Neither the Sea Nor the Sand

This special limited edition spot gloss slipcover (designed by Adam Maida) is limited to 3,000 units and is only available on our website and at select indie retailers. Absolutely no major retailers will be stocking them.

Welcome Vinegar Syndrome Labs (VSL) to the VS Sub-Label family! As with each of our sub-labels we are hoping to expand and defy expectations with the diversity of films we restore and release. As the name implies, VSL will serve as a kind of testing area for releasing genres and eras of film that one might not immediately expect to come from VS. The ultimate objective of VSL will be to see if these types of films will find an audience, and if so, pursue and release more of them…and even if not, still serve as a means of restoring more of the weird, rare, and unusual movies you might not expect from Vinegar Syndrome.

Seeking a respite from her deteriorating marriage, Anna is vacationing on the English Channel Island of Jersey when, whilst walking along the shoreline one wintry afternoon, she encounters a mysterious and brooding younger man, Hugh. The pair quickly form an intense bond and embark upon a passionate and all-consuming love affair, but their romance is cut short when Hugh suddenly and unexpectedly drops dead whilst on a getaway to Scotland, leaving Anna utterly devastated. However, that very night, a shadowy figure appears at the door of their holiday cottage - Hugh has miraculously returned to the land of the living, or so it at first seems… 

Adapted for the screen by Gordon Honeycombe from his own 1969 novel (which itself takes its cue from the classic horror short story “The Monkey’s Paw”), Fred Burnley’s NEITHER THE SEA NOR THE SAND is a haunting slice of British Gothic boasting standout performances from three-time Emmy Award-winner Susan Hampshire (Malpertuis) and Frank Finlay (Lifeforce), alongside a memorably chilling turn from then-newcomer Michael Petrovitch (Turkey Shoot). Released in the US under the alternate title of The Exorcism of Hugh, NEITHER THE SEA NOR THE SAND is brought back to startling life by Vinegar Syndrome for its world Blu-ray debut, newly restored in 2K from 35mm vault elements and supplemented by an array of brand new bonus features.

directed by: Fred Burnley
starring: Susan Hampshire, Frank Finlay, Michael Petrovitch, Jack Lambert, Michael Craze, Anthony Booth, Betty Duncan, David Garth
1972 / 96 min / 1.85:1 / English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono

Additional info:

• Region Free Blu-ray
  
• Scanned and restored in 2K from a 35mm answer print
  
• Commentary track with writers/film historians Jonathan Rigby and Kevin Lyons
  
• "Steering a Course" (17 min) - an interview with producer Peter Fetterman
  
• "Both the Sea and the Sand" (9 min) - an interview with actress Susan Hampshire
• "Jersey Journey" (11 min) - an interview with editor Norman Wanstall
• "New Shores" (8 min) - an interview with assistant editor Richard Trevor
• "Where Credit Is Due" (8 min) - an interview with standby propertyman Brian Lofthouse
• Reversible sleeve artwork
  
• English SDH subtitles