6 | / 10 |
Users | 2.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
In 1486, in Sicily, five nuns are crucified in their convent by the superstitious locals that believe they are evil and worship devil. In 1990, in Toronto, the skeptical archaeologist Professor Paul Evans and his superstitious colleague Liza Harris explore with their team the medieval dig where the nuns were killed. Liza has dreadful nightmares with the nuns while members of the expedition mysteriously die and the locals are against the research in the archaeological site...
Starring: Brett Halsey, Meg Register, Lino Salemme, Christina Engelhardt, Pascal DruantHorror | 100% |
Foreign | 50% |
Mystery | 12% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English, English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Lucio Fulci might be described as the “Rodney Dangerfield” of Italian directors, in that he (to purloin and make grammatically correct Dangerfield’s signature mantra) didn’t get any respect. According to the IMDb, Fulci wrote some 66 films and directed 61, and he also had 25 acting credits to his name (including in the film currently under review). But during his lifetime Fulci was frequently dismissed as a second string director who specialized in exploitation fare and whose late career films were deemed as being especially lackluster. Fulci did manage to craft at least a few films that eventually became acclaimed, including the (now) highly regarded Don't Torture a Duckling, but even his most ardent admirers are often perhaps sheepishly prone to admit that Fulci’s films can have a slapdash quality to them. Demonia is indeed from the last part of Fulci’s career and life, and while it will be of interest to some with a hankering for certain genres (or subgenres, as the case may be), it is another kind of crazy quilt offering that may never quite register as strongly as it may have. In a way, Demonia might make for an interesting double feature with a film by a UK director who sometimes never got his critical due, though he probably fared better overall in that category than Fulci: namely Ken Russell, who explored his own version of “nunsploitation” with his 1971 outing The Devils. Demonia also deals with possessed nuns, though in this instance the story begins in the 15th century Sicily and segues to “modern day” times (Russell’s film dealt with a quasi-historical event in 17th century France, by contrast). An opening sequence documents the kind of pitchfork and torch wielding mob that used to be a regular constant in older Universal horror films, including notably the climax of Frankenstein, although in this particular instance they’re not after a manmade monster, but a bevy of nuns who are supposedly practicing witchcraft. The nuns are gruesomely offered an “up close and personal” experience of what Jesus went through when they are crucified, and then are more or less burnt at the stake just to make sure they’re really dead (and how do you think that is going to work out?).
Demonia is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.66:1. The back cover of this release states "now scanned in 4K from the original negative", though it perhaps cheekily adds "recently discovered in the attic of a Collevecchio convent", which may tend to undermine any authenticity (and, yes, that's said with tongue planted firmly in cheek). This is a tale of two different basic appearances, with a lot of the brightly lit outdoor material radiating a lot of warmth and a deeply suffused palette (including some incredibly blue skies, with a generally nicely resolved fine grain field, and somewhat more problematic dimly lit material, which can often look fairly soft, not especially well detailed, and with an often splotchy yellow quality to the grain, which may hint at compression hurdles that couldn't be completely overcome. Several dream or "vision" sequences are intentionally stylized with things like soft focus and an almost hazy quality, which inherently tends not to contribute to great fine detail levels. There really aren't many if any signs of age related wear and tear. My score is 4.25.
Demonia features DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono mixes in either English or Italian, though as with many Italian films, either language shows obvious signs of post looping. The Italian language track arguably has a bit more full bodied sound in the mid- and lower ranges, while the English language track probably boasts overall better clarity. It's kind of fun to toggle back and forth between the two to see how some dubbing corners may have been cut; in the opening sequence, for example, there's a lot of actual dialogue from the villagers in the Italian version, while the English version basically just has nuns screaming for their lives. Both tracks deliver dialogue, score and effects with no problems whatsoever. Optional English subtitles are available.
Fulci may have not gotten the respect he deserved during his lifetime, but efforts like Demonia show that perhaps critical dismissal of his late career efforts wasn't always completely off the mark. This is a film with some interesting, if derivative, plot elements and some absolutely gorgeous locations that nonetheless never quite manages to work up much suspense or spookiness. There are some pretty graphic deaths, though, for those who enjoy that kind of horror outing. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplementary package appealing for those who are considering a purchase.
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곤지암
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2003
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