The Man Who Could Cheat Death - Vinegar Syndrome (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: UK, 1959
Director: Terence Fisher
Writer: Jimmy Sangster
Cast: Anton Diffring, Hazel Court, Christopher Lee, Arnold Marle, Francis De Wolff, Delphi Lawrence

Release Date: October 21st, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 83 Minutes (Both Versions)
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10 (Both Versions)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English (Both Versions)
Subtitles: English SDH (Both Versions)
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region A (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $66.98

"In late nineteenth-century Paris, esteemed surgeon and talented sculptor Dr. Georges Bonnet is hiding an extraordinary secret—many years ago, he discovered the key to eternal life. Despite being 104 years old, he has the appearance of a man in his mid-30s. However, this incredible feat comes at a terrible cost, for every 10 years, Bonnet must undergo a surgery that requires the parathyroid gland of a living victim. When it becomes clear that his old friend and collaborator Professor Ludwig Weiss is no longer capable of conducting the surgery as he had previously, Bonnet kidnaps his old flame Janine Dubois in an attempt to coerce her new love interest, Dr. Pierre Gerrard, into taking up the task." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD, Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative."

The Man Who Could Cheat Death comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 59.7 GB

Feature: 58.5 GB

This release comes with two versions: the uncut, pre-censorship "clothed" version and an alternate "nude" continental version. This release uses seamless branching for the two versions. This new presentation will be a revelation for those who have viewed previous home media releases. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

The Man Who Could Cheat Death comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 38.7 GB

Feature: 23.9 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English with removable English SDH. The audio is a marked improvement over Kino Lorber’s 2017 Blu-ray release; it sounds clean and balanced. Range-wise, ambient sounds and the score are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include an audio commentary with critics and authors Stephen Jones and Kim Newman.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include an alternate censored ending (1 minute 9 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with uncredited third assistant director Hugh Harlow titled The Man Who Can Chat Death (7 minutes 25 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with film historian Melanie Williams who discusses actress Hazel Court titled Court in Session (17 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with film historian Vic Pratt who discusses director Terence Fisher titled The Man Who Could Direct Death (24 minutes 32 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with film historian Jonathan Rigby who discusses The Man Who Could Cheat Death titled A Hideous Concoction (26 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with Stephen Jones and Kim Newman.

Other extras include reversible cover art, a spot gloss hard split box + slipcover combo (limited to 6,000 units), and a 40-page perfect bound book (limited to 6,000 units) with an essay titled Hammer Horror in the Rue Noire written by Adrian Smith, an essay titled Cheated of Death - A Conceptual Hammer Horror written by Jon Dear, and an essay titled James Carreras: The Man Who Could Charm Hollywood written by Kieran Foster.

I have one minor complaint about this release: the pages of the booklet are too bright and difficult to read. This issue has occurred in several releases, and I hope they will choose layouts in the future that are easier on the eyes.

Summary:

Terence Fisher directed The Man Who Could Cheat Death. His other notable films include The Curse of Frankenstein, Horror of Dracula, The Revenge of Frankenstein, and The Mummy (1959).

A man who's actually 104 but looks in his 30s is able to retain his youthful appearance by replacing a gland from a living donor every 10 years.

The Man Who Could Cheat Death is a period-set horror film with gothic undertones. The protagonist is a doctor who's discovered a way to extend life, albeit at the expense of someone else losing theirs. What started as an experiment for the betterment of mankind has become a man's obsession with extending his life and youth.

The narrative does an excellent job drawing you in and holding your attention. There is ample exposition that fully fleshes out the protagonist, and additional backstory about those in his life enhances the story that unfolds. The deliberately paced narrative effectively builds momentum toward a very satisfying final conclusion in which the protagonist faces the consequences of his actions.

All around, the cast are excellent, especially Anton Diffring’s (Circus of Horrors) portrayal of Dr. Georges Bonnet, who has not aged in over 70 years. There is an intensity to his performance that matches his character's megalomania. Other cast members of note are Christopher Lee (Horror of Dracula) in the role of Dr. Pierre Gerrard and Hazel Court (The Premature Burial) in the role of Janine Du Bois, an ex-lover of Georges Bonnet. Where Hazel Court’s character greatly enhances the story, Christopher Lee’s Dr. Pierre Gerrard does not give him much to work with.

Terence Fisher, who was on a roll with Horror of Dracula, The Revenge of Frankenstein, The Hound of the Baskervilles, and The Mummy, brings his usual exemplary direction to The Man Who Could Cheat Death. Although mostly dialogue-driven, Terence Fisher delivers a handful of striking moments, notably a scene where Dr. Georges Bonnet opens a safe and drinks a potion that helps him prolong his youthful appearance. Ultimately, The Man Who Could Cheat Death is a solid horror film with whodunit elements and a tremendous amount of atmosphere.

The Man Who Could Cheat Death gets an excellent release from Vinegar Syndrome that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and insightful extras. Highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer