Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

The Demon Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 27, 2022

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as a part of All the Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium of Folk Horror.

All the Haunts Be Ours advertises itself as "the most comprehensive collection of its kind", which may initially beg the question as to "kind of what?". But the release also comes with a front cover sobriquet proclaiming it "a compendium of folk horror", which may then beg the next obvious question as to what exactly "folk horror" is. In that regard, this set begins with a fascinating and diverse documentary which has its own subtitle referencing folk horror, Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror, which provides a veritable glut of clips from international films which director (and this entire set's guiding light) Kier-La Janisse has assembled to help define the genre, but perhaps the best answer is to simply echo a certain Supreme Court Justice named Potter Stewart who was trying to decide a case involving supposed pornography, and who famously opined, "I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description, and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it. . ."

Brunello Rondi is a strangely overlooked figure in Italian cinema, something that seems especially peculiar given his long running collaborations with the likes of Pier Paolo Pasolini and especially Federico Fellini, the latter for whom Rondi either wrote or co-wrote Nights of Cabiria, La Dolce Vita and 8½. That alone would seem to make Rondi a prime candidate for Italian Icon, but as Alberto Pezzotta gets into in one of the interesting supplements included with the film, Rondi was something of a protean talent who did all sorts of things, including writing books on philosophy and, as evidenced by the film currently under discussion, directing.

Kind of hilariously, given my introductory comments above, commentator Kat Ellinger spends a good deal of time trying to define "folk horror", and even going so far as to echo my sentiments about some of the talking heads in Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched, who each seem to have different ideas about what the term means. Ellinger makes a cogent case as to why Il Demonio belongs in this seemingly disputed category, but to be fair, others may well think this is really more of a psychological horror tale that in fact almost presages some elements of The Exorcist. Daliah Lavi portrays a young village woman named Purificata, whose very name suggests the overt religiosity of the region, though that may in fact be the so-called "old religion" despite prevalent trappings of Catholicism.

Purificata is seen performing some kind of weird ritual as the film opens, one which may harken back to pagan times and witchcraft, and in fact after Purificata is spurned by her lover Antonio (Frank Wolff), who ends up marrying a decidedly frumpier woman than Purificata, Purificata takes matters into her own hands, or at least desires, and the result is that she is in fact branded as a witch, or something close to it. But there's an underpinning here that suggests Purificata's unabashedly bad behavior is at least seen by the Catholic types in her village as a demonic possession rather than a psychological problem, though the film toes a rather interesting line between those two formulations. Lavi is a force of nature throughout this film, and as Tim Lucas relates in his appealing reminiscence about the actress, she considered Il Demonio to be her best film.

The Demon Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Il Demonio is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Severin's insert booklet contains a fairly brief blurb about the provenance of the transfer, stating "restored from the original negative at RAI-TV in Rome, including newly located footage missing from all previous releases". This is an often very appealing looking transfer, one graced with generally consistent contrast and some nicely inky black levels, as well as a nuanced gray scale. Detail levels are excellent for the most part, especially in the many close-ups. There are noticeable variations in brightness, with some brief flashing running through the presentation that is admittedly minor but still discernable. Damage is really commendably absent. Grain resolves naturally throughout.

The Demon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Il Demonio features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track in the original Italian, and while this may have been post looped per the production standards of the day, I have to say synch is not especially "loose", as is often mentioned in verbiage accompanying Italian releases from this period. The sound is still somewhat boxy at times, especially with regard to dialogue, but the really interesting, astringent and quasi- electronic score from Piero Piccioni sounds full bodied, if often pretty brash. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Demon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Film Historian Kat Ellinger


• The Kid from a Kibbutz - Daliah Lavi and the Road to Il Demonio (HD; 27:37) profiles the actress in a really sweet piece by Tim Lucas.


• Once Upon a Time in Basilicata (HD; 22:52) is a Severin and Freak-O-Rama production with film historian Alberto Pezzotta discussing Brunello Rondi. Subtitled in English.

Vis a vis nothing in particular other than my former life as a proofreader, Severin might want to revisit their Main Menu for this feature if they do a second run (see screenshot 15).

The Demon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Tim Lucas makes a case that Il Demonio utilizes the hoary trope of "who are the real monsters?", since Purificata, despite her obvious anger management issues, still is the victim of this piece, surrounded by a patriarchal society tied to ancient rites that make believers zealots, and superstitious ones at that. This is a really interest film and a total showcase for an amazing Daliah Lavi. Technical merits are generally solid, and the supplements very well done. Highly recommended.