Just a year after the release of Demons, Lamberto Bava and Dario Argento would combine their talents again for the sequel, aptly titled Demons 2. While not as effective as its predecessor, the sequel does manage to deliver some memorable set pieces that may, in some respects, rival the first film but, as a whole, never quite manages to re-capture the same magic. The talented team over at Synapse Films gave this the 4K treatment as well, and I have to admit, I have a whole new appreciation for a film that never really hit for me when I first saw it nearly four decades ago.
This time, a group of tenants in a ten-story high-rise are going about their evening when a creepy horror film appears on television. As the residents become invested in what happens on screen, they soon realize a sinister force is causing it all to happen in real life as well. With the demons having been released through the television, they’re building a small army, and the tenants will have to do whatever they can to survive what’s sure to be a bloody massacre.
Demons 2 fails to scare or shock an audience the way the original film did. It’s far more silly and campier than the previous installment. There’s some solid make-up work but very little gore in comparison. The story goes nowhere new and is mostly just a re-tread of what happened in the first one.
The soundtrack has a few choice tunes from bands like Love & Rockets, The Smiths, and The Cult, but none of them reach the high intensity of the rock soundtrack of part one.
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The 4K transfer looks fabulous, and what little effects work in this one really gets a spotlight due to it. Even the weird ghoulie-looking, chest-bursting mini demon is appreciated more in this transfer.
The disc is jam-packed with special features, like the new audio commentary by film critic Travis Crawford and interviews with Luigi Cozzi, Sergio Stivaletti, Federico Zampaglione, and composer Simon Boswell. There’s a new visual essay on both Demons and Demons 2 by author and critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, trailers, newly translated optional subtitles, and much more.
Part two isn’t frightening in the way the first one is, but it does have some fun moments and is leaps and bounds better than 90% of the content being released today, so you just can’t go wrong. With or without this review, you’ll have already decided on whether or not to pick this one up. It’s a classic, without question and this 4K transfer definitely raises it up a bar.
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