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The Devil's Honey - Blu-ray Review

3 beersHells Bells!  That kinky night of S&M you’ve always wanted finally has its soundtrack thanks to composer Claudio Natili’s devilish use of the saxophone.  One taste of The Devil’s Honey and, sweetie, you’re going to be coming back for more and more.  I promise.

The Devil’s Honey, aka Dangerous Obsession, begins with the power and the control of the saxophone.  The cool sway the instrument has over its impassioned audience as it builds and builds to its sultry climax in whatever song it is a part of is the main thrust of this erotic thriller.  Being that this film was billed as Italian director Lucio Fulci’s comeback after his yearlong recovery from hepatitis treatment, expectations were high.  Perhaps unfairly, too.

Everyone and everything gets their time in the sun, right?  Severin Films, recognizing this, present the uncensored version of this sexy beast on 1080p with a newly scanned HD transfer from the original negative for the first time ever.  The Devil’s Honey has never before gone down as smooth as it does here.  Darkly demented and super kinky, this little shocker is bound to get all the fine felines in the room purring.

Fulci (The Beyond, Don’t Torture a Duckling) never shied away from the explicit but with The Devil’s Honey, perhaps with nothing to lose, went full gonzo with his celebration of all things sweaty and sax-filled.  Forget Glenn Frey, man.  The sax solo performed by musician Bill Bergman that rips into “You Belong to the City” has got nothing on the muff-diving antics of the saxophone featured here.  You read that right.  Fulci – about four minutes into this thriller – has Jessica (Blanca Marsillach) up against a wall as a saxophone, played by her lover, emits tones and resonance right into her vajayjay.

You could say that he literally plays just for her enjoyment.  And that sex appeal makes sense when you consider the curious history of the instrument and what it did to dance music.  The sax was ALWAYS about modern and mysterious things; its creation – due to nineteenth-century ingenuity – is a prime example of its cutting edge attraction.  Thus, the wild and exotic was often equated alongside it.  And the timbre, no matter how untrusting the religious are of it, has always been a matter of intrigue. 

But Dan Fogelberg's "Same Old Lang Syne" has got nothing on saxophonist Johnny (Stefano Madia) and his insatiable desire for Jessica.  He takes her whenever and wherever he can and she, while pleading for reprieve, is simply powerless against Johnny’s smooth tones and soulful sounds.  He plays  the sax and she finds herself longing to be touched.  Their love affair – as dangerously controlling as it is – is a deadly one and, while performing the saxophone after crashing his motorcycle and hitting his head, Johnny suddenly falls over and, after being rushed to the hospital, exits the world.

Jessica, completely distraught thanks to the sudden release from the abusive relationship, blames the loss and her total confusion on Dr. Wendell Simpson (Brett Halsey from Demonia and The Return of the Fly), the surgeon who could not save Johnny.  Soon enough, the once controlled becomes the controller as she threatens Simpson with harassing notes and phone calls and then, because she can’t keep her shit together, kidnaps him, eventually enlisting him as her own personal punching bag.  The Devil’s Honey has infected her and she, whether free to admit or not, is now playing the part of Johnny. 

The super religious have always had their suspicions about the saxophone.  It’s the devil’s horn, they scream.  A source of pure evil, they shout.  And, with Fulci’s The Devil’s Honey, I’m sure they felt – if they even saw this flick – justified with all their stamping about.  Honestly, at the time of this movie’s release, few were satisfied with the results but, damn, if Fulci had pursued this avenue a bit longer, he probably would have enjoyed a renaissance as The Red Shoe Diaries was right around the corner. 

The Devil’s Honey, now uncut, uncensored & fully restored, is finally available in America.  Come get it.

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The Devil's Honey - Blu-ray Review

MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime:
78 mins
Director
: Lucio Fulci
Writer:
Jaime Jesús Balcázar
Cast:
Brett Halsey, Corinne Cléry, Blanca Marsillach
Genre
: Thriller
Tagline:
A film by Lucio Fulci.
Memorable Movie Quote: "Please, have a heart."
Theatrical Distributor:

Official Site:
Release Date:
No U.S. theatrical release
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
September 26, 2017
Synopsis: A young woman abducts and subjects a doctor to various sexual torture acts whom she holds responsible for the death of her boyfriend.

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The Devil's Honey - Blu-ray Review

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Home Video Distributor: Severin Films
Available on Blu-ray
- September 26, 2017
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles
: English
Audio:
English: LPCM 2.0; Italian: LPCM 2.0
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Region A

Severin Film presents the uncut, uncensored, and fully restored version of The Devil’s Honey on 1080p with solid results.  The newly minted transfer from the original negative is terrific.  Fine detail is revelatory throughout and, even the darkest of scenes shed new light on the sequence of events, all shadows remain within their lines.  Everything during the daylight is as crisp and as clear as a bell.  Colors are sharp, the gore effects are bloody, and only a scant collection of scratches appears in the print.  All in all, a very fine piece of restoration from a company that remains devoted to all things horror.  The sound, provided here by a moody LPCM 2.0 soundtrack in both English and Italian, is a strong one.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • None

Special Features:

Severin Films provides fans of Fulci with new interviews from two actors involved with the project.  They talk about their history in the medium and how their paths crossed with Fulci’s.  We also get an interview with the producer of the film and the composer – and, yeah, he mentions that saxophone solo.  Even historian Stephen Thrower and Troy Howarth shed some light on Fulci’s last great effort. 

  • The Devil’s Halsey: An Interview with Actor Brett Halsey
  • Wild Flower: An Interview With Actress Corinne Cléry
  • Producing Honey: An Interview With Producer Vincenzo Salviani
  • The Devil’s Sax: An Interview With Composer Claudio Natili
  • Stephen Thrower on The Devil’s Honey
  • Fulci’s Honey: An Audio Essay by Troy Howarth – Author of “Splintered Visions – Lucio Fulci And His Films”
  • Alternate Opening

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The Devil's Honey - Blu-ray Review

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