Long before zombies were running in 24 Days Later, there was Demons, a cheesy, neon-lit spectacle of Video Nasty delight as coke-fueled punks find themselves outnumbered by a whole lot of quick-moving lime green spewing demons who are just aching for a damn good time as Billy Idol plays in the background.

If I am to ever face the end of the world by a sudden invasion of skull-chomping demons, I can only hope to face it within the walls of a movie theater; my second home.  That’s what happens in Lamberto Bava’s Demons, a cult classic from 1985 which is now newly minted in 4K thanks to Synapse Films.  The film is incredibly loopy as a metal face-masked man starts handing out tickets to the Metropol, a theater in Berlin and, after stalking some of the guests, winds up with a packed house . . .

. . . with which to terrify.  This is a film within a film as the packed house starts watching a horror film and then - thanks to a scratch received by Rosemary (Geretta Giancarlo) - a whole bunch of the guests become infected with a demon-transforming virus while watching a movie about  about four teenagers discovering Nostradamus’ tomb and also becoming infected with the same virus!

While certainly weird and wild, Demons is also a headbanging good time that is full of some of the best examples of practical effects to ever grace Italian cinema.  It’s certainly not scary but the film operates without the tension element thanks to the ample gore, a great soundtrack, and some wild situations which includes snorting cocaine from a can of coke and off the bare breasts of a young punk who just aims to please the people around her.

Produced by Dario Argento and featuring a whole lot of lighting cues which seem to be straight out of Suspiria, Demons is a splatterhouse offering of creature feature delight which has aged incredibly well.  The film is worth every ounce of praise it’s received over the years and, thanks to the work from Synapse Films, who remastered Demons in 4K from the original camera negative and offer fans two versions - the original Italian cut and a shorter U.S. version.

There are also a truckload of special features which offer fans a complete look at the making of the film. These include a number of solid commentaries, a wonderfully descriptive visual essay on Dario Argento as a producer, and an interview with composer Claudio Simonetti

A spaghetti horror film?  In 4K?  Yes, please!

Standard Edition / 4K UltraHD

Home Video Distributor: Synapse Films
Available on Blu-ray - August 13, 2024
Screen Formats: 1.66:1
Subtitles: English SDH
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0; Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Discs: 4K Ultra HD single-disc set
Region Encoding: 4K region-free

THEY WILL MAKE CEMETERIES THEIR CATHEDRALS, AND CITIES WILL BE YOUR TOMBS!  From the minds of Dario Argento and Lamberto Bava comes the horrific Heavy Metal splatter film classic, DEMONS! Presented in a stunning new high-definition transfer and re-mastered audio!  A strange masked man offers tickets to a horror movie sneak preview at the mysterious Metropol cinema. When a patron is accidentally scratched by a prop displayed in the lobby, she transforms into a flesh-ripping demon! One by one, the audience members mutate into horrible creatures hell-bent on destroying the world. Can anyone escape this gory orgy of terror?  Features an amazing soundtrack of ‘80s rock/heavy metal by Billy Idol, Scorpions, Motley Crue, Accept, Saxon and MORE!

VIDEO

Newly remastered in 4K from the original camera negative in Dolby Vision, the results are amazing.  Black levels are crisp and colors respond with depth and focus.  The black levels are deep and lined well, holding their edges even in the blackest of rooms.  Colors are vibrant and even the dated segments from the b-movie shown in the theater look good.  The new effort pays off with a fine-looking 4K transfer that adds textures to clothing, tightens up some of the visuals, and adds definition to some of the dark interiors and night scenes.

AUDIO

Fans get rewarded with two amazing audio choices: the uncompressed DTS-HD MA English & Italian 5.1/2.0 audio mixes on the original cut derived from the archival audio masters and the uncompressed DTS-HD MA English 2.0 U.S. theatrical mono audio.  Both deliver some headbanging sounds!

Supplements:

Commentary:

• See below for the details.

Special Features:

This disc is loaded with nothing but the good and the goopy stuff!

Newly remastered in 4K from the original camera negative in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)

• Two versions of the film: the full-length original cut in English and Italian, and the shorter U.S. version featuring alternate dubbing and sound effects
• Uncompressed DTS-HD MA English & Italian 5.1/2.0 audio mixes on the original cut derived from the archival audio masters
• Uncompressed DTS-HD MA English 2.0 U.S. theatrical mono audio
• New audio commentary by critics Kat Ellinger and Heather Drain, co-hosts of the Hell’s Belles podcast
• Audio commentary with director Lamberto Bava, SPFX artist Sergio Stivaletti, composer Claudio Simonetti and actress Geretta Geretta
• Produced by Dario Argento: a new visual essay by author and critic Michael Mackenzie exploring the legendary filmmaker’s career as a producer
• Dario’s Demon Days: interview with writer/producer Dario Argento
• Defining an Era in Music: interview with Claudio Simonetti
• Splatter Spaghetti Style: interview with long-time Argento collaborator Luigi Cozzi
• Carnage at the Cinema: Lamberto Bava and His Splatter Masterpiece
• Dario and the Demons: Producing Monster Mayhem
• Monstrous Memories: Luigi Cozzi on the making of Demons
• Profondo Jones: The Critical Perspective
• Splatter Stunt Rock: interview with Ottaviano Dell’Acqua
• Stivaletti Q&A at the 2019 UK ‘Festival of Fantastic Films’
• Original Italian and English international theatrical trailers
• U.S. theatrical trailer
• Newly translated optional English SDH subtitles for the English version
• Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian version

	Movie
	Video
	Audio
	Extras
Composite Blu-ray Grade

MPAA Rating: Not rated.
Runtime: 88 mins
Director: Lamberto Bava
Writer: Dardano Sacchetti
Cast: Urbano Barberini; Natasha Hovey; Karl Zinny
Genre: Horror | Body Horror
Tagline: They will make cemeteries their cathedrals and the cities will be your tombs.
Memorable Movie Quote: "WHORES!... you can tell them a mile away."
Theatrical Distributor: Ascot Entertainment Group
Official Site:
Release Date: May 30, 1986
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: August 13, 2024.
Synopsis: A group of random people are invited to a screening of a mysterious movie, only to find themselves trapped in the theater with ravenous demons.