was going through major changes starting in the late '60s with relaxed censorship and a truly global audience eagerly 
expecting new sensations in shock and suspense, the United Kingdom's output was no exception. As Hammer tried to find its footing in this brave new world, other indie producers and directors were testing the waters as well, most famously names like Pete Walker and Norman J. Warren. Then there are the odd titles that got a reasonable amount of exposure but didn't get brought up much after that, largely residing as dusty VHS clamshell cases and turning up at odd hours on TV. In 2024, Vinegar Syndrome collected three of these examples, two of them full-on horror films and one a mystery thriller, in the Blu-ray boxed set, Cruel Britannia: Three Killer Thrillers From The UK. 
perk up the proceedings. Like most artists in horror films, eccentric Victor Clare (disc jockey / Lust for a Vampire star 
Mike Raven) has a secret trick to his acclaimed creations: using dead bodies. In this case, he uses molten metal to turn naked women into statues by dumping it through their facial orifices, and the resulting works are highly prized enough to send buyers into fits. His son (Lacey, the melting Nazi from Raiders of the Lost Ark) takes care of distributing these statues to an art show organizer (Bolan) who decides to take his wife (The House that Screamed's Maude) and a married pair of prospective buyers (Keeling and Horror of Dracula's Stribling) to visit the artist's Cornwall estate, where the body count starts again. Is the mad artist responsible for the mayhem, or is a more complicated scheme afoot?
strong enough that even in watered down form in TV it still stuck in the imaginations of a few susceptible viewers. 
nice upgrade with a 2010 DVD from Severin which, though bare bones, offered a solid anamorphic upgrade over a title that once seemed destined to be consigned to budget bin oblivion. The Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray is is a new 2K scan from a 35mm vault positive and looks the best to date, with accurate flesh tones and very vibrant colors during the murder scenes. The DTS-HD MA English 2.0 mono track sounds fine given the very basic nature of the mix, with English SDH subtitles provided. A new commentary by Kim Newman and Stephen Jones is as entertaining and extensive as you'd expect, with plenty about the careers of Raven, Maude, and the other principals as well as the Cornish settings, the mad artist trope in horror, and plenty more. 
lot like it was included as a contractual 
package obligation. There's still plenty of interest here, such as the fact that it was directed by legendary cinematographer Jack Cardiff (The Red Shoes) whose bizarre directorial career stretches from Sons and Lovers to Dark of the Sun to The Freakmaker. Here he delivers a straightforward crime film that's been compared to a giallo on numerous occasions but really has more of a Krimi (or earlier British Edgar Wallace programmer) type of feel to it. The brutal face bludgeoning death of a woman named Diane and the pummeling of her wall safe bring in a prompt police investigation by hard-nosed Windsor interrogator Matthews (Booth) and younger soccer-playing Roger (Henson). The investigation winds through a number of characters with a particular lead involving a valuable stamp known as the Penny Gold, which is being sought by very wealthy potential suspect Charles Blachford (O'Conor) from a tricky dealer in Amsterdam. Also on the scene is Diane's sister, Delphi (Annis), who works for Blachford and was with him when the crime was committed. 
climax and a catchy score by the very prolific John Scott. Annis gets top acting honors here, while 
Booth and Henson have an endearing rapport even if the latter is photographed in a strange unflattering way through most of the film. The Windsor locations and sunny atmosphere make it visually pleasant to sit through, but if you're looking for whiplash shocks here, keep your expectations in check. Some not terribly great DVD and VHS releases of this have floated around with zero fanfare over the years, but the Vinegar Syndrome release looks gorgeous with an immaculate presentation from a 4K scan of the 35mm original camera negative; the DTS-HD MA 2.0 English mono track also sounds pristine and features SDH subtitles. Here Newman teams up with Barry Forshaw for an audio commentary pointing out pertinent credits from the cast and crew, dissecting the various subgenre comparisons this has gotten over the years, pointing out the major Windsor locations, singing out a fleeting early appearance by John Rhys-Davies, and exploring some other thrillers employing similar plot devices including a relevant one from Brian Clemens' Thriller. 
Disc two is devoted to the undeniable sleaze highlight of the set, Craze, from 
another cinematographer who had an eccentric side career as a director, Freddie Francis. Wedged in the middle of a flurry of activity that also included Tales from the Crypt, Son of Dracula, The Ghoul, and Tales That Witness Madness, this is the trashiest of the bunch largely thanks to the participation of producer Herman Cohen (Horrors of the Black Museum). Jack Palance gets to slap on a British accent and go way over the top as antique shop owner and basement cult leader Neal Mottram, who has seized leadership from its founder (a cameo by Powell and Pressburger repertory member Kathleen Byron) and conducts frenzied ritual to the pagan idol Chuku. When he isn't running the shop with his gay partner and possible occasional lover Ronnie (Fellini Satyricon's Potter), Neal goes out recruiting women to sacrifice and rob for the good of the cult while the police led by Sergeant Wall (Jayston) try to figure out the killer's identity. 
Palance as a sweaty serial killer is going to be worth a look anyway, but Craze overdelivers in bucket loads with an astounding cast whose participants probably didn't spend more than a day or two on the set. Trevor Howard sits at a desk looking 
serious, Suzy Kendall gets to wear a big curly brunette wig to play a hooker and talk about vibrators, Edith Evans talks on the phone and feeds her dogs, Hammer pinup Julie Ege gets seduced and killed, Diana Dors gets drunk and stripped to her undies as Palance's unwitting alibi, and on and on. Incredibly, this marginal EMI release in the U.K. got distributed far more widely in the U.S. from none other than Warner Bros., with later VHS releases (including a bargain bin one from Saturn) seemingly everywhere in the '80s and early '90s. After that it fell completely off the radar until a solid Nucleus Films 2016 DVD in the U.K. featuring the trailer, a "Crazy Days" featurette with Jonathan Rigby examining the film's process going from novel to film, and a massive Francis trailer reel.
Michael Gough, and more. The second track features David DeCoteau and David Del Valle in a looser and dishier approach to the film mainly singing the praises of Palance and examining the sexualities on display here, as well as tidbits about the rest of the 
cast. Some of the claims here are way off (like saying Joan Crawford wasn't in this film because she died in "1970"), but as a chatty hangout for the film, it gets the job done. The rest of the disc is filled out with three interviews relevant to the titles in the whole set starting with "Happy Gatherings" (9m59s) with Crucible actress Judy Matheson talking about the casting process, the relevance of her hair color, her positive reaction to her character, and some jokey moments from the shoot. "In for a Pound" (10m42s) features actor Richard Heffer looking back at Penny Gold, his eagerness to work with Cardiff, working at Pinewood in the day, and using his own clothes for some of his costume. Finally you get a substantial 49m39s interview with Jayston (who recently passed away) about his entire life and career including his sad upbringing, his key roles in titles like Nicholas and Alexandra, his theatrical training, and his extensive stage, TV, and screen work.