Demons [Blu-ray]

One of the most gore-soaked heavy metal-scored oddities ever produced by Dario Argento, “Demons” is a one-of-a-kind (or one-of-two kinds, if you include the sequel) movie that lovers of Italian horror should experience at least once in their life. This being an Italian production, of course, the actors are badly dubbed, so much so that it’s hilarious as the voice actors overact their parts, especially in the instances in which they perform various highly questionable sound effects. The characters are about as well-rounded as a cube, and so thinly written that you can practically see through them, with most of them serving as cannon fodder for the demons. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed the pimp character (played by Bobby Rhodes), who played a walking stereotype straight out of a 1970s Blaxploitation film, with his no-nonsense, casual sexism and bullying manner making him the perfect man to take charge when things go sideways. The plot concerns a mysterious film screening at a recently renovated cinema that turns into an orgy of death and destruction courtesy of a demon infestation. That is essentially the entire film in one sentence. The pace is frenetic as director Lamberto Bava squeezes as much bloody mayhem into the short 88-minute runtime as possible. The special effects are particularly stomach-churning and brilliantly realized by the effects team – teeth forced out by growing fangs, claws sprout from fingers nails, gremlins erupt from spines and pulsating boils exploding in showers of green goo covering victims in what could best be described as “disgusting demonic fluids.” This is this not a film to watch while you’re eating. Complimenting the on-screen chaos is a terrific musical score and accompanying soundtrack. The score by Claudio Simonetti (of Italian rock band Goblin) is a melding of pounding synthesisers that sets the appropriately cheesy tone for the carnage, scored by fast-paced rock beats that suit the mood well. It also serves as a helpful reminder that this film was made in the 1980s. The soundtrack is littered with a plenty of rock acts from Billy Idol and Motley Crue, among others. The film sags a bit in the middle, but it’s worth the wait for the over-the-top finale, combining a motorbike, a katana and a heavy metal soundtrack, the finale is a wonderfully staged, hilariously absurd and delightfully fun set piece in which the heroes barrel around the cinema, jumping over seats and up stairwells while chopping up the demonic hordes. It’s a sight to behold and, just when you think it’s all over, a helicopter suddenly comes crashing through the roof – just because. Visually, the movie looks better than many of the previously-released versions on DVD or VHS, with a high-definition 1080p transfer from the original materials and new color-correction supervised by Synapse Films, but there are no blu-ray extras to speak of, with only alternate versions of the soundtrack and the U.S. trailer. Meh. While “Demons” will never be regarded as high cinema, it’s an undeniably fun film, from start to finish. Nonsensical, thinly plotted, and atrociously dubbed, "Demons” is nevertheless a classic, offering sheer chaotic glee, fast-paced rocking music, and stomach-churning gore, all combining for a gruesome fun time for all. Recommended.

This is by far 1 of my favorite horror movies of all time,especially from the Italian masters' Bava. All things Bava are insane,just as insane as Fulci movies i love em all. This movie here starts off with a girl new to NY with a guy following her on a platform and he gives her a ticket to see a movie,and she askes him for another ticket for her friend. They go to see the movie and a bunch of other random people go to see the same film,amongst them are a blind man and his wife(who is cheating on him with another guy in the theater) and some guys who are sweet on the girls as well as a pimp & 2 of his "best gals" 1 of the girls puts on a mask on display & it cuts her on the face. The movie starts and they watch a group of kids come across Nostradamus' tomb with a warning etched into the stone and a mask that is exactly like the 1 the girl got cut with. The same thing happened in the film is happening in the theater,so the girl who got cut runs to the bathroom. Her face starts to deform and ooze then she turns rabid and starts eating people up. The people in the theater realize that the story unfolding on screen is actually unfolding in the theater. Then the blood starts to flow as 1 person at a time get scratched,clawed and chewed up thus getting infected and roaming for blood. As h*ll on earth is unfolding before their very eyes(except for the blind guy,his get taken by a demon) and they realize to escape they need to follow the film to survive. There are also a group of punks driving around with a can of coke and a straw....who get the police attention so they run into the theater to escape from the cops. Well they picked the wrong theater because they soon find piles of corpses and changing demons. They soon find that they are above Nostradamus tomb itself,the demons escape from the theater and attack the cops...thus releasing the evil onto the streets. The girl from the platform is the only one to escape with the guy that was sweet on her,but then she turns out to be infected. The infection has spread and now the guy has to execute her,the problem is nobody is safe. The apocalypse has come and the demons are running rampant on the streets. The gore here is oldschool,it is all rubber and ooze filled bodies with amazing makeup and camera work. There is no cheesy CGI this is oldschool gore drenched italian horroir gold,the kids these days need too see these films and see what true classics are. There are so many amazing gory scenes that are slow as they show the people transform into demons,scenes that will make the squeamish squirm. This is an excellent movie,part 2 is excellent as well...however part 3 isn't that great it is almost a PG movie. Go grab a copy while they still exist.

Excellent action-packed Italian horor with 80's gore extravaganza, directed by Lamberto Bava, but carrying some visual influence from producer Dario Argento. Picture quality is great and available extras, especially interviews with director Bava and Luigi Cozzi are very informative for movie fans and also fans of Italian horror or Dario Argento history.

This is a very good transfer of a classic 80's Italian horror movie. Very enjoyable.

I recently re-watched this and was much better than I remembered. Great 80's nostalgia, great practical effects and gore, drugs, hot chicks, and bloodthirsty demons amok in a movie theater. A woman named Cheryl is given two tickets to a free screening at the Metropol theater. She brings her friend, Kathy. The lights go down and the movie starts playing. They see that it's a violent, disturbing horror movie which features a look-alike of the mask from the lobby. (One of the women in the lobby named Rosemary tried on the mask and it cuts her face) The movie is about four teenagers who discover an old tomb and dig up the grave of a sixteenth-century fortune teller called Nostradamus. When the teenagers dig up Nostradamus's coffin they find no body, just an old book and a mask identical to the strange mask in the foyer. When one of the characters puts the mask on he's scratched by it, just like Rosemary was and her face begins oozing with blood and green pus. She is soon transformed into a bloodthirsty, green-skinned, red-eyed, fanged demon and starts attacking people in the theater. Those people turn into demons too. The untouched people try to escape the locked up theater They make a stand and fight back against them. If you love bloody nostalgic horror movies, you'll love DEMONS!!!

Great movie! The transfer by Synapse is simply stunning! The package arrived on time too! Great seller!

Synapse Films offers an excellent HD transfer of this essential 80's Italian Horror: the visuals are beautiful, sharp and crisp, while the sound is clear, with the appropriate available subtitles. Two young students, Cheryl and Kathy, decide to cut class after the former accepts movie tickets from a mysterious stranger (dressed in black garments and wearing a half-metal mask) following her in the train station. At the Metropol (a movie theater), the young women and a group of unsuspecting people will live a nightmarish experience that involves an Instrument of Evil. Included among these people are the following: two young studs, a "pimp" and his two prostitutes, a blind man and his cheating wife, two very young lovers in heat and a group of punks high on drugs. This movie contains a horror-movie-within-the-movie (that looks pretty good, actually), a bevy of beautiful women, well-rendered special make-up effects (see the transformation of both prostitutes into Demons), great non-stop, all-out action sequences and a lot of gore. Music by Claudio Simonetti, along with the Original Soundtrack, is absolutely terrific and my favorite part about this movie that I like to watch again and again.

edizione 4k con audio ITA e sottotitoli removibili, direi che il trasferimento video sfiora la perfezione e sta dieci spanne sopra lo scarno dvd italiano, anche l'audio è ottimo. C'è l'audio ita con i sottotitoli removibili mentre i contenuti speciali sono senza sottotili. Se si vuole DEMONI in 4k questa è l'edizione da prendere, visto che in Italia siamo fermi al dvd...

Très bon film un film que j'ai toujours aimé dans mon enfance et que je l'ai retrouvé en 4 k je le recommande

A group of randomly selected men and women are invited to a mystery screening at a spooky cinema; once there, they find themselves trapped inside; fantasy and reality collide as zombie-like "demons" invade our world and go on the rampage. Who will survive the carnage? 2 decades before 28 Days Later came along and made fast moving zombies popular and mainstream, discerning horror movie viewers were enjoying this explosive little film. I don't know if this was the first "running zombie" movie ever made, but it was certainly the first to get widespread notice and approval from horror movie buffs everywhere. During the late 80's this film was a big hit, and deservedly so. I was a huge fan of this film when I was a teenager; I accidentally stumbled across a copy of the video in a charity shop one day and it was love at first sight. The version that I was watching (and re-watching) back then was the heavily cut BBFC-approved British VHS release. The 88 minute uncut US Anchor Bay DVD version that I now have contains plenty of extra gore, a tiny bit of extra nudity, and some more hokey special effects during the spectacular "transformation in front of the cinema screen" scene (admittedly though, that particular scene probably benefitted from being cut. Now the special effects look a lot more silly. Oh well. Swings and round abouts and all that.) I've mentioned movies like 28 Days Later already, but those films are quite different to this one in terms of tone and style, so don't go into this movie expecting a grim and realistic piece of cinema. The best way to think of Demons is as an extended heavy metal music video. You see, this film is all about the spectacle: loud music, atmospheric lighting, gruesome special effects... The plot is really just an excuse for everything else that we see and hear. Case in point: the film features some guy riding around on a motorbike, swinging a katana sword at the zombie hordes whilst 80's rock blasts over the soundtrack. Freakin' brilliant! If you're looking for a loud, dumb, and thoroughly entertaining horror flick then this movie is for you.