Night of the Demons: Collector's Edition (4K UHD Review)

Reviewed by: Tim Salmons
Review Date: Oct 08, 2024
Format: 4K Ultra HD

Director

Kevin Tenney

Release Date(s)

1988 (October 3, 2023)

Studio(s)

International Film Marketing (Shout! Studios/Scream Factory)

Film/Program Grade: B+
Video Grade: A
Audio Grade: A-
Extras Grade: A+

Review

Night of the Demons wasn’t a giant box office success when it was originally released in 1988, but it was subsequently a bigger hit on home video, spawning two sequels and legions of fans for years to come. Although it’s comparatively a straightforward tale about a group of wild teenagers getting together for a Halloween party and immediately becoming either possessed or slaughtered by chaotic demons, it’s a notch above most of its ilk with slick cinematography, genuinely creepy atmosphere, and a cast of mostly likable characters, which is something that many horror films throughout the 1980s seemed to have a genuinely difficult time pulling off.

The cast overall does a fine job with the material and seems to be having a good time, which is important because having a good time is what Night of the Demons is all about. It’s not a dour kind of horror film and you’re not meant to take it seriously by any means, and the excellent animated opening titles let you know that right up front. Noted Scream Queen Linnea Quigley co-stars along with a group of talented actors, including Amelia Kinkade, who went on to participate in the sequels, and under the direction of Kevin Tenney, who also helmed two other memorable horror films from the 1980s: Witchboard and Witchtrap.

It’s also refreshing that the party takes place in a funeral home and not a haunted house or castle of some kind. It only enhances the film’s creepy and playful mood, not to mention the great make-up effects by Steve Johnson, who did a number of different projects, big and small, for several decades. Above all else, Night of the Demons is a perennial Halloween watch. It’s a humorous and entertaining romp, and one of the last truly classic horror films to come out of the 1980s.

Night of the Demons was shot by director of photography David Lewis on 35mm film, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Scream Factory debuts the film on Ultra HD with a new 4K scan of the original uncut camera negative, graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and presented on a triple-layered BD-100 disc. Night of the Demons has always been a very dark film and a little difficult to translate to home video, especially on VHS. With each new successive format, it’s looked better and better, and this presentation tops them all. The bitrate sits primarily between 80 and 100Mbps with steady medium grain and much higher levels of fine detail. Everything is crisp and organic to its source, with only mild speckling and slightly reduced resolution during opticals. The HDR passes help to boost a richer and warmer color palette, limited though it may be, but more importantly, improve contrast dramatically with deeper blacks and rich shadows. The picture is stable throughout and there are no signs of digital enhancements to be found.

Things are a little more complicated when it comes to the audio. This release features tracks in English 2.0 and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, as well as an English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio remix. Subtitles are available in English SDH. On the main menu, the previous stereo mix is listed as the new stereo mix and vice versa, while the 5.1 mix is an upmixed version of the remix. Of all the tracks, the stereo remix is the better balanced and most effective of the three. The 5.1 track mostly uses the surround channels for music, and the original stereo mix is very dry and lifeless. The new stereo track uses bass effectively, balancing well with dialogue and sound effects. It’s the clear winner of the three, though completists might have preferred also having the previous 5.1 track as an option, as well. You win some, you lose some.

Night of the Demons on 4K Ultra HD sits in a black Amaray case alongside a 1080p Blu-ray with an insert and slipcover featuring the original theatrical poster artwork. The following extras are included on each disc:

DISC ONE (UHD)

Audio Commentary with Kevin Tenney, Cathy Podewell, Billy Gallo, Hal Havins, and Steve Johnson
Audio Commentary with Kevin Tenney, Jeff Geoffray, and Walter Josten
Audio Commentary with Tenney, Linnea Quigley, Phillip Tanzini, and Tedra Gabriel
NEW See You in Hell: An Interview with Joe Augustyn (HD – 35:06)
NEW Coffins and Contortions: An Interview with Jill Terashita (HD – 18:17)
NEW The Perfect Punk: An Interview with Nick Benson (HD – 8:57)
NEW International Cut (Upscaled SD – 89:46)

DISC TWO (BD)

Audio Commentary with Kevin Tenney, Cathy Podewell, Billy Gallo, Hal Havins, and Steve Johnson
Audio Commentary with Kevin Tenney, Jeff Geoffray, and Walter Josten
Audio Commentary with Tenney, Linnea Quigley, Phillip Tanzini, and Tedra Gabriel
You’re Invited: The Making of Night of the Demons (HD – 71:31)
Amelia Kinkade, Protean (HD – 22:31)
Allison Barron’s Demon Memories (HD – 3:56)
My Demon Nights with Linnea Quigley (SD – 13:56)
NEW The Halloween Party Workprint (SD – 88:03)
NEW The Halloween Party Alternate Opening Title Sequence (SD – 3:46)
NEW Alternate R-Rated Scenes (SD – 2 in all – 3:08)
NEW A Short Night of the Demons (SD – 8:12)
Theatrical Trailer (HD – 1:28)
Video Trailer (HD – 1:55)
TV Spots (Upscaled SD – 3 in all – 1:16)
Radio Spot (HD – :35)
Promo Reel (Upscaled SD – 4:11)
Still Galleries:
- Behind-the-Scenes (HD – 111 in all – 9:23)
- Special Effects and Make-Up (HD – 103 in all – 7:22)
- Photo Gallery (HD – 101 in all – 8:38)
- Posters and Storyboards (HD – 15 in all – 1:27)

All of the excellent bonus materials from Scream Factory’s previous 2014 Collector’s Edition and 2018 Steelbook releases have been ported over, including three audio commentaries; the You’re Invited: The Making of Night of the Demons documentary; additional interviews; various promotional materials; and extensive Still Galleries containing a total of 330 stills of behind-the-scenes photos, special effects make-up photos, promotional stills, posters, and storyboards.

Newly-added are the Workprint and International Cut versions of the film, both in standard definition and sourced from VHS. Also included is an Alternate Opening Title Sequence and the Alternate R-Rated Scenes, which trim out some of the gorier moments. A Short Night of the Demons is a pared down version of the film that was used to show to potential distributors. Last are three new interviews with writer and producer Joe Augustyn, actress Jill Terashita, and special effects artist Nick Benson, all of whom aren’t represented elsewhere.

To say the least, this is the kind of UHD upgrade that Night of the Demons fans will want on their shelves. You get three versions of the film, tons of extras, and the uncut version of the film itself in near-perfect 4K quality. In other words, this release comes highly recommended.

- Tim Salmons

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