Search - Demons on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Not For Children, Adult Language, Gore Movie Release: 1985 DVD Release: 03/16/1999 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 28 mins Studio: Anchor Bay Members Wishing: 3 Genres: Horror, Supernatural Horror See Also: Demons [Special Edition]

Italian horror auteur Dario Argento produced and co-wrote (with director Lamberto Bava) this gory, nightmarish horror film set almost entirely within the "Metropol," a huge, cathedral-like Berlin cinema showing an invitation-only screening of a rather lame slasher film. The difference, of course, is that the cheap scares on the Metropol's screen are child's play compared to the horrors which soon emerge to lay hold of the unsuspecting filmgoers: when a young woman is scratched by part of a display in the theatre lobby, she begins to mutate into a fanged, slavering creature who then attacks other audience members, spreading the demonic infection until only a handful of survivors are forced to combat rampaging armies of inhuman beasts, making the latter portion of the film resemble Night of the Living Dead. A handful of sequels followed; there's a little "reward" for those who stick around for the end credits. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

Natasha Hovey - Cheryl
Urbano Barberini - George
Fiore Argento - Hanna
Nicoletta Elmi

Lamberto Bava's masterwork arrives on DVD in an attractive package with some decent extra features thanks to Anchor Bay Entertainment.
Presented as an addition to Anchor Bay's Dario Argento Collection, (Argento served as producer instead of director on this outing), this disc will have longtime fans of the film celebrating the demise of their well-worn VHS copies in the face of this notably higher quality presentation of the film. Attractively letterboxed at the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.66:1, the transfer is clean, clear, and free of debris or notable artifacting. Even in the film's plentiful dark scenes, blacks appear solid, with colors and skin tones vivid and well represented. The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack emphasizes the film's thundering soundtrack, while voices and ambient sound are full, clear, and satisfying. The spooky and easy-to-navigate title menu may even elicit a jump or two out of the unexpecting viewer.
Offering such special features as a theatrical trailer; a behind-the-scenes segment; and an audio commentary by director Bava, special effects technician Sergio Stivaletti, and journalist Loris Curci, it is the commentary track that stands out as the most informative and satisfying feature here. Speaking in (mostly) Italian and English (with Curci translating the more detailed Italian-language passages), Bava discusses his longtime relationship with producer Argento, the current status of Italian horror, and some possible causes of its recent lag in creativity. Stivaletti offers fascinating insight into the use of traditional special effects in contrast to the current prominence of digital effects. The behind-the-scenes segment, in which viewers are taken into Argento's Profondo Rosso museum, is entertaining but all too short. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide