The Vineyard (1989)

World famous winemaker Elson Po invites several actors to his estate to audition for a movie he's financing. Little did they know, there is no movie, and Po hides a deadly secret.

Directors:

James Hong, William Rice

Writers:

James Hong (screenplay), James Hong (story)

Stars:

James Hong, Karen Lorre, Michael Wong

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Hong	...	Dr. Elson Po
Karen Lorre	...	Jezebel Fairchild (as Karen Witter)
Michael Wong	...	Jeremy Young
Lars Wanberg	...	Lucas Carroll (as Lars Wangberg)
Cheryl Madsen	...	Nancy Stone
Cheryl Lawson	...	Claudia Lee
Rue Douglas	...	Brad Fuller
Sean P. Donahue	...	Brian Whitman
Sherri Ball	...	Celeste Jones
Karl-Heinz Teuber	...	Paul Edmonds
Ruth Lin	...	Lois
Harry Mok	...	Warrior (as Michael Quion)
Lissa Zappardino	...	Tina Po
Mark De Alessandro	...	Mark (Mechanic)
Vivian Lee	...	Mother Po

Storyline

Dr. Elson Po is one of the world's most famous wine growers. He has a magic potion which has kept him handsome and alive during the centuries. However, lately the magic which rejuvenates him seem to be less and less effective. As a side project he make movies and invites a group of young, aspiring actors to his private island for a party, believing that the young, handsome actress Jezebel can be his new source of life.

---

Plot Keywords:

panties | voyeur | voyeurism | bare breasts | snake in anus | 

---

Taglines:

An island of death fueled by the blood of its victims.

---

Genres:

Horror

---

Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is Michael Wong's Hollywood/American film debut, the same actor who was involved in numerous Hong Kong movies such as "Legacy of Rage" (1986) and "In the Line of Duty 4" (1989).

---

Quotes

Brian Whitman: They taste like spiders!

---

Crazy Credits

During the closing credits, when they come to the "Thanks to..." section, it reads "Dr. Elson Po thanks..."

---

Connections

Spoofs Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

---

Soundtracks

PO'S BOOGIE
Written & Performed by Eddy Goldfarb and Bruce Tambling

User Reviews

No More...I'm Full

James Hong writes, directs, and stars in this appalling film about a mad doctor/wine grower/movie producer living on an island and having young, physically attractive men and women come to his island so he can either kill them or hang them up by handcuffs in his winery. Naturally, one, Karen Witter, a hot little blonde, is there to be his hypnotized bride. Whew! Hong prays to some Chinese god which has given him some ability to live forever. What the bodies of the visitors have to do with the wine is never explained. Nor is why zombies rise on the island. Nor is virtually anything of noteworthy status. The script just plain sucks! The special effects are bad as we see Hong get old(a rubbery mask perhaps), or some super-imposed green eyes are given to him, or scenes showing physical changes are just edited and pieced together rather than shot in one take or cleverly edited for the purpose of continuity. The acting is awful. Hong is a decent actor but not with this crap. The rest are just pretty faces with seemingly little behind those faces and bodies. Clichéd characters abound...some trying to be funny. Nothing is very original about the way things are done in terms of the horror aspects of the film. A bad movie no matter how you try to spin it. Although of Chinese subject matter, The Vineyard left me quite full. I certainly wasn't in the mood for anymore in an hour. Perhaps a 100 years from now. No way!

Details

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 July 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Vineyard

Filming Locations:

Dunsmuir House & Gardens - 2960 Peralta Oaks Court, Oakland, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Trans Atlantic Entertainment, Vineyard Partners Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1