Available on 4K and Blu-ray August 13th, 2024
Masked people distribute gold tickets to seemingly random folks in Italy for a mysterious film screening in an old theater. During the film, members of the audience become hungry for human flesh.
Written by Dario Argento, Lamberto Bava, Dardano Sacchetti, and Franco Ferrini, based on a story by Sacchetti, and directed by Lamberto Bava, Demons is a fun take on the zombie subgenre as well as the stuck in the building with enemies trope. The film here is filled with mayhem and action, having the majority of its action take place in the theater and a side bunch of people driving around who don’t seem to make sense at first, but everything has a point here, even if these folks driving too fast and doing plenty of drugs. Everything eventually comes together in this ballet of violence and zombie gore. Sure, the story is a bit derivative, but it works and its fun, so it’s easy to just go with it.
The cast here works decently. It’s not exactly Oscars material, but the work from the cast, lead and supporting alike, works for the genre, the content, and what fans expect from 1980s Italian horror. Particularly memorable are Geretta Geretta and Bobby Rhodes as Rosemary and Tony respectively. The two of them stand out and steal a few scenes throughout the film. The lead cast, including Urbano Barberini, Paola Cozzo, and Natasha Hovey, work well for the film’s needs. The make the most of the lines they are given, do good with the scary scenes, screams when appropriate, and general act as expected for an Italian 1980s horror film.
The music here is by the great Claudio Simonetti and it works so well with the film, it’s one of those things that works great in adding mood and tension, bringing little details to life, and making the film feel that much more like a 1985 release. Yes, it’s dated, but it’s also very recognizable and something that many composers have tried to replicate for their own cinematic assignment. This score is important as it is part of a style that is beloved to this day and that still influences many in the industry.
Working within the film’s style (and budget), the special effects here are practical and lovingly gross. The creations by Sergio Stivaletti that are brought to the screen by his team are just so gross at times, the idea of the off-colored blood, the evolution of the zombies, the way they look, it all adds up to help make this film is a classic of Italian horror.
The new 4K transfer here looks as good as the source material allows, looking good, but not perfect. The audio is along those lines as well. The newly translated subtitles are looking good and seem to follow well (something someone fluent in Italian may be better at judging). The extras here are plentiful with tons of good stuff, including a Q&A with Stivaletti, a piece on Bava’s splatter work, a piece about Argento and producing, Luigi Cozzi speaking about the making of the film, another feature with Cozzi about Splatter Spaghetti Style, an interview with Argento, an audio commentary with Bava, Stivaletti, Simonetti, and Geretta Geretta, and a bunch more. This a packed release and fans of the film will love it. Also, included in the box is a golden ticket to the Metropol theater, a fun little bit that can be put on display.