Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

The Night of the Devils Blu-ray Movie Review

The morning after.

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf February 18, 2013

“The Night of the Devils” arrives with a little extra pedigree than the average Italian shocker. The 1972 release was based on Aleksey Tolstoy’s 1839 story, “The Wurdalak,” providing inspiration that’s more interested in mood than overt scares, aided by leadership from director Giorgio Ferroni (the mind behind “Mill of the Stone Woman,” in his penultimate film), who embraces the hauntingly straightforward interests of the material. Startlingly fulfilling while remaining minimal in its terror output, “The Night of the Devils” is an engaging viewing experience, perhaps best suited for those open to its simplistic narrative design, odd sensuality, and period-rich macabre details, shaped into an entertaining examination of trauma and vampirism, sold with all the sustained stares and zooms a viewer could ever want.

Nicola (Gianni Garko) is on his way to a business deal, driving hastily through rural Italy. Startled into an accident, Nicola is left in the middle of nowhere without a working automobile, spying a farm nearby that could provide some help. Patriarch Corca (Bill Vanders) only offers assistance during the day, and with dusk fast approaching, he offers Nicola a bed for the night, much to the dismay of his volatile son, Jovan (Roberto Maldera). While taking a shine to Corca’s virginal daughter, Sdenka (Agostina Belli), he’s more intrigued with the tension inside the house, soon learning of a curse that’s plagued the family for some time now, turning innocents into “Vourdalak” creatures that feast on human blood. While his passion for Sdenka runs high, Nicola is shocked by acts of self-defense he interprets as murder, refusing to stand idly by while Jovan prepares to protect the house from possessed loved ones, including his lover and aunt, Elena (Teresa Gimpera).

Perhaps the greatest misstep of “The Night of the Devils” is found in its flashback storytelling device, greeting Nicola as he emerges from the cursed woods, beaten and traumatized, soon ushered into a hospital for medical and psychological evaluation. While bookend sequences inside the sanatorium still retain a few juicy surprises, a major one concerning the lead character’s liberation from certain doom is answered in the opening act, allowing some of the film’s tension to escape. While the element of surprise is rubbed off the movie early on, the general tone of disturbance and mystery doesn’t lose its influence, simply redirected to the story of the isolated household and their daily dance with hazily defined demonic forces.

A veteran filmmaker with a host of genre entertainment under his belt, Ferroni attacks “The Night of the Devils” with confidence, attempting to expand an unsophisticated tale of supernatural malice into a compelling, knotted psychodrama, inspecting the rural inhabitants for all the dysfunction and paranoia they’re capable of transmitting. Admittedly, Jovan’s sudden craving for Aunt Elena is a definite eye-opener, providing some voltage to the feature’s sagging midsection, while the character’s disgust with his father’s old world ways of curse-breaking also maintains interest, with plenty of silent stare downs and constipated acts of communication helping to fuel domestic discomfort, which comes to rattle Nicola the longer he remains trapped with the itchy clan and their fear of an initially ill-defined force of evil.

Ferroni employs stylish widescreen cinematography to inject cinematic beauty into the proceedings, and the ensemble brings appealing passion to their work, articulating rage and lust with professional, wild-eyed commitment. “The Night of the Devils” shows elevated interest in the mechanics of screen artistry, lending the film an irresistible gothic quality that plays with shadows and lighting, while massaging a feel for isolation that motivates the characters to satisfaction. There are also gorehound needs to satisfy, and Ferroni is happy to oblige, observing the deadly curse take its toll on the supporting cast with squishy make-up work, gushing neck wounds, and severed limbs, all showcased in irresistible detail. Because it just wouldn’t be Italian horror from the 1970s if it didn’t feature lingering close-ups of putrefying flesh.

The Night of the Devils Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.35:1 aspect ratio) presentation does an excellent job resurrecting a long forgotten cult offering, giving it a little HD heft. Outside of some white speckles and the occasional blip of debris, the print is in wonderful shape, providing a solid foundation for the soft viewing experience. Some noise is detected in the corners of the frame, while another unidentifiable abnormality on the right side of the frame intermittently pops into view, but these are small issues in an otherwise satisfactory picture, with period-restrained colors (and mild fade) showing life, offering the ideal punch of red when blood begins to flow. Costumes are equally communicative with hues, while skintones are defined, moving between red blooded bedroom interests and ashen, undead monster pallor. Shadow detail is a touch too thick during evening encounters, but remains in good shape, with adequate blacks and comfy contrast. Grain is restrained, yet the image is filmic and welcoming, with fine detail quite healthy, clarifying textures on wounds and prosthetics (the reveal of a severed hand inadvertently showcases its rubber origins), while facial particulars are open for careful inspection.

The Night of the Devils Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix has a bit of an uphill climb here, fighting the presence of hiss and pops, while some of the broader acts of violence test the limits of the upper range. It's a thin track, but one that's not too much of a concern, tending to dubbed dialogue exchanges with a hearty sense of verbal personality, maintaining performances without clutter. Scoring is substantial, carrying the picture as intended, with a full sense of orchestral control when called upon. Balance is satisfactory and horror cues are preserved, while atmospherics are expectedly thick and loud. Again, it's not a clean track, but quite pleasing considering the obscurity of the title.

The Night of the Devils Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet (12 pages) offers a short essay on the feature and Ferroni, an interview with composer Giorgio Gaslini, and a director filmography.

• "Introduction by Chris Alexander" (5:27, SD) is basically a webcam history lesson from the Fangoria editor, who walks viewers through Ferroni's history with the genre and the assorted technical legends who worked on the picture. There's no doubt that Alexander knows his stuff (the clip is recorded in his basement, adorned with horror memorabilia), but his pro wrestling-inspired presence (yelling directly into the camera) is on the aggressive side, making the intro more of an endurance test than I believe he was intending.

• "Interview with Giorgio Gaslini" (32:14, HD) provides an extended chat with the "Devils" composer, who's captured here behind a piano, barely tolerating the conversation. It's an uncut talk, so don't expect much polish. However, the information imparted here is terrific, with Gaslini discussing his admiration for Ferroni, the influence of jazz on scores of the 1960s, his work with Michelangelo Antonioni, and the rise of his own fame in Germany, where a "cult" has maintained access to work thought to be lost to the ages. It's an interesting conversation, with a few musical interludes that concentrate on Gaslini's work on "Devils."

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included.

The Night of the Devils Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The Night of the Devils" is a solid effort all around, boosted by a mournful score from Joe Gaslini, who conjures a mood of lost romance and tragedy to backdrop the horror happenings, bringing unexpected elegance to the low-budget effort. Although it never reaches a peak of insanity inherent to the genre, "The Night of the Devils" achieves a balanced sense of the unknown, the sympathetic, and the ghoulish, focusing on character to embellish suspense as it creeps around in a most inspired manner.