Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		2.5

Premutos: The Fallen Angel Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 2, 2022

Premutos: The Fallen Angel is one of those horror films that begins (at least in what I guess might be termed the Director's Cut on this Blu- ray) with a somewhat lengthy animated sequence which supposedly gives a whole mythological backstory involving gods, demons, priceless totems and other basic nonsense, before it finally launches into a 16mm spree of bodily immolation, which would seem to be the real point here, any high falutin' metaphysical hoohah (a technical term) aside. Premutos: The Fallen Angel was the brainchild of Olaf Ittenbach, a German horror specialist who also loves special effects, and the film is a gory spectacle of splatter as a result. Kind of hilariously in that regard (and parts of Premutos: The Fallen Angel have a very dark sense of humor), even the animated sequence features all sorts of blood spilling and more than one severing of various appendages and/or heads from their previous bodily configurations. It is this film's contention that a "fallen angel" named Premutos preceded even Lucifer in infamy, and (no sacrilege intended) kind of like Jesus, he wants to come back for a second "at bat" (horn?).

Now it's entirely arguable to think of Premutos: The Fallen Angel as the very definition of a vanity project, since Olaf Ittenbach didn't just write, direct and co-produce it, he's also on hand as a featured character (and a couple of sidebar ones, including one of several marauding zombies). Ittenbach is also listed in several other capacities in the credits, including casting (hmm. . .), production management, stunts and probably most saliently given one of this film's inarguable merits, special effects. The story is beyond hoary, with a contemporary person finding out they're related to gods and/or demons of yore, but in this particular case, a kind of Necronomicon figures into things and havoc is definitely wreaked.

While there is a story here, really this is a film about the pretty gory splatter effects and they're both gruesome and comically overwrought. There's some supposed "time travel" involved, which suddenly catapults things into World War II territory, but, again, no matter what the location or era, people are going to be separated from various body parts eventually. The result is kind of weirdly disjunctive, perhaps appropriately so given how "disconnected" people's bodies become, so my hunch is most will not be interested in this film for any perceived "narrative", but for the nonstop array of carnage on display. For those who like blood drenched films with extremely black undercurrents of humor, Premutos: The Fallen Angel will probably fill the bill handily enough.

Premutos: The Fallen Angel Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Premutos: The Fallen Angel is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Unearthed Classics and MVD Visual with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. While the film was shot on 16mm, the "new" animated opening looks digitally created, and makes for an almost immediate stylistic and appearance disconnect that may be momentarily disconcerting. (See screenshot 4 for one moment from the animated opening.) The bulk of this transfer is extremely grainy as can probably be easily spotted in the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review, though while almost dirty looking at times, the grain resolves naturally for the most part. There are definitely some rough moments in the darkest scenes, where detail levels can be impenetrable due to both crush and grain, but more brightly lit material actually offers substantial detail at times, especially in close-ups (see screenshot 5). The palette looks rather good all things considered, with the all important reds popping vividly most of the time. Both of the "original" versions (in English and German) offered as supplements are in 1.33:1 and there are some framing differences that fans may notice, with things like head room in this version sometimes curtailed (see screenshots 1 and 3). There is occasional minor age related wear and tear that can also be spotted.

Premutos: The Fallen Angel Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Premutos: The Fallen Angel features the original German audio in either DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 or LPCM 2.0. Both tracks offer excellent fidelity, and if the surround track doesn't provide the kind of nonstop showiness that more modern horror films typically opt for, there's definitely a wider soundstage that can be noticeable in the 5.1 offering, both in terms of effects and perhaps especially with regard to the score. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Premutos: The Fallen Angel Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The supplements are authored, or at least presented on their menu, a bit strangely, in that English and German language versions of the same supplement(s) are listed separately on the menu, so that's how they're presented in the following list:

• Premutos Original Version (English Dub) (SD; 1:46:07)


• Premutos Original Version (German Dub) (SD; 1:46:07)


• Making Of (English Dub) (SD; 50:23) is kind of hilarious since it does in fact dub the people rather than supplying subtitles.


• Making Of (German Dub) (SD; 50:23)


• Olaf Ittenbach - The Early Years (SD; 1:12:41) are early snippets made from 1985 to 1987 as Ittenbach was experimenting with various effects techniques.


• Photo Gallery (HD; 4:37)


• A Soundtrack CD is also included.


• Trailers features Premutos (HD; 2:17) along with trailers for other releases from Unearthed Films.

Additionally packaging features a slipcover.

Premutos: The Fallen Angel Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Premutos: The Fallen Angel doesn't suffer from outsized ambitions, and for a relatively lo fi demon slash (emphasis on slash) zombie flick, it will be giddily enjoyable for those who like lots of gore and guts. The 16mm source is definitely gritty, but this transfer is generally solid, and the supplemental package very enjoyable, for those who may be considering making a purchase.