{"id":29240,"date":"2024-08-14T00:52:58","date_gmt":"2024-08-14T07:52:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=29240"},"modified":"2024-08-14T00:52:58","modified_gmt":"2024-08-14T07:52:58","slug":"blasts-from-the-past-4k-ultra-hd-review-demons-1985","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=29240","title":{"rendered":"Blasts from the Past! 4K Ultra HD Review: DEMONS (1985)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This 4K Ultra HD release is currently available from\nSynapse Films. It can also be purchased as a standalone Blu-ray.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A few years back in 2021, Synapse released a wonderful \u201cSpecial\nEdition\u201d Blu-ray box set of Demons<\/em> and its sequel, Demons 2<\/em>. I\nreviewed the Blu-ray package and it was so good that it was hard to imagine a better\nversion ever being released. Naturally, it sold out quickly and has been hard\nto find since then. Thanks to Synapse, you can now pick up \u201cStandard Edition\u201d 4K\nUltra HD disc or Blu-rays of these films individually. Despite the name, there\u2019s\nnothing standard about these discs, which contain all the supplemental material\nfrom the past edition. It\u2019s incredible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But first, a little history on the picture itself. If you\nwere a kid back in the 80s who liked horror, the video store was likely your\nfavorite place in the world. Seemingly every week, new genre titles would\nappear on shelves out of the blue, just waiting to be picked up. Many of the\nflicks were, well, quite poor, but as a youth it was hard to resist giving just\nabout any terror title a rental. During this period, the country of Italy had\nmade a name for itself as an impressive producer of genre flicks, thanks to\ncult filmmakers like Dario Argento (Deep Red<\/em>, Suspiria<\/em>) and\nLucio Fulci (Zombie<\/em>, The Beyond<\/em>). By this period, Argento\nwas so well known that he could sell a horror flick on his name alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Demons<\/em> (1985) and Demons 2<\/em> (1986)\nwere directed by Lamberto Bava (son of famed Italian horror movie director\nMario Bava), but both were co-written and produced by Dario Argento. In fact,\nArgento\u2019s name was printed on the film\u2019s poster in bold letters almost as large\nas the title. The advertising approach ultimately worked and the movies were a\nhit both in their homeland and abroad (although in North America, its success\ncame primarily through VHS sales and rentals). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Demons<\/em>\u00a0certainly made an impression on me as a youngster. Also known as\u00a0Demoni<\/em>, this feature tells the story of two friends (Natasha Hovey and Paola Cozzo) who receive horror movie preview tickets from a strange man (Michele Soavi) at a Berlin train station. They decide to attend the event and meet up with several eccentric patrons, including love interests, as well as a pimp and his hookers, a blind man and his adulterous wife, and even some cocaine-sniffing punks. As the movie unspools onscreen, the horror extends into the theater itself. It seems that the props on display in the lobby are capable of transforming the theatergoers into real, fast-moving demonic monsters. Those who aren\u2019t turned immediately are forced to fight their way to safety. Even more trouble arises when they realize they have all been locked inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It\u2019s a very simple story with little to no fat on its bones,\nfocused entirely on action as the group are pursued and slain through the\ncinema while searching for a way out. Some of the acting (or, more to the\npoint, English dubbing) is amusingly less-than-stellar, but the technical specs\nare excellent and the pacing is perfect. The movie looks far more slickly shot\nand edited than other films of its era, with impressive camera moves, as well\nas strikingly lit scenes with vibrant colors that bounce off of the screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, Sergio Stivaletti\u2019s make-up effects are\nmemorably gruesome and there are some phenomenal transformation sequences. The\nmovie also includes a few nasty attacks, including tearing flesh and\neye-gougings that\u2019ll \u201cgross out\u201d most viewers. Additionally, there\u2019s a\nmemorable climax in which a motorcycle sitting in the lobby is used by the\nprotagonists to ride around and fight back against the monsters. The logic of\nthe story doesn\u2019t hold up at all and it\u2019s extremely gory, but it doesn\u2019t ever\nmatter. Despite the gruesomeness, it\u2019s strangely good-natured and I can\u2019t help\nbut love the film. This is a wild and crazy ride and the movie works\nexceptionally well in that regard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Yes, the transfer on the previous Blu-ray (remastered in 4K from\nthe original camera negative) was outstanding, but to actually see this full 4K\nUltra HD version is even better. There\u2019s a very fine level or grain here that\nis barely noticeable and everything looks as clear and sharp as possible. It\u2019s\nincredible and the look of the movie really is something of a marvel given the\nfilm\u2019s low-budget. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As with the previous version, you also get two versions of\nthe film. There is the extra-gory full-length cut in English and Italian, as\nwell as the shorter US version that features some alternate dubbing and sound\neffects. Obviously, viewers will be purchasing this title to watch the complete\nversions, but for those who remember renting the movie on VHS, it\u2019s great to\nhave the option of watching the alternate cut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The bonuses for this single film edition have all been ported\nover and are stellar. There\u2019s a fantastic commentary\nfeaturing director Lamberto Bava, special-effects artist Sergio Stivaletti,\ncomposer Claudio Simonetti (from the band Goblin<\/em>) and cast member\nGeretta Geretta (who plays the first character to turn into a demon and hunt\ndown fellow moviegoers). It\u2019s a friendly and informal chat, but many\ninteresting questions are addressed about the movie and how it was made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the funny details include the fact that the\ncostuming department had to make far more sets of clothes for the cast of than\nnormal because of the constant blood being sprayed around the set. Bava also\ntalks about how the crew managed to move a large helicopter into a real movie\ntheater to shoot the climax, as well as his experiences working with Dario\nArgento. Composer Claudio Simonetti comments on his memorable score and what\ninspired the up-tempo, dance-inspired sound. The track is a great listen and\noffers plenty of great trivia from the participants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There\u2019s also a second audio commentary featuring the\nco-hosts of the Hell\u2019s Belles<\/em> podcast. Clearly, they\u2019re both\nbig fans of the movie and talk about why they enjoy the Demons<\/em> series\nso much. They offer their analysis of story elements as well as some of the\nthemes running through the movies. There are some intriguing ideas expressed.\nAlthough, while some of the concepts about how the viewing public consumes and\nare influenced by media may have been intended, other assertions sound like a\nbit of a stretch. Still, these critics are both entertaining to listen to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further extras include an excellent, informative visual\nessay on Dario Argento\u2019s career as a producer and the titles he helped get made\n(including a couple of his own) under his DAC film company. It largely deals\nwith the filmmaker\u2019s early success and how he used it to help get some projects\noff the ground, including co-financing George A. Romero\u2019s 1978 zombie\nepic, Dawn of the Dead<\/em>. The spot also details his brother Claudio\nArgento\u2019s experience as a producer and assistance behind the scenes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A discussion with Argento himself is included too, and he is\nvery frank about his experiences as a producer. Essentially, he notes that he\nwas certainly pleased to help others out in creating their films, but maintains\nthat he never really enjoyed being a producer. And there is a second featurette\nwith Argento in which he specifically discusses his work on the Demons<\/em> series.\nIt\u2019s very enlightening and these bonuses give more details about a lesser-known\naspect of famed moviemaker\u2019s career. Additionally, there is an interview with\ncomposer Claudio Simonetti, another feature on the songs licensed and used in\nthe film, as well as plenty of publicity materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, yes, if you missed the original Synapse Films now out-of-print 4K Ultra HD or Blu-ray double-feature box (or only want the first movie in the series), you can now pick it up. Or, if you enjoy Italian genre films or the work on Dario Argento, you should purchase it. And if you simply appreciate horror movies that are utterly bonkers yet stylish and employ incredible practical make-up effects, this is also for you. \\<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 4K Ultra HD edition of Demons<\/em> is a winner.   <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This 4K Ultra HD release is currently available from Synapse Films. It can also be purchased as a standalone Blu-ray. A few years back in 2021, Synapse released a wonderful \u201cSpecial Edition\u201d Blu-ray box set of Demons and its sequel, Demons 2. I reviewed the Blu-ray package and it was so good that it was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":29246,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[117,206,215,300,2923,2936,3365,4990,5200,5686,5693,5694,5695,5701,5702,10042,12048,14197,19488],"class_list":["post-29240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dvdblu-ray-reviews","tag-117","tag-206","tag-215","tag-4k-ultra-hd","tag-blasts-from-the-past","tag-blasts-from-the-past-4k-ultra-hd-review","tag-box-set","tag-cult-movies","tag-dario-argento","tag-demons","tag-demons-4k-ultra-hd","tag-demons-4k-ultra-hd-review","tag-demons-film-review","tag-demons-movie-review","tag-demons-review","tag-italy","tag-lamberto-bava","tag-monster-movie","tag-synapse-films"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29240","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29240"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29240\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}