Night of the Demons
Blu-ray + DVD Combo
Director: Kevin S. Tenney
Screenwriter: Joe Augustyn
Cast: William Gallo, Hal Havins, Amelia Kinkade, Cathy Podewell, Linnea Quigley
Scream Factory
Rated R | 90 Minutes
Release Date: February 4, 2013

“Let’s party.”

Directed by Kevin S. Tenney (Witchboard), Night of the Demons is an “˜80s splatter-fest and the bastard spawn of horror flicks like The Evil Dead, Return of the Living Dead, and Mario Bava’s Demons.

It’s Halloween night and Angela (Amelia Kinkade) and her friend Suzanne (Linnea Quigley) are throwing a party. The girls have decided to celebrate All Hallows’ Eve at Hull House, a condemned funeral home and the former site of a grisly mass murderer.

Joining them are Goody Two–shoes Judy Cassidy (Cathy Podewell), her boyfriend Jay (Lance Fenton), Sal (William Gallo), Frannie and Max (Jill Terashita and Philip Tanzini), and the trio of Helen (Allison Barron), Rodger (Alvin Alexis), and the pig-nosed, mullet-sportin’ Stooge (Hal Havins).

When the partygoers decide to have a séance (because it’s the ’80s and what else are you going to do?), they awaken something evil: a demonic spirit with a thirst for blood and an affinity for weird sex stuff and dancing like Stevie Nicks. As the demon possesses the teenagers one by one, the party becomes a battle for who can survive the night in Hull House.

If you’re into low-budget ’80s horror movies, Night of the Demons is a fun flick with the requisite amount of teenage partying and pre-marital sex. There’s some pretty out-there moments in Tenney’s film, including a scene where Quigley draws all over her body with lipstick before pushing the tube through her nipple and into her breast – like her nipple is some sort of secret portal to Hell!

Another highlight involves Frannie (Jill Terashita of Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland) and Max (Tanzini), who sneak away from the party to have sex… in a coffin! While they’re “working it out,” the now-possessed Stooge (being the pervert he is) spies on them and then takes the opportunity to slam the lid on them and crush them inside the casket – now that’s entertainment!

For the uninitiated, Scream Factory is a branch of Shout! Factory, dedicated to releasing cult horror and science-fiction films. Scream Factory has released a slate of obscure, fan-favorite titles from the ’80s, many of which have never been available on Blu-ray before. Like other Scream Factory releases, Night of the Demons is presented in anamorphic widescreen (an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1) with a collectible cover featuring new retro-style artwork and a reversible wrap with original theatrical key art.

As far as presentation goes, the video quality of this release is on par with Scream Factory’s previous (gorgeous) releases. The film is dark to begin, so there really isn’t that much opportunity to showcase fine detail. That being said, a fair amount of shadow detail manages to emerge from the darkness here and there. The previous Anchor Bay DVD release was pretty low-rent, so this is a vast improvement.

The colors are also nicely saturated and, during the film’s scattered bright scenes, really pop. When it comes to sound, Night of the Demons offers three different audio mixes, the original mix in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, a revised DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix, and an immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix.

This collector’s edition Blu-ray features two audio commentaries: one with director Kevin Tenney, actors Cathy Podewell, Hal Havins, Billy Gallo, and FX artist Steve Johnson and an additional track with Tenney, executive producer Walter Josten and producer Jeff Geoffray. New interviews with cast and crew including Tenney, writer/producer Joe Augustyn and actress Linnea Quigley as well as trailers, TV and radio spots, and promo reels are also included.

This is the definitive home video release of Night of the Demons. If you’re a fan of Tenney’s horror-comedy film, then you’ll no doubt love Scream Factory’s collector’s edition, with a top-notch restoration and plenty of behind-the-scenes materials. Night of the Demons is currently available in a DVD/Blu-Ray combo on Amazon.

Trailer

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