But it's missing the style and over-the-top craziness that some other films of this type generate. I wouldn't exactly call it boring but the little story there is doesn't get interesting and the gore peters out from the opening scenes to just a lot of quickly-cut splashy fake blood from the violent beaks. Not all is lost. It's fun to see Aldo Sambrell and Gabriele Tinti (and a couple of other familiar faces from European genre cinema) in very small roles. The English dubbing (and dialogue) are atrociously hilarious at times. There's explosions, there's nice scenery and there's a body double of Michelle Johnson that's so obviously not here it gets amusing to see. People of course make the dumbest decisions and keep opening up windows to let the birds in. Those birds are mostly pigeons which couldn't be less threatening and docile if they tried. It's telling that during the end credits I didn't recognize any character name, even those of the main ones! If i'm being completely honest, S. O. S. Operation Bikini might be the worst film of both Cardona Collections! It's zany stuff, James Bond C-grade imitation that I had to finish in 2 sittings. Well, they cannot all be winners of course. You might think, what about the 2 other films? Haven't seen them yet, but previewed them a little bit. I would guess they are the better 2 of this set. So all in all a recommendation, if only for this being a release that you cannot find at any other company (especially if you could get it in one of their many sales)."
— Tim V. (4/5)
Can't Miss Cardona
"If you've seen one Cardona film you haven't seen them all but you get the idea on what you are in for be it birds, sharks, organized crime, and most definitely a lot of dead bodies in the wake of whatever disaster weather, nature, or bullets provide. Beaks may be my favorite violent take on The Birds, but I've never been disappointed with any of the films on either collection. If you've seen even one title from the collection and enjoyed it, I would recommend picking up both volumes and likely any future releases that could exist."
— Joshua K. (5/5)
Includes “Beaks The Movie” NOT “Beaks The Dessert Topping”!
"A childhood friend of mine surprised me recently with his raves about “Beaks The Movie” (an aside: as if it would be confused with Beaks The Musical or Beaks The Dessert Topping) which is included in this second collection of other Rene Cardona Jr. films: Under Siege, La Casa Que Arde De Noche, S. O. S. Conspiración Bikini. He had “Beaks” saved to some streaming service that provided a horrendous transfer…not to mention, as it turns out, a heavily edited one. This version is amazing. The film itself is pure garbage, of course, but it’s never boring nor dull; chock full of WTF moneys ad nauseam. It’s one of those movies that might be more enjoyable while watching stoned or turning it into drinking game at which you take a shot every time someone screams, or you see insert shots of birds innocently flying in the sky but are portrayed as menacing monsters with the aide of music stinger cues. But the absolute gem in this collection is La Casa Que Arde De Noche… This film has EVERYTHING! Violence, gratuitous nudity and sex, fire, blood, drama, action… it’s pretty amazing. You just have to turn your brain off and absorb. It’s a pretty simple task to enjoy this one. A fun collection of nonsense! Oh, and if you’re a packaging fetishist, it’s a fun magnetic counterpart to Volume 1."
— Paul S. (5/5)
Nice artwork on the box!
"Nice artwork on the box!"
— Kristian W. (5/5)
Fantastic Slipcvoer
"What a great collection. Thank you."
— David M. (5/5)
With the exception of Beaks,
"With the exception of Beaks, I thought these movies were better than the ones in the first volume. Again, the cover is very good."
— Jacob K. (4/5)
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