Demons 1 and 2 (Blu-ray Steelbook)

Hi,

Soundstory - Thanks for the kind words! ;)

The picture is supposed to be very good on BR, however, a new issue has now arisen, folks, and it's not a good one.

According to some internet reports, there are some major changes to the soundtrack! :eek: And not in a good way, either.

Because Arrow used an Italian HD master print, they then had to use the English-language dub audio track from another version, to sync it all together. This English-dub they've included is NOT the one most people know of, and worse still, has some 30-odd changes made to it!

Right from the start the sound is changed. No longer do we have the eerie backwards synth over the starting credits before the rock music pummels in on the train. As Cheryl is walking through the station there are different audio cues as well as at least 30 other similar changes throughout the film.

Also, Frank the obnoxious wife-hater has been given a different dubbing job to what I'm used to, with different dialogue and a less hostile voice, some of the dialogue of the cokeheads has been tampered with (including the fantastic line which is sadly now missing "Maybe they're after our coke!"). For the casual moviegoer this probably wouldn't be a huge issue but as I've already said, Demons isn't the sort of film your run of the mill casual watcher is going to pick up and if like me, you know these films like the back of your hand it tends to be very distracting.


The details come from Alan Simpson, who runs the "Sex, Gore, Mutants" website, and who I think also helps run and programme the Dead By Dawn Edinburgh horror film festival. If anyone else has any more information, or can back-up Alan's claims, it'd be appreciated. :)


Pooch
 
got mine today and glad to see the amazon.de style boxes, they even say dvd steelcase box on the bottom.

not going to bother unsealing it though as i have the seperate releases ordered so i can have the comics and posters and reversible artwork. from looking at those pics though they have no excuses, they could have put a couple of posters in surely.

i still think its bad they wont give those who paid for the steelbook the extras for free - especially for those who paid £25 or whatever. glad it was only £16.99 but this is the first time ive ever bought a steelbook and have no intention of opening it. i dont like it lol.
 
Mine arrived also, SB looks fantastic.:smashin:
 
Mine turned up today also.

It's a good job it was sent in the .de packaging, as it looked like it had beaten to within an inch of its life during transit

The Steelbook was, happily, unscathed
 
Mine turned from Amazon.co.uk in a normal cardboard box, not the .de packaging.
 
A problem with the printers is the reason cited by Arrow for the omission of the posters, etc. This has delayed the indivual releases.
 
Im watching demons 1 and 2 on dvd right now...i hope everyone who had ordered the steelbook has, you know, seen the films before....;-) Demons is quite funny and very 80s and Demons 2...well cheese to the max so far. I certainly wouldnt buy them on blu. Just my opinion tho:)
 
Right...ive just seen both now. Demons is quite fun in a cheesy 80s way...its not bad but not exactly a must have. Demons 2 was a real chore...too many stupid bits to go into but think about every major 80s film before 87 and its in here somewhere....the gremlin is particularly terrible. And the acid blood....I could go on! :-D
 
Im watching demons 1 and 2 on dvd right now...i hope everyone who had ordered the steelbook has, you know, seen the films before....;-) Demons is quite funny and very 80s and Demons 2...well cheese to the max so far. I certainly wouldnt buy them on blu. Just my opinion tho:)

that might be the exact reason why people like it!:laugh: im likely to watch then sell on
 
Hi Jim,

Im watching demons 1 and 2 on dvd right now... <snip> I certainly wouldnt buy them on blu. Just my opinion tho:)

So, I'm assuming you bought these on DVD, as opposed to renting or borrowing them from a friend, or - god forbid - stealing them. If that's the case, and you weren't sure if you were going to like them, then I do have to ask, why buy them in the first place? :confused:


Pooch
 
got mine today and glad to see the amazon.de style boxes, they even say dvd steelcase box on the bottom.

not going to bother unsealing it though as i have the seperate releases ordered so i can have the comics and posters and reversible artwork. from looking at those pics though they have no excuses, they could have put a couple of posters in surely.

i still think its bad they wont give those who paid for the steelbook the extras for free - especially for those who paid £25 or whatever. glad it was only £16.99 but this is the first time ive ever bought a steelbook and have no intention of opening it. i dont like it lol.

youre better off keeping the single releases sealed and opening the steelbook..the single releases i believe are limited to 2000 where as the steelbook 5000 ...you do the maths.
 
PoochJD said:
Hi Jim,

So, I'm assuming you bought these on DVD, as opposed to renting or borrowing them from a friend, or - god forbid - stealing them. If that's the case, and you weren't sure if you were going to like them, then I do have to ask, why buy them in the first place? :confused:

Pooch

Assumptions, assumptions ;-)

In fact, I borrowed the dvds from my brother who bought them from poundland! :-D I hadnt seen them before so I thought Id watch them and them go for the blu if I liked them a lot. Enjoyable...in a way....but I wont be buying them!
 
First off I think that these films really only appeal to those who may have watched them years ago when they were really quite gory for the time and those who like the b-movie splatter genre in general. I guess they won't be as shocking to those that have seen the Saw and Hostel movies first.

My steelbook arrived a few days ago and I watched Demons last night. I must admit that I never thought I would see these films in HD, and thought myself lucky to have them on DVD to begin with. The picture quality is very good considering the age of the film. It is nice and clean and there is plenty of extra detail that is now apparent. The image doesn't look processed either and has a very nice filmic look to it. Overall I think they have done an excellent job on the HD transfer.

Audio quality is also good considering the limited 2 channel mix. At least we now get PCM audio and not a heavily compressed Dolby mix. As a result everything is clear, just not very dynamic. There is however, as mentioned by PoochJD a few differences with the English audio track. It is mostly with the synth incedental effects like the eerie ghostly moan with exterior shots of the cinema which have been changed to a more obvious, bassier series of notes which in my view are nowhere near as creepy or effective.

There are also a couple of moments where due to the editing, the same couple of words are repeated by the guy driving the car with the gang of coke heads that I never noticed before. There is also an extended scene after the coke spillage with the girl and the guy with the razor blade that was not in the DVD version.

The extras are ok and cover a bit more than the DVD did. In fact they give a good brief history of Italian horror movies. I popped Demons 2 in earlier just to have a look and it's much the same as the first film. The picture looks clean and detailed and another very good job overall.
 
Hi Jim,

In fact, I borrowed the dvds from my brother who bought them from poundland!

Well in that case, the versions you had would probably be the old, censored Divid 2000 DVD releases. So, in all honesty, not the best way to truly judge these films, as you're not seeing them in their original and uncut versions, in the correct widescreen ratios.

But we'll leave that point, and move on to...


There are also a couple of moments where due to the editing, the same couple of words are repeated by the guy driving the car with the gang of coke heads that I never noticed before. There is also an extended scene after the coke spillage with the girl and the guy with the razor blade that was not in the DVD version.

That is correct Snake. :) The scene involving the punks in the car, and one of them using a razor blade to snort coke, as well as dragging the blade over the female punk's breast, was previously cut out in the UK. The last versions to be passed in the UK uncut, were about 3-4 years ago, but weren't very good prints, and generally not considered good releases. Hence, why they were in the new Arrow release. :)

I do think Arrow have done a good job with DEMONS, but I do so wish that they had included ALL of the extras that the standard DVD and Blu-Ray releases have, in the Steelbook. That was really not a wise decision to leave the posters and comic books out of the Steelbook. :(


Pooch
 
The censored bits described above seemed to be on my copy, not a scene youd forget! I know the blu pq and aq would be far better of course but I watched these dvds to see if the films were worth owning on blu....for me theyre not. :)
 
That is correct Snake. :) The scene involving the punks in the car, and one of them using a razor blade to snort coke, as well as dragging the blade over the female punk's breast, was previously cut out in the UK. The last versions to be passed in the UK uncut, were about 3-4 years ago, but weren't very good prints, and generally not considered good releases. Hence, why they were in the new Arrow release. :)

I do think Arrow have done a good job with DEMONS, but I do so wish that they had included ALL of the extras that the standard DVD and Blu-Ray releases have, in the Steelbook. That was really not a wise decision to leave the posters and comic books out of the Steelbook. :(
Pooch

I certainly agree with you there. Usually when you pay a premium over a standard product you expect it to be better and in many cases this is true. In this instance I'd say quite the opposite. The single release editions offer a lot more for fans of the movies than the steelbook double release does. Reversible cover art, posters and comics are certainly nice to have and I would have liked Arrow to have at least included something from the single releases.

I think Arrow have been a little greedy, knowing that many fans will want all the extra goodies and will purchase both single releases which will cost more than the steelbook. There are also those who collect steelbooks and will want that version too. While steelbooks do look a lot nicer than the standard blue cases I don't want to fall in the trap of having to collect them. This is my first steelbook and I only opted for this version to save money, and I was lucky enough to get it for £16.99 too. I am a fan of the films but I will stick with the steelbook simply on principle.

I would have also liked to have seen the extras from the DVD on the blu-ray but they were not must have extras so don't mind so much. Sadly, they are not the first company to do this and they won't be the last. Above all else I wanted a good quality HD print and clear audio which they have done very well.
 
I watched this first time round in the 80's and it all came back to me as I sat and watched it again....it wasn't a good re-watch for me, im a different person now, back then I was a teenager...it just came across as pretty bad cheese and poor effects and badly executed story..

the concept is pretty good, and if there was ever an excuse for a remake ..this is it.. I have already sold my pristine and comicless steelbook already as I couldn't bare to have it my collection, never even made it to demons 2

so i have to agree with Jim on this...it aint a keeper for me, if it had been on the telly, I would have switched it over..

that says it all really...
 
It was awful acting and the script was terrible, but hey i lapped it up for what it was.:smashin:
 
It was awful acting and the script was terrible, but hey i lapped it up for what it was.:smashin:

yeah, obviously there is a market for this, and the steelbook itself was lovely..but sometimes when you see a film when your younger, then re-watch when your older you feel differently about a film, i normally love cheesy stuff, and can enjoy it for what it is or was..but not in the case.

the same applies for certain films i will love all my life..like jaws,et, raiders.star wars, close encounters, back to the future..etc that dont age for me, and i have them all in my collection when available.
 
yeah, obviously there is a market for this, and the steelbook itself was lovely..but sometimes when you see a film when your younger, then re-watch when your older you feel differently about a film, i normally love cheesy stuff, and can enjoy it for what it is or was..but not in the case.

the same applies for certain films i will love all my life..like jaws,et, raiders.star wars, close encounters, back to the future..etc that dont age for me, and i have them all in my collection when available.

You have just mentioned some of my all time favorite films in particular Close Encounters, perhaps the greatest film of all time.:)
 
You have just mentioned some of my all time favorite films in particular Close Encounters, perhaps the greatest film of all time.:)

yes close encounters was one of the first blurays I owned i think? of course I have the 30th anniversary edition, with all versions..probably one of my fav of all time I saw this film again when I was 7/8 and I believed and still do!

anyway steering off topic..but must watch close encounters again soon...
 
golden phoenix said:
I watched this first time round in the 80's and it all came back to me as I sat and watched it again....it wasn't a good re-watch for me, im a different person now, back then I was a teenager...it just came across as pretty bad cheese and poor effects and badly executed story..

the concept is pretty good, and if there was ever an excuse for a remake ..this is it.. I have already sold my pristine and comicless steelbook already as I couldn't bare to have it my collection, never even made it to demons 2

so i have to agree with Jim on this...it aint a keeper for me, if it had been on the telly, I would have switched it over..

that says it all really...

Lucky you didnt see demons 2 then! Demons was ok and a bit of a laugh. Demons 2 was just a struggle to get to the end...
 
Jim Di Griz said:
Lucky you didnt see demons 2 then! Demons was ok and a bit of a laugh. Demons 2 was just a struggle to get to the end...

I enjoyed both despite them being 'actually' cack. I'm sure I'll rewatch Demons, at least.
 
They must be having difficulty shifting stock , thought it was a bit pricey for what is basically , as you say , absolute cack films but it's on offer for £ 12.95 in steelbook form at Zavvi today.
 

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