The Devil Within Her Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

The Devil Within Her Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf February 8, 2018

1975’s “The Devil Within Her” was promoted as the next “Rosemary’s Baby,” but the production is actually more consumed with replicating “The Exorcist.” However, the picture’s competitive streak is a little odd, trying to dial back the horror of a possessed child from a little girl to a newborn, which is perhaps too much of a stretch when taking in a feature that showcases the baby terrorizing multiple adults. “The Devil Within Her” is a tremendously absurd endeavor, absolute catnip for B-movie fans, but for the casual viewer, such extremity when it comes to the conjuring of a teensy-weensy menace generally destroys whatever suspense director Peter Sasdy is hoping to achieve.

Giving birth to a large baby, Lucy (Joan Collins) is slightly unnerved by her new arrival, who claws her face when they first meet. Bringing the newborn home with husband Gino (Ralph Bates), Lucy soon begins to suspect things are out of order when others visit, experiencing strange encounters with the kid, which soon turns to mysterious murders as caretakers end up dead. Gino’s sibling, Sister Albana (Eileen Atkins), has religious reasons to suspect the worse about the child, but it’s up to Lucy to retrace her steps, recalling a troubled interaction with little person Hercules (George Claydon) during her previous career as a stripper -- a spooky individual who haunts Lucy’s nightmares.

“The Devil Within Her” opens with Lucy’s labor, which doesn’t resemble any sort of real-world childbirth situation, as Sasdy makes the strange call to slightly sexualize the woman’s agony, cranking up cries and moans on the soundtrack as the main titles play over shots of a complicated birth. However, such oddity isn’t the last found in the film, which moves on to Lucy’s domestic experience, finding the mother unsure about her child, who has a bad habit of drawing blood when others come close, remaining a demon on the inside and an angel on the outside, with Sasdy casting a hilariously adorable child to portray a diapered serial killer.

It takes a lot to make it through “The Devil Within Her” without laughing, and I applaud those who can go the distance. The actors (including Donald Pleasance and Caroline Munro) are certainly committed, which helps the story acquire some balance as the supernatural collides with reason, finding Collins heroic in her ability to display complete concentration and credible fear while reacting to horrors emerging from a crib. Perhaps the most frightening visuals in the picture involve period parenting, watching Lucy plop her newborn down on a bed filled with fluffy pillows and cushy blankets.

The Devil Within Her Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Billed as a "Brand new HD scan of the original interpositive," the AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) delivers encouraging clarity throughout, with agreeable detail to survey as the original cinematography invests in tight close-ups of evil and adorable characters. Textures are present on facial responses and fibrous period outfits. Set decoration is also easily studied. Colors are tastefully refreshed, delivering louder costuming from the era, also handling primaries on bloodshed and nursery interiors. Skintones aren't problematic. Delineation is secure. Source has its share of wear and tear, with speckling and thin scratches detected, along with some jumpy frames and rougher reel changes (with cigarette burns).

The Devil Within Her Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix secures the basics of "The Devil Within Her," including clear dialogue exchanges, which ride surges in emotional intensity and horror screams without slipping into distortion. Scoring is adequate, delivering a proper chiller mood with passable instrumentation, never intruding on the performances. Sound effects are appropriately louder and blunt. A very brief audio dropout was detected during the listening experience.

The Devil Within Her Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Intro (:33. HD) features Caroline Munro (announcing that she's taking over hosting duties from Katarina Leigh Waters), who welcomes viewers to the Blu-ray release of "The Devil Within Her."

• Interview (27:56, HD) is an informative chat with Munro, who tracks the rise of her career, beginning as a teen model before taking on the challenges of acting. She covers a few points from "The Devil Within Her" shoot, including her refusal to do nudity, which frustrated director Peter Sasdy, resulting in the use of sticky pads to cover Munro's breasts during a bedroom scene, which are easily spotted in the finished feature. She also examines her time with co-stars, lavishing praise on Collins, a figure of poise and glamour she was in awe of. Munro details work inside an actual strip club, enjoying the skills of the professionals hired for background work, and she laments the dubbing utilized to erase her natural voice from the movie. The conversation soon turns to other gigs, including "Howl of the Devil," "The Golden Voyage of Sinbad," "Starcrash," and her various appearances in productions from Hammer Films.

• Interview (15:50, SD) is an older conversation with actor John Steiner, who's a bit more scattered when it comes to memories from the movies he's worked on, claiming to have never seen any of them. He recalls his casting in "The Devil Within Her" and his experiences with co-stars, greatly impressed with Collins's beauty. Steiner explores his career travels, with brought him all over the world, including years spent in Italy churning out features, with Sage Stallone particularly responsive to his professional choices. There are bits and pieces shared from efforts such as "Salon Kitty" and "Yor, the Hunter from the Future," and the chat concludes with a plug for Steiner's real estate career, promising homebuyers the same professional dedication that he gave to his acting roles.

• "Katarina's Nightmare Theater" (3:52, SD) restores an older segment with Waters, who shares IMDB trivia and actor filmographies.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:01, SD) is included.

The Devil Within Her Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The Devil Within Her" tries to work up the energy to launch a faith vs. medicine subplot, striving to make the material appear more thoughtful than it actually is. Sasdy doesn't have the focus to do much with such a provocative debate, returning to horror elements as the baby takes lives throughout the movie, with Sister Albana considering an exorcism to pacify the infant. The picture ends up exactly where it should, and the reward is pure goofballery from a creative team that likely believed they were out-deviling "The Exorcist."