The Vineyard is a 1989 American horror film directed by James Hong and William Rice, written by Hong, Douglas Kondo, James Marlowe and Harry Mok, and starring Hong, Michael Wong, Sherri Ball and Playboy Playmate Karen Witter.
| The Vineyard | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Directed by |
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| Screenplay by |
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| Story by |
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| Produced by | Harry Mok |
| Starring |
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Production company | Northstar |
| Distributed by | New World Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
editWinemaker Dr. Elson Po fears that he is getting too old, so he kidnaps people and uses their blood to make his world-famous wine. Asking his god for eternal life, he drinks his wine and becomes young again. A group of young actors come to his mansion to audition for his purported "wine-making film" but the seven guests soon find out the secret of his wine and must escape.
Cast
edit- James Hong as Dr. Elson Po
- Michael Wong as Jeremy Young
- Sherri Ball as Celeste
- Karl Heinz Teuber as Paul Edmonds
- Karen Witter as Jezebel
- Sean P. Donahue as Brian Whiteman
Release
editThe Vineyard was given a limited release theatrically in the United States by New World Pictures in 1989.[1] The film was later released on DVD in the U.S. by Anchor Bay Entertainment in 2001 and Image Entertainment in 2011,[2] and was issued in the UK by Arrow Films in 2013.[3]
On September 24, 2019, The Vineyard was given its first ever Blu-ray release (as a combo pack with a DVD) by Vinegar Syndrome, with the first 2,000 units featuring a limited edition embossed slipcover. The film was presented in a 4K restoration from the original camera negative, and bonus features included three interviews, the theatrical trailer and reversible cover artwork.[4][5]
Reception
editPaul Risker of Starburst rated it 6/10 stars and wrote, "So long as you don't expect too much from it, The Vineyard is good fun, a nonsensical romp on an isolated island with plenty of cult moments to satisfy certain cravings."[6] Food & Wine called it "the greatest wine-centric B horror film".[7]
Writing in The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia, academic Peter Dendle wrote that the film's East Asian mythology helps to distinguish it, but it "falls into the usual late-'80s horror ruts, preferring isolated shocks to any gradual build-up of mood".[8]
References
edit- ^ "The Vineyard (1989)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-02-17. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
- ^ "The Vineyard (1989)". Allmovie. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
- ^ Woods, Kevin (2013-05-31). "Arrow Video to release the 1989 James Hong cult classic The Vineyard to UK DVD". Joblo.com. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
- ^ "The Vineyard".
- ^ "The Vineyard Blu-ray (Blu-ray + DVD)".
- ^ Risker, Paul (2013-06-12). "DVD Review: THE VINEYARD (1989)". Starburst. Archived from the original on 2015-02-17. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
- ^ Sterling, Justine (2014-10-27). "5 Reasons Why "The Vineyard" is the Greatest Wine-Centric B Horror Film You'll Stream This Halloween". Food & Wine. Archived from the original on 2015-02-17. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
- ^ Dendle, Peter (2001). The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia. McFarland & Company. p. 180. ISBN 978-0-7864-9288-6.
External links
edit- The Vineyard at IMDb
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