Vacation of Terror and Vacation of Terror II: Diabolical Birthday – Vinegar Syndrome (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Mexico, 1989 (Vacation of Terror), Mexico, 1991 (Vacation of Terror II: Diabolical Birthday)
Directors: René Cardona III (Vacation of Terror I), Pedro Galindo III (Vacation of Terror II: Diabolical Birthday)
Cast: Pedro Fernández, Julio Alemán, Gabriela Hassel, Nuria Bages, Carlos East, Gianella Hassel Kus, Carlos East Jr., Ernesto East (Vacation of Terror), Pedro Fernández, Joaquín Cordero, Tatiana, Luis Camarena, Renata del Río, Alfredo Gutiérrez, Ernesto Carregha, Ernesto Casillas, Juana Bocanegra (Vacation of Terror II: Diabolical Birthday)

Release Date: April 25th, 2023
Approximate Running Times: 81 Minutes 3 Seconds (Vacation of Terror), 85 Minutes 57 Seconds (Vacation of Terror II: Diabolical Birthday)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Films)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Spanish (Both Films)
Subtitles: English (Both Films)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $42.98

"After inheriting a new summer home from a deceased relative, wealthy Fernando brings his family, his niece Paulina (Gabriela Hassel, Don't Panic) and her boyfriend, Julio (Pedro Fernández, Hell's Trap), who happens to be an occult expert along for the vacation. Quickly they discover strange happenings on the property, but when Fernando's young daughter Gaby falls into a well and returns with an old doll, things take a turn for the horrific. Possessed by the evil spirit of a witch, Gaby and her doll run amok, with telekinesis, terrifying hallucinations, fiery car crashes, and ample scares. Only Julio with his knowledge of the dark arts, and the help of a mystical amulet, can bring this Vacation of Terror to an end!

Julio (Pedro Fernández) is back, quietly running an antique shop when a chance encounter with singer Mayra (Mexican pop icon Tatiana) and her younger sister Tanya, brings him face to face with the evil doll and the nightmare begins again! Racing to a birthday party for the young Tanya, who is now under the doll's spell, Julio arrives in time to witness the carnage begin, but will he be able to stop it again?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (Vacation of Terror), 4/5 (Vacation of Terror II: Diabolical Birthday)

Here’s the information provided about the transfers, "Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative (Vacation of Terror) and a 35mm archival positive (Vacation of Terror II: Diabolical Birthday)."

Vacation of Terror and Vacation of Terror II: Diabolical Birthday come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 46 GB

Feature: 19.6 GB (Vacation of Terror), 20.8 GB (Vacation of Terror II: Diabolical Birthday)

The source for Vacation of Terror looks excellent. Colors are nicely saturated; image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid; and grain remains intact.

The source used for Vacation of Terror II: Diabolical Birthday is in great shape. Though there are some source imperfections, they are minimal and not intrusive. Colors and flesh tones look correct; image clarity and black levels are strong; compression is solid; and grain remains intact.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Spanish - Vacation of Terror, DTS-HD Mono Spanish - Vacation of Terror II: Diabolical Birthday)

Both films have one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mx in Spanish, and included are removable English subtitles for both films. Both audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced. Range-wise, both audio tracks sound very good.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an interview with Gianella Hassel and Gabriela Hassel titled Actors in Vacation of Terror (11 minutes 36 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with Eugenio Castillo titled Composer of Vacation of Terror (9 minutes 49 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with Carlos East Jr. and Ernesto East titled Actors in Vacation of Terror (18 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with non-removable English subtitles), an interview with Jorge Farfán titled special effects artist on Vacation of Terror (12 minutes 56 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Spanish with non-removable English subtitles), reversible cover art, and an embossed and spot gloss slipcover limited to 6,000 units.

Summary:

Vacation of Terror: A family goes on vacation at a decrepit summer home that was inherited from a deceased relative. From there, a series of strange things happen, and things take a turn for the worse when a young girl finds a creepy doll with demonic powers.

Vacation of Terror takes a few horror genre staples—an old, dark house, a demonic doll, and a creepy kid—and mixes them into a melting pot of a film where things don’t often come together as well as they should. It is almost like everything was built around the jump scares, which unfortunately are not very effective.

From its opening moments, Vacation of Terror struggles to establish any momentum. That said, Vacation of Terror is a film that relies heavily on atmosphere; unfortunately, its slow-moving narrative does not do it any favors. Other shortcomings include wooden performances and an all-too predictable circular ending. Ultimately, Vacation of Terror is a poorly executed horror film that most viewers will find a chore to get through.

Vacation of Terror II: Diabolical Birthday: A birthday party at a movie studio turns deadly when a doll is transformed into a demonic entity that wreaks havoc.

Though Vacation of Terror II: Diabolical Birthday is essentially a rehash of Vacation of Terror, the two films are like night and day. Where Vacation of Terror is dull and, by the numbers, horror, Vacation of Terror II: Diabolical Birthday is actually a lot of fun.

Areas where Vacation of Terror II: Diabolical Birthday fares better than Vacation of Terror include a better-paced narrative and more effective jump scares, and the special effects are noticeably stronger. That said, where Vacation of Terror was all about atmosphere, the special effects take center stage in Vacation of Terror II: Diabolical Birthday. Another area where the two films differ is in their scores. Where Vacation of Terror’s score was menacing, Vacation of Terror II: Diabolical Birthday features an upbeat score that includes a song by the lead actress. Ultimately, Vacation of Terror II: Diabolical Birthday is a highly entertaining film that fans of slasher films should enjoy.

Vacation of Terror and Vacation of Terror II: Diabolical Birthday get a solid release from Vinegar Syndrome.

Written by Michael Den Boer