Shaw Scares: Volume 1

This limited edition box set (designed by Chris Barnes and Haunt Love) includes a 40-page perfect bound book, 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. The engine behind Shaw Brothers never faltered in enthusiasm, willing to blend concepts both wildly ambitious and cleverly inspired by other cinema hits. Their waning days in the 1980s were no exception, and perhaps their most eclectic. Here we present to you a spectrum of horrors from the Shaw system, encompassing everything from demonic possession, atrocities of World War II, ghost stories, rape and revenge, police infighting, mahjong competition, blind prophets, the wages of good fortune, mother hatred, and even cannibalism. Collection info: 3-Disc Region A Blu-ray Set 40-page perfect-bound book includes essays by John Charles and Keith Allison Newly translated English subtitles for all three films -- SEX BEYOND THE GRAVE When Ming, an inveterate gambler at mahjong, is given a lucky tablet by a blind peddler, his overwhelming greed takes over his life. Upon a lapse in winning, he is forced to sell his ancestral home, the Tao Tao mansion, ignoring strong warnings from the peddler. Ming is unaware of what happened there, as this home was the scene of a heinous sexual assault and murder during World War II and has been haunted ever since. After Ming's scientist friend David and his family move in, they ignore both the warnings and the various eerie accidents happening around them. When an evil ghost drags their son Nicky into a well, it'll test both their faith and their nerves to get him back. Combining heavy influences of Poltergeist, intense mahjong action, twentieth-century history, and a shocking dose of sleaze, SEX BEYOND THE GRAVE again proves that Shaw Brothers could craft singular entertainment from an array of influences. Written and co-directed by Tai-Heng Li (assistant director of Dirty Ho, writer/assistant director of Legendary Weapons of China) and photographed by An Sung-Tsao (The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter) and Mu-To Kung (Five Deadly Venoms), it stars Tony Liu (Human Lanterns), Kuan-Chung Ku (Bastard Swordsman), and Mabel Kwong (Possessed II). The winds and dragons at Vinegar Syndrome are delighted to bring you this spirited shocker, newly scanned and restored from its original camera negative, and featuring its original, unaltered film-sourced soundtrack. directed by: Chun Keung Chiu and Tai-Heng Li starring: Tony Liu, Wai Yee Chin, Mabel Kwong, Kuan-Chung Ku 1984 / 89 min / 1.85:1 / Cantonese Mono Additional info: Newly scanned and restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative Commentary track with film historian Samm Deighan -- HELL HAS NO BOUNDARY While out enjoying a seaside picnic with her fellow officer boyfriend, policewoman May becomes possessed by a murdered little girl spirit who immediately unleashes violent rage within her. While these strange powers benefit her at work, they also fuel burning, murderous contempt at all her co-workers and help her manipulate people and circumstances. As those close to her attempt to free her from this vengeful entity, the almighty forces of black magic threaten to overcome her forever.  Functioning as both a dark horror story and a study of maternal issues and feminine rage, HELL HAS NO BOUNDARY takes a possession story into realms of dread and trauma lasting generations. Directed by Chuan Yang (Seeding of a Ghost) and photographed by Chin Chiang Ma (Holy Flame of the Martial World), it stars Derek Yee (Magnificent Warriors), Kent Tong (Police Story), and features an astonishing Leanne Liu (The Lady Assassin) as May. Vinegar Syndrome is enthralled to present this demonic horror drama newly scanned and restored from its original camera negative, and featuring its original, unaltered film-sourced soundtrack. directed by: Chuan Yang (Kuen Yeung) starring: Leanne Lau, Derek Yee, Yueh Hua, Kent Tong 1982 / 96 min / 1.85:1 / Cantonese Mono Additional info: Newly scanned and restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative Commentary track with Asian cinema historian Frank Djeng "To Hell with the Devil" (30 min) - an interview with screenwriter and assistant director Lawrence Cheng -- HAUNTED TALES PART 1. Newlyweds Mr. and Mrs. Chow have landed themselves a beautiful yet remote home at Forever Garden. But Mrs. Chow is exceedingly worried about strange happenings on the grounds. There are graves for two children, and no one knows why. Who are the lovely young renters next door who seem too eager to entertain her and her husband? A disfigured man named Stephen keeps bothering her, asking for his eye back. Will she discover the plot before it's too late? PART 2. Lowly building superintendent Ah Shing discovers children playing a Ouija-like game with a saucer in an empty apartment. When the saucer reveals itself to be a Fox spirit, it delivers him a winning lottery number and a warning. His good luck will reverse unless he promises to refrain from prostitutes, using drugs, and committing murder. The lecherous Ah Shing cannot help himself once emboldened with cash, and as he begins to break his promise, the saucer spirit awaits. Co-directed/co-written by Chor Yuen (Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan) and Mou Tun-Fei (Men Behind the Sun), HAUNTED TALES is a bracing horror anthology combining two different projects into an efficient package. Co-written by Szeto On (The Boxer's Omen) and Alex Cheung (Man on the Brink), it features Li Ching (The Boxer from Shantung), Yun Ling (Killers on Wheels), Chan Shen (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin), and Chi-Ching Yang (Come Drink with Me). Vinegar Syndrome is eager to extend these chilling tales to you, newly scanned and restored from its original camera negative, and featuring its original, unaltered film-sourced soundtrack. directed by: Chor Yuen and Mou Tun-Fei starring: Yun Ling, Li Ching, Chen-Chi Lin, Locke Hua Liu, Shen Chan 1980 / 99 min / 2.35:1 / Cantonese Mono Additional info: Newly scanned and restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative Commentary track with Lance Schibi and Erica Shultz of the Unsung Horrors podcast "Adapting Liminal Home into Haunted Tales" (12 min) - an interview with screenwriter Alex Cheung & Teddy Robin