Demons Blu-ray Review

29th Apr 2012

Finally! Demons (and Demons 2) have been due for re-release for some time. But the wait has been worth it folks. Originally we were only going to get a DVD release, but the extra time and effort on the part of Arrow Video has allowed for a decent print to be restored to Blu-ray level quality and now here they are!

Demons was originally released in 1985 sporting then pretty start of the art make-up and effects along with a solid rock soundtrack mixed together with Claudio Simonetti’s truly wonderful “Demoni” theme.

The story is simple. A group of people attend a special horror film screening at an old cinema. One of the patrons manages to cut themselves on a demonic mask in the foyer and mid-screening turns in one of the titular beast. Oh and someone very kindly has locked everyone in the building! The rules are simple. You even get so much as a scratch from one of these buggers and you are well and truly “Expletive deleted”, and then you yourself become one.

Here on out it’s a story of survival as the numbers dwindle and the threat of a demonic outbreak starts to become a reality.

The effects may look a bit rubbery, but to be honest CGI demons would not work as well. This has a great retro feel to it, and there is buckets worth of blood, gore and oozing bile to keep splatter fans happy.

There are a few extras on the release. A few small interview sessions with Producer Dario Argento (Which sadly does not delve deep enough), Composer Claudio Simonetti (Which is good) and also two audio commentaries involving the director and a mix of cast and crew. Both pretty informative.

The picture has been cleared up to a good standard and with all these extras it should help boost sales. Demons is well known in the cult world, but perhaps isn’t quite as talked about as it should be.

The set also comes with the first of a two-part graphic novel DEMONS 3!