When I received this DVD for review I immediately thought to myself “Don’t I already own this?”  And with a little searching through my collection it turns out I was half right.  Seems I owned the original DVD release from Anchor Bay and I had just received a new re-release of the film.  But was the DVD at all different?  Read below to find out.

They will make cemeteries their cathedrals and the cities will be your tombs! In 1985, Italian horror masters Dario Argento and Lamberto Bava unleashed this landmark splatter shocker about a group of strangers invited to a sneak preview at a mysterious movie theater, only to be trapped inside and transformed one-by-one into carnage-crazed monsters. It’s a one-of-a-kind combination of creepy terror and relentless gore-orgy, featuring a pounding soundtrack of ‘80s metal, a throbbing score by Claudio Simonetti (Suspiria), and gut-churning special effects by Sergio Stivaletti (Cemetery Man, Phenomena).

The video comes to us in 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen (YAY!).  Gone is the old letterbox only version of the previous release.  The video is more refined, colours are nicely reproduced and contrast levels are decent.  I didn’t detect any distracting compression artifacts or edge-enhancement.  Generally this is a better video presentation then the original DVD release.

The audio is however, no different in this release then the previous release either.  It’s a decent mix considering the source material (the film is dubbed in its entirety being an Italian production).  I’ve heard better dubs but this one is also a lot better then most from that era.  No complaints regarding the audio.  The DVD also contains a 2.0 Surround track.

I was disappointed to find that the extras on this re-mastered editioin were no different then the previous release. Surely a film of this caliber deserves more extras.  Heck, why not give it the special edition treatment? What we do get is a commentary track from Director Lamberto Bava, make-up artist Sergio Stivaletti and Journalist Loris Curci.  The track is mildly entertaining with some information regarding how Italian filmmakers worked in the 80s among other things.  There’s a very very short behind-the-scenes clip (it’s less then 2 minutes long). Finally there’s the theatrical trailer for Demons and some trailers for Demons 2, Phenomena, Tenebre, Re-Animator and Phantasm.

Demons is a must own for any big time horror fan.  If you don’t own the previous DVD release then I highly recommend… no, I demand you go out and grab this one right away.  If however you’re just a casual fan of the genre, consider renting it.  Not everyone is into the Italian horror films so before dropping your hard earned cash, give it a look over.  I’m guessing you’ll probably buy it in the end.  For those that already own the previous release of the film getting this re-release may not be worth it.  It all comes down to “Is anamorphic really worth it?” For myself… it is.  Even with the lame new packaging, the anamorphic video trumps all in my opinion.

Review By Robert Harding