Demons - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

From Mr. Duarte's 2021 Demons 1 & 2 4K UHD Review

Dario Argento and Lamberto Bava, son of "Spaghetti Horror" maestro Mario Bava, joined forces to provide gore-hounds everywhere with a perversely twisted spectacle of demonic possession run amok in Demons. With Argento in the producer's chair, Bava is given free rein to splatter the screen with grisly details, a vibrant, colorful palette thanks to cinematographer Gianlorenzo Battaglia, and one of the wildest soundtracks. While the disgusting special effects stun and shock audiences to their wits, the fast-paced screeching sounds of the heavy-metal tunes blast through the speakers, creating a tensely energetic and frantic complement to the visuals. Adding a subtle comical atmosphere to the gorefest is Claudio Simonetti's original musical score, particularly the main composition at the beginning, which has to be one of the best and most memorable pieces for a horror movie. The creepy but highly spirited circus-like undertones are bizarrely fun.

Revisiting this childhood favorite for the umpteenth time, I'm amazed the cult Italian horror classic still holds up surprisingly well, overwhelming its audience with a heavy-metal madness that's as comically contagious as it is sensationally over-the-top. Admittedly, the tense, action-packed moments can also seem somewhat corny and screwball, especially when one character rides a dirt bike through the aisles of a theatre while wielding a samurai sword, but they nonetheless remain visually exciting to behold. Meanwhile, Gianlorenzo Battaglia's cinematography works in surprisingly perfect harmony, generating a bonkers movie-going experience that electrifies audiences into cheering the gruesome mayhem. To be clear, I'm referring to the humans and their fight for survival, not the monstrous creatures with glowing eyes, torn fingernails, and sharp, mangled teeth. They're ugly, horrifying ghouls! When charging into battle, I have my "ghetto blaster" and a mix tape at the ready.

Vital Disc Stats: The Ultra HD Blu-ray
Demons bites its way to 4K via Synapse Films. the sole 4K Disc is housed inside a hard, black plastic case. This is the same BD-100 disc fans found in the Demons 1 & 2 4K UHD set Synapse released in 2021. There is no cardboard sleeve. There is the golden replica ticket from Metropol and a Synapse product catalog. The artwork is reversible. One side features the original movie poster art and the other features the iconic demon only from a movie still.

As this is the same disc from the now out-of-print 2-film collection, the video score stands pat. 

The cult gore favorite wreaks havoc in the Ultra HD theater with a phenomenally gorgeous HEVC H.265 encode that easily dominates and rips the throat of its predecessors. The same 4K scan and restoration of the original 35mm camera negatives enjoyed on the Arrow Films UHD edition are utilized for this release, and three cuts of the film are offered: the full-length original cut in English and Italian and a shorter U.S. version with alternate dubbing and sound effects. In either case, the results are nothing short of mesmerizing and stunning compared to previous releases. The native 4K transfer relishes the improved definition and clarity of the smallest aspects and imperfections of the building while the finer details in the hair, clothing, and gruesome make-up effects are significantly sharper and striking. A few soft, poorly resolved moments can stick out like an oozing sore, but overall, the video is incredibly consistent.

Awash in a thin, fine layer of natural grain, the 1.66:1 image has an attractive film-like quality while bathed in stygian, velvety blacks and inky, midnight shadows that penetrate deep into the screen, providing the grisly mayhem with great dimensionality while maintaining excellent visibility in the darkest corners. The improved boost in contrast also furnishes a stronger balance and brighter picture with clean, spotless whites, and the crisp, radiant specular highlights allow for better perceptibility within the hottest areas while adding a dazzling sheen to various surfaces and the repulsive gory make-up. All the while, the Dolby Vision HDR presentation showers the blood-soaked action in a sumptuous array of colors thanks to the vibrant cinematography lighting every scene in an animated mix of reds, blues, oranges, and yellows. Secondary hues are equally richly saturated throughout, and facial complexions appear natural with lifelike textures and a realistic rosy-peach pigmentation in the entire cast.

Likewise, the audio package remains the same.

For this 4K package, Synapse also borrows the same English and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and 5.1 soundtracks as the Arrow edition, which were struck from the original 4-channel Dolby Stereo elements. However, they are also joined by a new DTS-HD MA 2.0 monaural track exclusively remastered by Synapse for the U.S. theatrical cut, and in all cases, they are another improvement over previous home video releases. The front-heavy presentation displays crisp, clean dialogue in the center at all times while the other channels display a few minor off-screen activities to broaden the soundstage. Imaging is surprisingly accurate and feels quite spacious, especially as several subtle ambient effects pan into the sides on a few occasions and the music effortlessly bleeds into all the speakers. In all the tracks, the mid-range exhibits outstanding definition and separation, maintaining impressive detailing even during the loudest, ear-splitting segments, and a robust, full-bodied low-end adds depth and weight to the visuals, as well as the many heavy-metal song selections. Whatever the listening choice, all lossless mixes are far more vibrant than in previous editions.

The same selection of bonus features also returns. While not as robust when combined with the second film, you're still getting over three hours of great content on top of two illuminating and entertaining commentary tracks. 

• Audio Commentaries: the first has writer and filmmaker Kat Ellinger gushing over the movie with fellow film critic and co-host of the Hell's Belles podcast Heather Drain while the second features writer and director Lamberto Bava discussing the production and sharing memories with special-effects artist Sergio Stivaletti, composer Claudio Simonetti and star Geretta Geretta.
• Carnage at the Cinema (HD, 36 min)
• Sergio Stivaletti Q&A (HD, 36 min)
• Monstrous Memories (HD, 30 min)
• Produced by Dario Argento (HD, 27 min)
• Profondo Jones: The Critical Perspective (HD, 18 min)
• Dario and the Demons (HD, 16 min)
• Splatter Spaghetti Style (HD, 12 min)
• Dario's Demon Days (HD, 11 min)
• Defining an Era in Music (HD, 10 min)
• Trailers (HD) is a trio of theatrical previews

Demons is still a frightening, yet darkly funny film and the visual effects are gooey in all the right places and thesoundtrack is punk rock excellence! With both versions, the 4K image looks fantastic with Dolby Vision HDR (and HDR10) and the DTS-HD 5.1 audio track sounds wonderful. The exquisite extras are all worth the time. For those who were lucky enough to get the limited edition 2-Film 4K set, there is no need to get this stand-alone release. But for those who are still clamoring for this amazing '80s horror movie in 4K - now is the time. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!