Vinegar Syndrome Partner Labels; January 2025
Starting off strong for 2025, Vinegar Syndrome’s Partner Label line-up has had a lot of exciting titles that I’m really interested in, including Bleeding Skull’s Disembodied, Dark Star’s Smiley Face and Magnolia Pictures’ The Last Circus.
Naturally, with many of the Partner Labels having much lower print runs than the ‘actual’ Vinegar Syndrome lines, these don’t take long to sell out (of the Limited versions, at least), so it’s always well recommended to keep an eye on stock counts if there’s things you want to grab!
Not all of the Partner Labels have a release each month, but what I’ve decided to do for these posts is continue to have all labels listed, and for any with no releases I will make note of this below their name - just so there’s no need to worry that you’ve missed out on crucial info :) It will, of course, make these posts slightly more bloated, so I may decide against this in future, but for now - this is the way I want to go!
Here are the 16 Partner Label titles released in January 2025…
American Genre Film Archive
Satan War: $28.99 ( Vinegar Syndrome )
Blu-ray Limited Edition. Directed by Bart La Rue. Limited to 2000 copies. Release Date: January 2025.
Satan War: A D.I.Y. answer to THE AMITYVILLE HORROR from Texas actor Bart La Rue, SATAN WAR is an unforgettable Satanic panic artifact. When newlyweds Louise and Bill Foster move into a new house, they're confronted by a supernatural entity. And things only get worse from there. Never legitimately released until now, SATAN WAR floats across the screen in a black cloud of pummeling synthesizers, hallucinogenic visuals, and unsettling themes.
Art Label
The Special People: $28.99 ( Vinegar Syndrome )
Blu-ray Limited Edition. Directed by Erica Schreiner. Limited to 1000 copies. Release Date: January 2025.
The Special People: The citizens of The Pink Forest stare into iridescent cubes and cannot look away. Apple, Bird, and Violet manage to break their trance. They experience the sensuality of fruit and each other in The Forest, but soon realize it is not enough. The Special People embark on a journey to bring the other citizens of The Forest back to consciousness by destroying the master cube, guarded by the formidable Overlords. Along the way, Apple gets separated from Bird and Violent, and must continue the journey alone. She encounters many obstacles, and learns that if she is to free the citizens of The Forest, she may have to sacrifice her own life.
Big World Pictures
No releases scheduled for January 2025.
Bleeding Skull
Disembodied: $35.49 ( Vinegar Syndrome )
4K UHD & Blu-ray Limited Edition. Directed by William Kersten. Limited to 2000 copies. Release Date: January 2025.
Disembodied: Indebted to David Lynch's ERASERHEAD, Ed Wood's PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE, and Frank Henenlotter's BRAIN DAMAGE, DISEMBODIED is a cinematic acid trip that blurs the line between horror and experimental art. The story follows Connie Sproutz, a gothed-out scientist who checks into the decrepit Grand Hotel to continue her experiments . . . and turn people into slime before eating them. Shot in Reno by director Willam Kersten on gritty 16mm film, this D.I.Y. passion project is filled with stop motion effects, gory body horror, and surrealist visuals. Bleeding Skull is honored to present a new 4K restoration of the original, uncut version of DISEMBODIED on disc for the first time ever—complete with a science lab full of extras and multiple versions of the film.
Brainstorm Media
New Life: $28.99 ( Vinegar Syndrome )
Blu-ray Limited Edition. Directed by John Rosman. Limited to 1000 copies. Release Date: January 2025.
New Life: A mysterious woman on the run, and the resourceful fixer assigned to bring her in. Their two unique stories inextricably link, as the stakes of the pursuit rise to apocalyptic proportions.
Canadian International Pictures
Keanu & Co: $28.99 ( Vinegar Syndrome )
Blu-ray Limited Edition. Directed by Robert Fortier. Limited to 1000 copies. Release Date: January 2025.
Keanu & Co: Keanu Reeves gave his first lead performance in 1985’s One Step Away, establishing the charm and vulnerability of his beloved screen persona while exploring the pitfalls of juvenile delinquency. The film was directed by Robert Fortier, a seasoned documentarian venturing deeper into fiction filmmaking following the success of his daredevil stunt-driving doc The Devil at Your Heels. Keanu & Co. collects three of the films he directed for the NFB’s Family Crisis Series – including Keanu’s essential debut – vividly evoking the spirit of the After School Special and its ’80s heyday.
In Out of a Job, Dan Lett (The Shape of Water) plays a young engineer who returns to the home of his parents and computer whiz brother after his promising career abruptly falls apart. In One Step Away, Keanu Reeves plays Ron, a troubled teen struggling to overcome peer pressure and his own criminal impulses when his latest arrest derails the life of his single mother (Diana Belshaw). Finally, in the shocking thriller Running Scared, Stephen Mendel (Jack Frost) plays an intensely jealous boyfriend whose spying and scolding ways rapidly escalate to full blown stalking.
Cartuna
No releases scheduled for January 2025.
Cinephobia Releasing
No releases scheduled for January 2025.
Circle Collective
No releases scheduled for January 2025.
Dark Star
Smiley Face: $28.99 ( Vinegar Syndrome )
Blu-ray Limited Edition. Directed by Gregg Araki. Limited to 2000 copies. Release Date: January 2025.
Smiley Face: Slacker actress Jane (Anna Faris), is having a bad day that is getting more outrageous by the minute. Jane's misadventures begin when she treats herself to a batch of cupcakes left unattended by her psycho roommate that prove not as innocent as they appear. She then bums a ride from her roommate's friend (John Krasinski) and attempts to cross town so she can repay an unforgiving drug dealer, attend an audition, and somehow replace the precious cupcakes. Enjoy the wild journey as Jane's efforts to get through her day prove an arduous task of epic proportions.
Dekanalog
Hukkle: $28.99 ( Vinegar Syndrome )
Blu-ray Limited Edition. Directed by György Pálfi. Limited to 1000 copies. Release Date: January 2025.
Hukkle: An old man hiccups. He shuffles slowly about his morning ritual and then takes his place on a bench outside his cottage, beside the road, still hiccuping. A goose goes about its business. Flies buzz. A cat earns its living. A runaway cart causes a stir in the village. The old man hiccups. A lovingly photographed natural history, these opening shots announce György Pálfi's Hukkle as a film that will proceed in its own way to its own destination, without regard to convention. The film is told almost entirely without dialogue, but is alive to sound; we spend observant, introspective hours in a Hungarian hamlet where nothing much seems to happen -- oh, except that there's a suspicious death... A mesmerizing pastoral symphony. Finely attuned to the sensual possibilities, both in nature and in cinema.
ETR Media
Videoman: $28.99 ( Vinegar Syndrome )
Blu-ray Limited Edition. Directed by Kristian A. Söderström. Limited to 1000 copies. Release Date: January 2025.
Videoman: So begins Ennio’s desperate hunt for the black-gloved perpetrator while, along the way, he meets Simone (Lena Nilsson), an alcoholic woman obsessed with the 80s. His and Simone’s mutual love of nostalgia draws them together. As the search for the tape goes on, Ennio’s life turns into one of the giallo movies he likes to watch…
Factory 25
No releases scheduled for January 2025.
Film Movement
The Sales Girl: $28.99 ( Vinegar Syndrome )
Blu-ray Limited Edition. Directed by Janchivdorj Sengedorj. Limited to 1000 copies. Release Date: January 2025.
The Sales Girl: When college coed Saruul takes a temporary job as a clerk in an adult store, her poker-faced indifference makes her the perfect foil for the clientele, who range from slightly sheepish and cautiously curious to downright perverse. But it is Katya, the shop's flamboyant, eccentric female owner who initiates Saruul’s journey into adulthood – taking her under her wing, teaching her the art of living, and gently guiding her on the path to self-discovery.
Film Movement Classics
Once Were Warriors: $28.99 ( Vinegar Syndrome )
Blu-ray Limited Edition. Directed by Lee Tamahori. Limited to 2000 copies. Release Date: January 2025.
Once Were Warriors: Amidst the mean streets of Auckland, Beth Heke (Rena Owen) lives with her husband Jake (Temuera Morrison) and their three children in a tenement house for native Maori. Jake’s battle with alcoholism frequently results in terrifyingly violent outbursts, but Beth’s unwavering devotion prevents her from seeing how much his rage is destroying their family until it is nearly too late.
Fun City Editions
No releases scheduled for January 2025.
Gunpowder & Sky
No releases scheduled for January 2025.
Icarus Films
No releases scheduled for January 2025.
IFC Films
The Canyons: $28.99 ( Vinegar Syndrome )
Blu-ray Limited Edition. Directed by Paul Schrader. Limited to 2000 copies. Release Date: January 2025.
The Canyons: Director Paul Schrader (writer of Raging Bull and Taxi Driver) and screenwriter Bret Easton Ellis (author of American Psycho) team up for THE CANYONS, a searing indictment of Hollywood culture and the year's most controversial film. Young trust-fund baby Christian (James Deen) is working on financing a horror film simply to keep his dad off his back. His girlfriend-turned-plaything Tara (Lindsay Lohan) is helping him with casting, and his producer, Gina, is trying to get her boyfriend Ryan the lead role. But unbeknownst to Christian and Gina, Ryan and Tara were once a couple, and as soon as the two meet again at an audition, their romance is rekindled. When Christian discovers that Tara has been having an affair, he begins to play a series of cruelly escalating mind games with both Ryan and Tara, leading to an act of violence from which there can be no redemption. Featuring fearless and unprecedented performances from its young cast, THE CANYONS is a thought-provoking examination of privilege run amok. Presented in its unrated director's cut.
Kani
Wonderful Paradise: $28.99 ( Vinegar Syndrome )
Blu-ray Limited Edition. Directed by Masashi Yamamoto. Limited to 2000 copies. Release Date: January 2025.
Wonderful Paradise: In this demented spin on the “unwanted guest” scenario from iconoclast Masashi Yamamoto, the debt-ridden Sasayas must move out of their suburban Tokyo house. In the midst of packing, the family’s rebellious daughter posts an open invitation online: “Let’s have a party!” Soon, guest after guest pours in: from estranged relatives, to jilted lovers; from drug dealers and yakuza to supernatural delights of the kaiju variety..._x000D_
With the unflinching logic of an ever-escalating matsuri, Yamamoto offers a demented spin on Teorema that pinballs until all notions of cinematic realism and common sense are well thrown out the window. Here, he casts his eye on the upper middle classes yet continues to build a version of his onscreen punk utopia (as begun in Robinson’s Garden, What’s Up Connection and the earlier, nihilistic Carnival in the Night): finding the fault lines in yet another set of zany characters that allow for the upending of Japanese propriety and decorum by way of an unexpected, joyful cinematic mayhem.
Magnolia Pictures
The Last Circus: $28.99 ( Vinegar Syndrome )
Blu-ray Limited Edition. Directed by Álex de la Iglesia. Limited to 2000 copies. Release Date: January 2025.
The Last Circus: 1937, Spain is in the midst of the brutal Spanish Civil War. A Happy circus clown is interrupted mid-performance and forcibly recruited by a militia. Still in his costume, he is handed a machete and led into battle against National soldiers, where he single handedly massacres an entire platoon. Fast forward to 1973, the tail end of the Franco regime. Javier, the son of the clown, dreams of following in his father's career footsteps, but has seen too much tragedy in his life - he's simply not funny and is only equipped to play the role of the Sad Clown. He finds work in a circus where he befriends an outlandish cast of characters, but as the Sad Clown he must take the abuse of the brutish Happy Clown Sergio, who humiliates Javier daily in the name of entertainment. It is here that he meets Natalia, a gorgeous acrobat, and abused wife of Sergio. Javier falls deeply in love with Natalia and tries to rescue her from her cruel and violent husband, unleashing Sergio's jealousy. But Natalia is torn between her affection towards Javier and her lust for Sergio. With neither man willing to back down, this twisted love triangle evolves into a ferocious battle between Sad Clown and Happy Clown, escalating to unbelievable heights in this absurd, shocking, irreverent and unforgettable film.
Memory
No releases scheduled for January 2025.
Music Box Selects
No releases scheduled for January 2025.
NoBudge
No releases scheduled for January 2025.
Pulse Video
No releases scheduled for January 2025.
Saturn’s Core
Jacker / Jacker 2: Descent to Hell: $28.99 ( Vinegar Syndrome )
Blu-ray Limited Edition. Directed by Ben Stanski & Barry Gaines. Limited to 1000 copies. Release Date: January 2025.
Jacker: In Jacker (1993), Mike Rivers is a man on the edge. After killing his nagging wife, he embarks on a non-stop spree of violence; executing unsuspecting motorists for sport. The tenacious Detective Jackson harbors an unquenchable thirst for vengeance after Rivers murders his sister in cold blood. With Jackson hot on the trail and Rivers’ crime spree escalating, the two inevitably collide in a savage fight to the death. Featuring another early and revealing performance from future W.A.V.E. starlet Debbie D. (Eaten Alive: A Tasteful Revenge), Jacker combines thick Queens accents, a skateboard vs. car chase, and bowls of blood-soaked mini wheats for an unforgettable, mind-razing cult movie experience.
Jacker 2: Descent to Hell: The pychotic car jacker Mike Rivers awakes and continues his reign of terror in Jacker 2: Descent to Hell (1996). But this time, Rivers returns as a supernatural entity who can inhabit the bodies of his murdered victims. Focusing his ire on his loan disfigured survivor James, Rivers plunges him into a surreal, psychological hellscape that resembles a solarized verision of Harmony Korine’s Trash Humpers. A New York lensed, analog grimefest with a dollop of prophetic social commentary which boasts a stellar cast including Joel D. Wynkoop (Creep, Lost Faith), Nancy Feliciano (Sickened), and Marilyn Ghigliotti (Clerks, Clerks III)!
Shudder
Influencer: $28.99 ( Vinegar Syndrome )
Blu-ray Limited Edition. Directed by Kurtis David Harder. Limited to 2000 copies. Release Date: January 2025.
Influencer: While struggling on a solo backpacking trip, social media influencer Madison meets CW, who shows her a more uninhibited way of living. But CW's interest in Madison takes a darker turn.
Subkultur USA
No releases scheduled for January 2025.
The Film Desk
No releases scheduled for January 2025.
Umbrella Entertainment
No releases scheduled for January 2025.
Utopia
No releases scheduled for January 2025.
VHSHitfest
No releases scheduled for January 2025.
XYZ Films
No releases scheduled for January 2025.
Yellow Veil
Dream Team: $28.99 ( Vinegar Syndrome )
Blu-ray Limited Edition. Directed by Whitney Horn and Lev Kalman. Limited to 1000 copies. Release Date: January 2025.
Dream Team: In this absurdist homage to 90’s basic cable TV thrillers, two hot INTERPOL agents uncover an international, interspecies mystery. A post-modern, soft-core fever dream.
January 2025 definitely has a lot to offer, and I’m finding myself more and more interested by Partner Label releases with every passing month, as there’s just so much variety on display. If you’re a Vinegar Syndrome 2025 Subscriber, then you’ll have the added benefit of receiving 50% off SRP on all of the Partner Label titles; so it’d be silly not to take advantage of that.
Are you interested in any Partner Label releases this month? If so, which ones?
Let us know in the comments below!
- V x
