The Black Room

This special limited edition spot gloss slipcover (designed by Ralf Krause) is limited to 7,000 units and is only available on our website and at select indie retailers. Absolutely no major retailers will be stocking them.

Looking to inject a little more excitement into his life, family man Larry seizes the opportunity when he happens across a newspaper advert for a “unique and exotic” room for rent in a mansion in the Hollywood Hills. The room, draped in black sheets and filled with candles, pillows and mirrors, seems to be the ideal place in which to carry out his extra-marital affairs - which Larry promptly does, first picking up a young college girl and later a prostitute. The mysterious owners of the property, siblings Jason and Bridget, seem more than happy to accommodate the wayward husband, dutifully preparing the room for each visit. But what Larry doesn’t realize is that Jason is deathly in need of regular blood transfusions, and the pair have been abducting each of Larry’s carnal conquests to use as victims in Jason’s deadly laboratory…

Written and co-directed by Norman Thaddeus Vane (writer/director of 1983’s Frightmare) and directed by Elly Kenner, 1982’s THE BLACK ROOM is a smart, seductive and utterly unique horror yarn, offering up a distinctive and modern take on the then-tired vampire mythos, whilst doubling down on all the requisite sex and bloodletting one would expect from the genre - the latter aided in no small part by the talents of special effects guru Mark Shostrom (Evil Dead II, the A Nightmare on Elm Street series). Featuring cinematography from Robert Harmon (who’d go on to helm the 1986 cult classic The Hitcher), Vinegar Syndrome is thrilled to resurrect THE BLACK ROOM from its murky VHS grave, pumping fresh blood into this underseen horror gem with a new 4K restoration from 35mm negative elements and an unholy assortment of newly-produced bonus features.

directed by: Elly Kenner
co-directed by: Norman Thaddeus Vane
starring: Stephen Knight, Cassandra Gava, Jimmy Stathis, Clara Perryman, Linnea Quigley, Christopher McDonald
1981 / 88 min / 1.85:1 / English Mono

Additional info:

• Region Free Blu-ray
• Newly scanned & restored in 4K from 35mm negative elements
• "The Other Side of the Mirror" - an interview with director Elly Kenner
• "Acting on Impulse" - an interview with actor Jimmy Stathis
• "Getting Revenge" - an interview with actress Claire Corff (formerly Clara Perryman)
• "Blood and Black Room" - an interview with special effects artist Mark Shostrom
• "Working Their Asses Off" -  an interview with production assistant Lisa Cronin
• "Bodies of Work" - Nightmare USA author Stephen Thrower on The Black Room and the career of its writer Norman Thaddeus Vane
• Reversible sleeve artwork
• English SDH subtitles