Ghostkeeper, Back To Haunt You

Code Red has rapidly been re-releasing their DVD catalog onto blu (and I really hope they don't stop before they get to The Carrier!), the latest of which is the atmospheric Canadian horror Ghostkeeper.  And just to amuse myself, I decide to change the format of this review a little bit as a throwback to my coverage of Redeemer, my very first DVD/ Blu-ray comparison on this site, which was another unusual Code Red quasi-slasher.

Update 8/24/17 - 1/24/26: Ghost Keeper is back on the market, this time courtesy of Canadian International Pictures, one of those Vinegar Syndrome partner labels.  It's a new 4k scan, but they only saw fit to release it as a 1080p BD, presumably because the source is still just a 35mm print.  So let's see how much it improves upon the previous blu.

1981's Ghostkeeper is, in a lot of ways, a low budget version of The Shining.  Three characters get snowed in at a giant, closed down lodge, only to suspect that they may be sharing the space with some unearthly staffers.  And like The Shining, it's a question right up to the end of how much of the menace is supernatural, and how much of it is their mental health and them being a danger to themselves.  But it's not only akin to Kubrick's film in terms of premise.  Like The Shining, Jim Makichuk's film is a slow burn, getting a lot of mileage out of a terrific location and surrounding snowy landscapes.  And as with that film, the bulk of the weight is placed on the dramatic performances rather than effects or shocks.  Not that this cast is quite on par with Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duval, but they're pretty strong for virtual unknowns; and the film veers far enough away that this film manages to stand on its shadow as something different and more than just a Shining knock-off.

1) 2012 Code Red DVD; 2) 2017 Code Red BD; 3) 2026 CPI BD.

Despite the back of the Code Red blu-ray case claiming 1.85:1, both of their versions are 1.78:1.  But there's more going on here than just the same master being upgraded to blu.  The original 2012 30th Anniversary DVD gave us a "brand new master from the only surviving 35mm print," and the new blu describes itself as a "2016 HD Scan of the only surviving vault element."  Looking at the framing, you can tell it's a new scan because it has slightly altered framing (the blu is pulled out just a smidge further).  That "vault element," though, appears to be the same print as the DVD, as it shares a lot of the same print damage.  But then again, a bunch of the print damage has been cleaned up; and as you can see in the second set of shots, a few bits of damage are unique to the blu-ray transfer.  In short, though, Code Red blu-ray is a lot cleaner with substantially less chemical marks, dirt, scratches and pops in the soundtrack than their DVD had.  And their HD naturally sharpens some softness and clarifies edges (grain is natural here), though there isn't a whole lot of new detail pulled out of this fresh scan.  The biggest difference you'll notice between the two versions is actually the color timing..

1) 2012 Code Red DVD; 2) 2017 Code Red BD; 3) 2026 CPI BD.

The DVD has a definite greener push that the initial blu-ray corrects.  Hey, just like with Redeemer!  The green push wasn't quite as bad on the Ghostkeeper DVD, but it's still a pretty pronounced difference comparing the two formats.  The white of the snow makes it pretty obvious and easy to spot the difference, but actually it plays an even more important role in the dark scenes, of which there are many.

Then, even more noticeably, this movie has some issues with the black levels.  In the regular daytime scenes, it's not such a critical difference, but the interior nighttime scenes are a problem. To be fair, this is an issue with the aged print, not Code Red's home video transfers.  Except on the DVD, they often looked downright yellow.  So the blu's color timing makes the film look better in these scenes, despite still not being able to bring out much more detail in the image.  In the most extreme cases, like the shot below, you can barely tell what you're supposed to be looking at.  But at least it doesn't look like it was filmed deep within a cesspool.

1) 2012 Code Red DVD; 2) 2017 Code Red BD; 3) 2026 CPI BD.

So what about the CPI blu now?  Well, they're the first to really present this film to 1.85:1 for a start.  And they do it by adding a little more to the sides rather than matting down the 1.78 framing.  Grain was already surprisingly well rendered on the Code Red blu, so that's not much of an improvement; and since we're still using "the only known 35mm print" (to quote the back of this case), the fact that it's a 4k scan isn't yielding much more detail or clarity.  It may even be harder to see what's going on in that third set of shots now than it was before.  But the colors still aren't yellow, possibly finding an ideal median, in fact, between the two Code Reds.  And they've cleaned up the print damage even more - look at the second set of shots for a good example of that.  So in brief, it's the best version so far, but the two blus are hardly worlds apart.

Code Red's just presents the original mono track in Dolby Digital 2.0 with no subtitle options.  It has some hiss and pops, but nothing too distracting.  Their blu bumps up the same track to DTS-HD, still without any subtitles.  CPI takes another pass at the same mono track, still in DTS-HD, and finally adds optional English subtitles.

Unlike Redeemer, Code Red's DVD of Ghostkeeper had some terrific extras, and thankfully they've all been carried over.  There's an excellent audio commentary with the writer/ director and the two main protagonists, Riva Spier and Murray Ord.  Then both versions list a "featurette" on the case, but really give us two separate interviews, one with co-star Georgie Collins (the ghostkeeper herself), and an audio-only one that plays as a sort of mini-audio commentary over select footage by the DP, John Holbrook.  Both versions also include a couple bonus Code Red trailers (including Cut & Run on the blu).  But the blu-ray adds something new to the mix, too.  An opening scene (above) that was tacked onto the home video release of this film, depicting an unrelated character getting chased and killed, presumably by the Windigo, outside the lodge.  It's clearly just taken from a video source, full-frame and interlaced; and the director never wanted this scene added to his film.  But it's very cool to get to see it as a special feature.

Now, CPI's new special edition has almost everything from the Code Red disc.  They're missing one key feature: the audio commentary.  But they've made up for it with a bunch of new extras, including two new audio commentaries.  The first brings back Riva Spier and Ord, and could be seen as a replacement for the Code Red commentary, except this commentary is really just three interviews playing over the film.  They're not together and they're not watching the film.  And more importantly, they lose a critical voice: Jim Makichuk.  They replace him with associate producer and co-writer Doug MacLeod, who is a welcome addition.  But losing the OG commentary is a loss you really feel.  The second commentary is a far more disposable one by the Hysteria Continues guys and film expert Amanda Reyes.  And speaking of podcasts, they include an episode of a podcast called The New World Pictures about, Ghostkeeper, which plays over the film like a third commentary.

But the best is yet to come.  We get new interviews with participants Paul Zaza, the composer, and Dave Makichuk, his brother who acted as a story consultant.  Then there's a Q&A recorded at a 2024 screening by Ord, MacLeod and Dave Makichuk.  And we get a couple nice vintage inclusions, specifically a (very) short student film by Jim Makichuk (1971's Night School, above, which looks like it was shot in 8mm, framed at 1.32:1 and ripped from a non-anamorphic 240p source), and the 2013 video pitch he made for Ghostkeeper 2 on Kickstarter.  and if you still want more outsider commentary, we get a video interview with horror expert Chris Alexander, and another with Canadian filmmakers Paul Lynch (Prom Night, Humongous) and David Winning (lots of Hallmark Christmas movies).  This blu comes in reversible artwork, and if you ordered the limited edition, a slipcover.  It also includes a 32-page booklet with essays by Eric Volmers & Yasmina Ketita, plus a vintage interview with Jim Makichuk.  CIP definitely didn't cheap out on this release.

So the initial blu-ray was a nice upgrade of an already pretty solid DVD.  And this new blu is an... incremental step forward.  The PQ upgrade isn't huge, but about as good as we're going to get if all we have is the same old print as a source.  And we've got some nice, additional extras, despite the previous releases already having a fairly satisfying package, and we do lose one of the best parts with the director's commentary.  Each release improved upon the previous one, and so yes, this latest one is the best yet.  A die-hard fan might feel they need both blus, though; and a casual one will probably be equally satisfied with either one.

Demon Witch Child and Friends

So, ever since I first did a "Catch-Up" series on this site, I knew it was only a matter of time until Code Red's.  There's just all these great, older Code Red releases that need covering on here: great but overlooked DVD-only horrors and yes, a couple more DVD/ blu-ray comparisons.  And we start out with one of my favorite horror DVD, which I can't believe isn't better known and in more fans' collections.  I mean, don't get me wrong; I completely understand why it isn't in most peoples' collections and isn't regarded alongside mainstream horror classics like A Nightmare On Elm St or The Omen.  We're talking crazy, cult, obscure 70's insanity, not slick, streamlined, and glossy high production values.  This is for a select audience only.  But that select audience should be all over this disc.

Update 11/26/17 - 5/4/24: Aw yeah, now it's on!  Demon Witch Child has been restored and released on blu from Ediciones 79 in Spain.  Big thanks to Bruce of Cinema Arcana for hipping us to that in the comments.  And thanks to JMan for pointing out that Help Me... has also been released on blu from AGFA, but I don't think I'll be reviewing that one anytime soon.  😜

Update 10/23/25: Another upgrade, this time from Vinegar Syndrome. Though, again, it's not available on its own, but in a 3-disc set of Spanish horror flicks, including Vampires Night Orgy and Curse Of the Devil, which we'll also be examining here.  But real quick, first, do you need a replacement?

When Vinegar Syndrome first released this new set, the sound for Demon Witch Child goes out of sync in the back half of the movie because of a repeated shot.  Just DWC; the other films are fine.  But yeah, they started a replacement program for that disc, so you can get one that plays correctly.  Now, copies you buy from places on Amazon mostly have the corrected disc in the set.  But to check for yourself, look for that "V2" on the blue stripe of their disc[see above].  If you don't have it, contact VS.  And again, it's just disc 3, the others should not have "V2"s on them.  So having gotten that out of the way...

Since Code Red's disc is a double-feature, before we get to the neglected masterpiece, let's get the other film out of the way first: the "piece of crap" from this post's title.  It's a little film called The Possessed.  Actually, both films have been called The Possessed.  That's why they're paired up on the same disc.  Otherwise, they have nothing in common.

This The Possessed - on-screen title: Help Me... I'm Possessed - is an American film from 1974.  Screenwriter Bill Green also stars as a doctor of a sanitarium/ castle somewhere in Southern California.  He has a hunchbacked assistant, a mad woman for a sister and a new bride who begins to suspect unorthodox things are going on behind closed doors.  Patients are tortured and killed, and an unseen monster chases a nurse through the woods.  But things aren't nearly as interesting as that description makes it sound.  It's mostly long, droll scenes of conversations as characters stand around in front of a static camera.  It's just tongue-in-cheek enough that there's nothing to get invested in, but utterly fails in its attempts at humor with dialogue like, "who are you?"  "I'm fine.  How are you?"

I have to admit... I do love this location.

The police come and just... mill about the grounds aimlessly.  The premise and marketing promise sleaze and shocks, but that mostly just amounts to women in their bras pretending to be dead and a rubber leg or two.  It's absolutely Mystery Science Theater fodder-level (Season 14 show runners, take note), and deserves a little credit for trying to be an 'everything and the kitchen sink' movie where you never know what's coming around the next corner - mad scientist, hunchback, lunatic or off-camera monster?  But it's all just so flat and lifeless in execution, the fun the premise could offer just makes the film all the more disappointing.  If you're in the absolute right mood, and very patient, you might be slightly amused, in a laughing at it as opposed to with it kind of way.  But it's definitely not the reason to add this DVD to your collection.

2013 Code Red DVD.

...Of course, it's not a pristine, or in any way cleaned or remastered, film print.  This is another one of Code Red's patented "grindhouse" experiences, where the print is covered in dirt and chemicals, with green spots and lines everywhere.  It's also got a faded, washed out and soft look.  But it's still 100% more authentic and satisfying than any of VHS dub.  It's 1.78:1 (or more like 1.76 with the dead space in the overscan area's edges) anamorphic, progressive, and the mono audio, well, it matches the print.  There's a bassline soft hiss that isn't too distracting, with plenty of pops, but surprisingly robust library music and clear dialogue.  There are no subtitles or alternate audio tracks.

But the real gem is 1976's The Possessed - on-screen title: Demon Witch Child - a delightful killer kid film from Spain.  This one's written and directed by none other than Amando de Ossorio, the man behind The Blind Dead and Lorelei's Grasp.  But Demon Witch Child may have actually usurped all his other work as my favorite de Ossorio film.  It's just so much fun.  If you appreciated Cathy's Curse, oh boy, this is like its equally nutty prequel.

The premise is perfectly simple: the local police bust up a coven of witches, so their leader takes revenge by possessing the chief's daughter.  It starts off in some predictable Exorcist rip-off territory - not that that's a bad thing - with the girl floating out of her bed and a priest being brought in to chase the evil out of her.  But she quickly transforms into a delightful, balding foul-mouthed witch child, using her powers to wreak havoc on everyone in her life.  She laughs maniacally as she displays all kinds of fun magical powers and goes pretty psycho in some edgy ways that I'm super tempted to spoil right now, but I won't.

Meanwhile, everyone's trudging around in super 70's earth tones, and there's a melodramatic subplot where the priest's ex-girlfriend has become a prostitute.  The local townspeople form a mob and dig up graves, the bad-ass police captain, the parents, the priest and an ace reporter are all following separate paths to find the truth, and the witch cult comes back to help their crazy little girl kidnap a baby.

Admittedly, the pacing drags at points, with dubbed dialogue and scenes which can only be honestly described as bad writing.  The score is also clunky, though it concludes with a pretty dramatic, rousing number, that reminded me of Frizzi's main theme for The Beyond.  And Code Red clearly agrees with me, because it's the music they use for the DVD menu.  There's also a weird aspect to the DVD  presentation where the first minute of footage repeats with alternate credits over it.  Unsurprisingly, Ediciones 79 fixes that.

This print's been badly damaged, but we've got the fingerprint of the man responsible!

This time Code Red's disc wasn't the only release of Demon Witch Child.  It was included in one of those no frills budget packs of multiple films called Grindhouse Experience: 20 Film Feature Collection from 2007.  But that's reportedly another one of those 4:3 VHS-sourced editions.  Meanwhile, just like the other The Possessed, Code Red's got another, much more satisfying anamorphic widescreen transfer of a film print.  That was a nice, if battered, upgrade for its time.  But as of October '23, we've got a brand new 2k restoration clearly using superior film elements on BD (no, not BDR) from Ediciones 79, and it takes the film into a whole new world.

1) 2013 Code Red DVD; 2) 2023 Ediciones 79 BD; 3) 2024 Vinegar Syndrome BD.

Code Red's transfer looks just like their other The Possessed.  I could pretty much copy the entire paragraph I wrote about that transfer and it would apply equally to this one.  1.78:1 anamorphic, progressive transfer, with slivers of pillar-boxing down the sides making it more accurately 1.76:1.  Tinted and drained colors with washed exposure, and yes, plenty more green chemical damage all over the place.  But now, just look at it!  The framing has been tweaked to 1.94:1, which is a little curious, but basically just means there's more information on both sides compared to the Code Red.  The washed colors, over exposure, chemical damage, horizontal pinching... all of that is completely gone, giving this film a total make-over, now looking far more vivid and life-like.  Plenty of detail that had been missing is now visible for the first time... look out the windows in that second set of shots.  Grain is light and a little patchy; the encode could probably have been better.

And now we've got Vinegar Syndrome's pass on it.  The back of their case clarifies that this was scanned in 4k from the original 35mm camera negatives, but it looks to be the same one Ediciones used.  Still, they've made some adjustments.  The framing is a much more expected 1.85:1, though that basically just means they've shaved a little off of the sides as compared to Educiones' transfer.  But still, that's probably the intended AR.  And VS's encode is a distinctly improvement.  Film grain is captured much more thoroughly.  A UHD could do it even better, but most of the grain is rendered here, where it was washed out and smoothed away on the previous blu.  This new blu is also slightly brighter and a pinch less red.

Meanwhile, the DVD's mono audio is about the same as the other The Possessed; except the crackly hiss and pops are just a little bit worse.  A word or two are dropped when damage causes the film to be spliced, but for the most part, you can get used to it.  You won't have to, though, with the new blus which are infinitely cleaner and clearer.

Better still, they now give us both the Spanish and English tracks.  On the Edicione 79 though, only the Spanish is in DTS-HD and the English track is lossy.  Both are DTS-HD now on the VS.  And more importantly, the only subtitles included on the Edicione are (removable) Spanish ones, so unless you're fluent, you were still essentially stuck with the English dub.  But VS now includes English subtitles, so we have our choice.  In fact, they include two sets of English subs: a faithful translation of the Spanish track and another set of "dubtitles" that match the English track.

There's basically nothing by way of special features on the double-feature DVD; we don't even get the films' trailers.  We just get the traditional Family Honor trailer on start up and a couple of Code Red bonus trailers.  But Ediciones 79 has some real goodies.  Unfortunately, the only English friendly one among them is the trailer.  That's nice to get, but some of the other stuff is so tantalizing and frustratingly untranslated.  Chief among them is a 20+ minute interview with the demon witch child herself, Marian Salgado!  There's also another brief featurette that talks to her a bit more at a film festival, and introduction by the Ediciones 79 guys, a longer discussion between the Ediciones guys about the film, and a short horror film from 2023 called Angustias, which also stars Maria Salgado.  Their release also includes fun, reversible artwork styled after an old VHS cover, and the first limited run of 666 copies also includes a slipcover, booklet and poster.

And Vinegar Syndrome?  Yes, they've translated the Ediciones 79 extras!  So we finally get Salgado's interview, as well as the other featurettes and the trailer.  The only thing they drop is Angustias, which is disappointing, but it's still a huge win for English audiences overall.  And, of course, this release includes the other two films and their special features, as well as reversible cover art: one that features art for just Curse Of the Devil, and one that includes all three.

Speaking of Curse Of the Devil, let's get into it!  Also known as Return Of the Werewolf, this is Paul Naschy's... sixth or seventh werewolf movie out of fifteen or so.  It gets complicated, and you have to figure out for yourself what to include, like the lost film that may never have actually existed, the modern day Fred Olen Ray one, or movies where he just has a brief cameo as a werewolf.  But this one's right there in the sweet spot, 1976; and once again, he's playing his regular character, Waldemar Daninsky, following his own script.  But don't worry, this is a stand-alone story that once again restarts his origin story.  There's no continuity to cling to, so you don't need to have seen any of the others to dive in.

And it's ambitious.  First of all, it's a period piece with some attractive locations and a large cast of interconnected characters.  And it has a prologue set even further back, in medieval times, with a castle and witches and knights on horseback.  On the other hand, it's a fairly bloodless, very traditional werewolf story that hues very close to the Universal classics and all the same werewolf story points you've seen before.  The wolfman himself definitely hasn't aged well, and even for its time looked fairly hokey, but I do like how he keeps taking huge, flying leaps at his victims.  Otherwise, though, it's rather quaint, with a lot of Hammer influence as well.  Honestly, I appreciate them more now, but I'm still not a huge fan.  And as a teenager, I found them fully sleep inducing.  Of course, my old VHS tapes were mostly censored, and we get a little more exploitative nudity now.  But you still have to be in the mood for something dry with these.

2024 Vinegar Syndrome BD.

Vinegar Syndrome again presents this film scanned in 4k from its original 35mm OCN in 1.85:1, so it looks about as good as it possible can in 1080p.  Well, except for the opening scenes which are going for a sepia tint, but are actually heavily shaded in a hideous yellow, but I assume that's an issue with the original filmmaking, not anything VS did wrong bringing this film to disc (although you can see it un-tinted in the extras, so I guess it doesn't necessarily always look like that).  Film grain is softer than it was on Demon Witch Child, and the image as a whole is maybe a pinch softer, but otherwise they're both comparable and excellent, with great colors, contrast and a lifelike image.

And, like the other two films in this set, VS has really done right by this film in terms of language options.  We get both the Spanish and English mono tracks in DTS-HD, again with our choice of subtitles and dubtitles.  We even get both the English and Spanish opening credits.

Speaking of nice bonuses, there are more goodies for sure.  First, we get the vintage Paul Naschy interview from the old Anchor Bay DVD.  Then, we get a new interview with his son and another interview with Angel Sala, the expert interviewed for the other two films.  Plus, we get an alternate clothed version of one of the film's nude scenes (that sheet isn't covering up so much in the international version of the film that we get).  And finally, there's the theatrical trailer.  So basically all three films get roughly 45 minutes of extras, including interviews with one of the movie's stars, and some experts/ affiliates elucidating the history.  It's a great set.

Code Red's presentations sure beat our dodgy, old fullscreen VHS transfers, but they were what they were direct, unrestored standard def scans from a pair of beat up old film prints.  But time has been kind, and we now have all these films looking much better in HD.  Or at least the Spanish ones; I still haven't brought myself to check out Help Me... I'm Possessed's blu, but from what I understand, it looks a lot rougher than these BDs.

The Vampires Night Orgy, Still Featuring Zero Orgies

Why do I love pitting Mill Creek against Code Red so much? I think because you know there's going to be a really sizable difference, and that's always fun. This isn't one of those, "no, if you magnify the actress's hair to 300%, you can see the compression is slightly better in the shadows" situations. I mean, those are worth doing, too, if you're trying to decide between two recent releases, and I already know I've got some close call blu-ray vs. blu-ray comparisons coming up. But tonight I'm looking for something drastic. Tonight I'm looking at Code Red's brand new HD transfer of The Vampires Night Orgy versus Mill Creek's release included in their Pure Terror 50(!) movie DVD pack.

Update 12/21/15 - 10/19/25: VNO upgraded to 4k?!  Well, it's a 4k scan on a 1080p disc, but still - who'da thunk it?  And it's almost (not quite) as drastic a comparison.

Don't let the title fool you; there's no orgy in this movie. It's not a campy movie, it's not a softcore sex movie, and it's light-years away from Nudist Colony Of the Dead or any of those similarly outrageously titled flicks. It's actually an earnest, serious, genuinely creepy and atmospheric horror movie. You can't blame shady American distributors for saddling it with an inappropriate cash-in title, though; it's a direct translation of the film's original Spanish title, La orgía nocturna de los vampiros. But it's actually a fairly smart, subtle film. It's not full of gore or special effects at all, but it's still tightly paced and thoroughly engaging. The dubbing doesn't do it any favors, but the best performances still shine through, and the story itself pulls off being both scary and fun as a group of tourists find out the small village they're staying in is populated entirely by vampires.

Vampires Night is another film by Leon Klimovsky, a film he made in 1974, shortly before The People Who Own the Dark, so it makes sense that Code Red was currently selling the two blus as part of the same bundle of brand new releases. Code Red had previously released it on DVD in 2013 as a double bill with another Klimovsky film, Dr. Jekyll vs. the Werewolf. Before that, it had been languishing in unenforced copyright hell on tons of public domain DVD releases, including of course, Mill Creek's. But now that Code Red is sadly no longer with us, who but Vinegar Syndrome has picked up the mantle, restoring this film to 4k in a 3-disc set of Spanish horror, along with Demon Witch Child and Paul Naschy's Curse Of the Devil.

1) 2010 Mill Creek DVD; 2) 2015 Code Red BD; 3) 2024 Vinegar Syndrome BD.

Give Mill Creek credit; they preserved the film's 2.35:1 aspect ratio.  Well, almost.  It's 2:30:1; and Code Red's is 2.34:1.  That's a pleasant surprise.  But before we get carried away, it's non-anamorphic (I left the negative space around the second Mill Creek shot so you can see) and looks like mud. Also the colors are washed, and it has a little less picture on all four sides. Code Red's blu is infinitely crisper, more colorful and detailed.  On Mill Creek's disc, it's hard to tell what's happening in the night scenes, which is rough because creeping around at night is more than half of this picture. But on Code Red's blu you really appreciate how well lit the night scenes are; it's actually very impressive.  And Vinegar Syndrome's new 4k scan is another leap forward.  The colors are much more natural (Code Red's is very blue), and for the record, it's exactly 2.35:1, and there's even more detail in the shadowed areas.  This was scanned from the original 35mm camera negative; and I'd guess Code Red was taken from a print.

Code Red bumps up Mill Creek's English mono track to DTS-HD, and it's clear and robust for the most part, but the music suffers and breaks up at high volume points.  The music definitely takes a hit.  It sounds better on VS's DTS-HD track, but it's still a little rough, which is probably more down to the film itself rather than the disc.

More excitingly, Vinegar Syndrome has also included the original Spanish audio, also in DTS-HD.  The sound on this one is a little less tinny.  But more importantly, we finally get both language options.  And VS has included two sets of subtitles: a faithful translation of the original Spanish track and one that transcribes the English dub.

Extras-wise, there had never been anything but the theatrical trailer, though it's kind of a fun one, so worth I'm glad they included it. Mill Creek, of course, has nothing.

But now Vinegar Syndrome has walked onto the field, things are different.  First and foremost is an interview with star Jack Taylor.  He reminds us this was over fifty years ago and he's starred in many movies, so unfortunately he doesn't have too many memories to share.  But he still has a few interesting things to say, and it's definitely nice to hear from him.  Next up is expert Ángel Sala, who gives us a casual backstory of this film's history, though it's obvious he hasn't watched this film in a long time, stating that we don't know why Fernando Bilbao's character is killing people, even though it's spelled out explicitly multiple times in the story.  And finally we have Victor Matellano, a contemporary Spanish horror director who fills in some more historical details, bolstered by the fact that he's actually met Klimovsky.  All told, it's about 45 minutes worth of stuff that's definitely worth the watch, especially since this film is so little known.  Disappointingly, VS has dropped the trailer, but they offer reversible cover art that incorporates all three films in the set.

One last point is that while there's no orgy in this film, there are a few bits of nudity. Apparently, there is an alternate version where those scenes were re-shot with clothing, so they could sell it in different markets. Although even the clothed version has a bit of nudity in it (the peeping tom scene at about the 37 minute mark). But still, fans always want to know, is this the clothed or unclothed version of the film? Well, I'm happy to report both the Code Red and Vinegar Syndrome blus have the nude scenes.  It's a bit of a shame VS didn't include the clothed scenes as an extra, since they did that for another film in their set, but we can use the Mill Creek DVD to see the difference:

Ultimately, I'd recommend this movie to pretty much anyone. I'd always passed over the film because of its title and it didn't seem to have many people speaking up for it. I was half expecting some kind of cheapo Wrestling Women Vs. The Aztec Mummy piece of junk, but it's actually a quite well-crafted traditional horror movie with some surprises, fantastic locations and fun moments. The way the townspeople swarm on a victim is sometimes almost like a zombie movie. And Vinegar Syndrome has definitely come up with the best edition of the film to date, treating all three films in its set with the most respect, so this is a great one to roll the dice on and blind buy.