Ed. note: portions of this review were previously written for another post on this site.
1988’s Night of the Demons is an undeniably successful formula: set the film on Halloween, follow a group of comely co-eds to a spooky funeral parlor for a party, and let the fun begin as demons slake their bloodthirst. Ultimately, Kevin Tenney’s film is a cross between Lamberto Bava’s similarly-titled Demons and The Evil Dead, and for cult film fans, that’s a perfect combination.
The creepy Halloween festivities make their appearance early in the film thanks to Judy (Cathy Podewell)’s brother bursting out of her closet with a scary mask while she’s changing, but the film never really forgets that it’s All Hallow’s Eve. Skimpy costumes are the norm here, most notably when Linnea Quigley’s character bends over and waggles her butt at two clerks in a convenience store while Angela (Amelia Kinkade) robs them blind. We also get a number of trick-or-treating shots and some great decorations in the Hull House funeral parlor to set the stage for things to come.
Night of the Demons’ first half hour is sort of tedious, though, especially because it’s fraught with frat bro humor and setup. Once the demons come out to play, though, Tenney finds some good pacing and some surprisingly creepy scenes in this horror film that plays out more like a comedy – in many ways, this is the primary element that seems inspired from Evil Dead. Demon Angela haunting down a hallway is particularly creepy thanks to the atmosphere of the film, and even if the intent is mostly comedy, it still works on multiple levels.
The best thing about Tenney’s film, though, is that it’s a lot of fun once it gets into its demonic possession elements. It focuses on the stupidity of its unlikable characters and features some clever uses of violence, and that’s not to mention the ample sex and nudity throughout. The demon makeup is quite good as well in much the same vein as Bava’s Demons. Angela as a character has just the right amount of eeriness and comedic charm, bordering on the same elements that made the later Nightmare on Elm Street movies fun without taking themselves too seriously.
Despite a rough start, horror fans will love the slasher elements at play in Night of the Demons and it’s certainly a good pick for a Halloween party – it’s cheesy, sexy, with just the right amount of Halloween atmosphere to make it stand out on a blustery stormy night.
4K UHD
Scream Factory has released Night of the Demons on 4K UHD in a new Collector’s Edition 2-disc set. All of the press release information lists this as a new 4K scan of the uncut negative; however, in my opinion this is most likely the same transfer as the one struck for a previous 2018 steelbook Blu-ray release for the film. Since we do not have that edition, we weren’t able to compare screenshots like we were for the 2014 original Blu-ray release.
Whether this is truly a new scan or not, the results on UHD are quite good. The film retains a very filmic look thanks to a medium-heavy grain scale; this can appear a little smeary at times considering the ample use of fog and panning shots throughout the movie, but overall it doesn’t become a major problem and there’s no apparent blockiness. Background details are strong thanks to the added data; facial features and clothing textures are equally enhanced, almost to the detriment of some of the demonic makeup effects. This release also features Dolby Vision/HDR 10, and viewers will notice that the color grading is a huge step up from the old 2014 release in terms of a more natural tone. One thing to note, though, is the film hews quite dark thanks to its haunted house aesthetic, and while the HDR does provide a lot of nice contrast and deep blacks, at times it feels a bit too dim with details getting lost in the murk. Comparatively, the included Blu-ray version of the transfer is not nearly as dark; this means that the contrast from the orange fire glow is not as evident, but textures and details are a bit more noticeable. The HDR certainly provides a great benefit to the film’s atmosphere, but sometimes at the expense of visual impairment.
There are three different audio tracks provided for this release, which were also included on the 2018 steelbook. The film’s original DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo track is the default offering, along with an additional DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 upmix. A “new” DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo track is also included as a third option, intended as a remixed version of the soundtrack; in my opinion, this is probably the best option, since the original 2.0 is lacking a bit of oomph that this new track offers with enunciated bass mix. Besides that, there are no noticeable defects. English subtitles are also included.
Update: there have been reports that the two 2.0 stereo tracks are actually incorrectly labeled; the audio listed as “original” is actually the “new,” and the “new” is actually the “original.” With the new stereo track, there are some sync issues toward the end of the film that cause it to become briefly out of sync with the video. The 5.1 track also has this sync issue, meaning this track on the release was apparently sourced from the new 2.0 stereo track. I don’t have previous versions to compare these audio tracks; however, it’s a relatively minor flaw but is apparent when switching between the audio tracks.
Scream Factory has ported all of their previous extras over to this new release, including three different audio commentaries on both the UHD and Blu-ray discs. Multiple new interviews are included on the UHD disc. Writer/producer Joe Augustyn speaks for about 35 minutes and provides some interesting facts about the first draft of the movie, such as containing a gay relationship and more drugs, as well as discussing his work on the second installment and bowing out of the third. Jill Terashita talks about her creepy experiences filming in the abandoned house for the movie and getting her head cast for her makeup effects. Nick Benson gives the third new interview about the special effects work on the film, how he got into the job working with Steve Johnson, and some of his favorite effects. Finally, a new standard definition inclusion of the film’s “international cut” is presented here, which is almost entirely the same as the unrated cut except for a slight edit to the film’s ending where razor blades are seen poking out of the old man’s throat.
The Blu-ray disc contains all of the older featurettes, such as the feature-length making-of, interviews with Angela Barron, Amelia Kinkade, and Linnea Quigley, trailers and TV spots, and multiple galleries. New to this release is the workprint cut of the film known as The Halloween Party, also featuring the alternate title sequence. This is in standard definition but not in terrible shape. R-rated versions of the film’s gore sequences can also be viewed as a comparison to the unrated scenes.
Extra Features
DISC ONE (4K UHD):
- NEW 2023 Restoration From An Earlier 4K Scan Of The Unrated Negative
- In Dolby Vision (HDR-10 Compatible)
- Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, NEW English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo (A New Remix By Chris MacGibbon)
- Audio Commentary With Director Kevin Tenney, Actors Cathy Podewell, Billy Gallo, And Hal Havins, And Special Make-Up Effects Creator Steve Johnson
- Audio Commentary With Director Kevin Tenney, Producer Jeff Geoffray, And Executive Producer Walter Josten
- Audio Commentary With Director Kevin Tenney, Actors Linnea Quigley And Phillip Tanzini, And Casting Director Tedra Gabriel
- NEW See You In Hell – An Interview With Writer/Producer Joe Augustyn (1080p; 35:06)
- NEW Coffins And Contortions – An Interview With Actor Jill Terashita (1080p; 18:17)
- NEW The Perfect Punk – An Interview With Special Effects Artist Nick Benson (1080p; 8:57)
- NEW International Cut (In Standard Definition)
DISC TWO (BLU-RAY):
- NEW 2023 Restoration From An Earlier 4K Scan Of The Unrated Negative
- Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, NEW English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo (A New Remix By Chris MacGibbon)
- Audio Commentary With Director Kevin Tenney, Actors Cathy Podewell, Billy Gallo, And Hal Havins, And Special Make-Up Effects Creator Steve Johnson
- Audio Commentary With Director Kevin Tenney, Producer Jeff Geoffray And Executive Producer Walter Josten
- Audio Commentary With Director Kevin Tenney, Actors Linnea Quigley And Phillip Tanzini, And Casting Director Tedra Gabriel
- You’re Invited – The Making Of NIGHT OF THE DEMONS – A 70-Minute Documentary (1080p; 1:11:31)
- Amelia Kinkade, Protean– An Interview With Actor Amelia Kinkade (1080p; 22:31)
- Allison Barron’s Demon Memories (1080p; 3:56)
- My Demon Nights – An Interview With Linnea Quigley (1080i; 13:56)
- THE HALLOWEEN PARTY Workprint (In Standard Definition) (480i; 1:28:03)
- THE HALLOWEEN PARTY Alternate Opening Title Sequence (480i; 3:46)
- Alternate R-Rated Scenes (480i; 3:08)
- A Short NIGHT OF THE DEMONS – A Six-Minute Version Of The Film Shown To Potential Distributors (720p; 8:12)
- Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 1:28)
- Video Trailer (1080p; 1:55)
- TV Spots (1080p; 1:16)
- Radio Spot (0:35)
- Promo Reel (1080p; 4:11)
- Still Galleries
- Behind-The-Scenes (chapter breaks; 9:23)
- Special Effects And Makeup (chapter breaks; 7:22)
- Photo Gallery (chapter breaks; 8:38)
- Posters And Storyboards (chapter breaks; 1:27)
Verdict
Night of the Demons is a wholly enjoyable experience for a Halloween night, and Scream Factory has enhanced their original 4K transfer with a remastered option on UHD adding excellent depth and Dolby Vision for additional contrast in the film’s numerous dark scenes. A number of new extras get added to a lengthy list of previous bonus features, making this 2-disc set worthy of an upgrade.
