Shelf Rot is where I give some overdue attention to the movies that may not be the newest release but still have plenty left to offer. Whether they’ve lingered in my collection for years or I’m just overdue for a rewatch, it’s a reminder that the best films aren’t always the newest ones — sometimes they’re the ones waiting patiently on the shelf. Up today is the 4K release of Madman from Vinegar Syndrome.
It’s a VHS legend: a slasher with a guy named Madman Marz, a campfire story intro, an axe the size of a surfboard, and one of the greatest horror posters of all time. Vinegar Syndrome gave it the 4K treatment, the slipcover slapped, and it’s the kind of movie where someone definitely dies after doing something stupid in a hot tub. My first watch I remember thinking it was gonna be good in that early ’80s regional slasher kind of way—but I also knew it was probably 10 minutes of plot stretched over 88 minutes of fog and synth. I was wrong. It’s a masterpiece.
Let’s start with the start: Madman opens with a campfire tale, a folksy banjo, and a bunch of people sitting way too close together in corduroy. Within minutes, someone screams Madman Marz’s name into the woods, and we’re off to the races. It’s simple. It’s effective. It’s totally unhinged.
And the pacing? Dreamlike. You don’t watch Madman—you drift through it, like a haunted canoe ride. There’s something about the way it moves—characters walking off into the dark for no reason, scenes lingering way too long, and fog rolling in like it’s trying to join the cast. It all adds up to a movie that feels like it’s being told by someone who only half-remembers the story—and I mean that as a compliment.
Now. We need to talk about my favorite performance in the movie. You may think I mean Gaylen Ross from Dawn of the Dead (credited here under a different name), or maybe even Max the camp owner/head counselor, but no, I’m talking about Ellie (pictured below and played by Jan Claire). She gives a top-tier fear reaction that feels like it does not belong in this movie. She’s acting like she just realized this isn’t a set—it’s a real forest, and she’s actually being stalked. Her body language, her face, the desperation—it’s almost too real. Like the director whispered something truly messed up to her before the take and just rolled camera. Everyone else is walking through this movie in slow motion and Stacy’s over here doing Oscar-level terror. It’s amazing.
And then, of course: the hot tub circle. If you’ve seen it, you know. It is hands-down one of the most hypnotically weird romantic scenes ever filmed. Two people slowly orbit each other in a hot tub, not kissing, not talking, just… circling. Like two horror-themed Sims stuck in a glitch. It goes on forever. It is magnificent. I laughed. I applauded. I was changed. I don’t care how many horror movies you’ve seen—this moment will stand out for life.
This is a straight-up gorgeous disc. The 4K scan retains all the foggy dream-logic atmosphere without sacrificing detail. The forest scenes are rich and murky in all the right ways. The colors pop. You can count the individual fibers in Madman Marz’s extremely crusty shirt. The soundtrack still slaps (especially that haunting folk theme at the end), and VS doesn’t skimp on the extras.
The slipcover is everything you’d want: textured, wild colors, and a little haunted. It looks like a bootleg comic book from 1983 that’s definitely cursed. In other words: perfect.
Would I recommend you buy it? Absolutely. This is the kind of boutique release that makes you fall in love with physical media all over again. A weird, flawed, wonderful slasher with heart, fog, and a hot tub scene that belongs in the Louvre.
Rating: 5 out of 5 slow-motion hot tub spins.
Because Madman isn’t just a slasher—it’s a campfire legend that refuses to die.
