Night of the Demons 4K UHD Review

Wicked Linnea Quigley

Brilliant practical effects and a slew of killer frights save Night of the Demons (aka The Halloween Party) from being just another forgettable schlock fest, transforming director Kevin Tenney’s jaunty b-movie into deservedly one of the VHS era’s most memorable demon flicks.

An abandoned funeral parlor is the setting for this monstrously fun frightener from the 1980s, replete with scream queen Linnea Quigley and a cast of rowdy teenagers squaring off against marauding demons. It’s not great filmmaking by any stretch but virtually every horror fan who survived the ‘80s and ‘90s is familiar with Night of the Demons. The movie’s success spawned two sequels, turned Angela into a name almost on par with Freddie and Jason for horror fans, and led to a half-baked 2009 remake starring Shannon Elizabeth.

Night of the Demons was a prominent fixture in the horror sections of many VHS stores well into the 1990s

Night of the Demons’ plucky cast includes William Gallo, Amelia Kinkade (Girls Just Want To Have Fun), Cathy Podewell (Dallas), Jill Terashita, and the aforementioned Linnea Quigley doing her thing. FX legend Steve Johnson designs the unforgettable effects, creating some of the most impressive and truly frightening demonic creatures to ever grace movie screens. His work elevates an ordinary screenplay with a largely predictable premise into an entertaining horror flick, including weirdly cheesy scenes such as one demon absorbing a lipstick case… through her breast. You have to see it to believe it.

Angela (Amelia Kinkade) throws a private Halloween party at Hull House, a deserted mortuary high on the ick factor. A motley crew of seven people eventually make their way to the odd affair, including Jay and his sweet girlfriend Judy (Cathy Podewell). Angela and her trashy friend Suzanne (Linnea Quigley) hold a séance, accidentally unleashing the many demons lurking within the dark halls of Hull House. Now locked inside the foreboding place by unseen forces, the group must struggle against a supernatural evil which threatens to end their Halloween for good.

Kevin Tenney (Witchboard and also the far inferior Witchtrap) certainly shows throughout the film he knows his way around the horror genre, serving up ghoulish treats for his Halloween bash while giving fans what they want from bad girl Linnea Quigley. It’s an odd cast of characters who don’t necessarily all fit but they provide excellent fodder as victims. These people would likely never get caught dead hanging out together in real life. Such is the fate of a horror movie nobody.

Night of the Demons was a prominent fixture in the horror sections of many VHS stores well into the 1990s, thanks to semi-iconic box art and a growing cult hit status. The narrative takes its sweet time setting up the demonic roller coaster ride but goes full bore in a head-turning final act. Twisted ghouls terrorize the hapless partygoers as they slowly become demons themselves. Creepy and original, the gruesome practical effects are scarier than almost anything conjured up by CGI. It’s a shame they’ve become a lost art of sorts, they don’t make fright films like this anymore.

Video

Night of the Demons lands on UHD in Dolby Vision with a new color correction boasting more refined shadow delineation and a tick more clarity than earlier BDs. Shout Studios lists “a 2023 restoration from an earlier 4K scan of the uncut camera negative” for the film transfer. The low-budget production’s uneven cinematography isn’t the stuff of videophile wonder but the 2160p video highlights the wonderfully detailed prosthetic make-up and effects for each demon in stronger definition than ever before. Inconsistently gritty, definition waxes and wanes.

The uncut main feature runs a complete 89 minutes on a triple-layer UHD, presented in its 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio. A fantastic HEVC encode transparently renders the often chunky grain reproduction with more precision. The film elements are in decent condition, if lacking a touch in full celluloid texture and detail one might expect from a modern 4K image harvest.

Minor ringing can be spotted in the opening reel alongside modest telecine wobble. The new grading deals with the dim lighting more efficiently, showcasing greater shadow depth and delineation. Subtle shades of red and yellow have been pulled to the fore, moving away from the cooler tone of earlier releases. Night of the Demon’s cinematography is primarily flat, leaving little room for high-end video quality.

Night of the Demons isn’t a stunner on UHD, limited by the movie’s disposable filmmaking and paltry budget. The disc is a satisfactory improvement over earlier Blu-ray efforts, probably the best we’ll get for a cherished cult classic flick.

Audio

Three separate audio choices are available for Night of the Demons, though the “new” stereo mix is mislabeled in the menu as the original stereo mix and vice-versa. Chris MacGibbon gives us a new stereo mix in 2.0 DTS-HD MA up against a thinner and less robust original 2.0 DTS-HD MA soundtrack closer to how the film sounded in 1988. The new stereo job is a definite improvement and doesn’t lose sync like the original.

Also included is serviceable 5.1 DTS-HD MA, a surround mix which isn’t particularly aggressive and a bit erratic handling discrete cues. Sure, a couple of scenes have cool immersive properties but otherwise dialogue floats a little too much for my liking with weak imaging. Bass is underwhelming and a tad dull.

Optional English SDH subtitles play in a white font.

Extras

Scream Factory (now Shout Studios) brings Night of the Demons to 4K UHD for the first time in a combo set with a companion Blu-ray. The Collector’s edition has a rash of new special features and older archival extras from Shout’s earlier 2014 Blu-ray and even the ancient DVD. Everything you ever wanted to know about the film is discussed over three separate audio commentaries and a feature-length documentary.

Like virtually all 4K UHDs, Night of the Demons is region-free. The Blu-ray is locked to Region A. A cardboard slipcover is available. Pre-orders on Shoutfactory.com came with a limited edition poster which is now sold out.

This is the definitive release for Tenney’s cult classic, encompassing both A/V quality and comprehensive extras.

Here is what is available on the UHD in terms of bonus features:

Audio Commentary With Director Kevin Tenney, Actors Cathy Podewell, Billy Gallo, And Hal Havins, And Special Make-Up Effects Creator Steve Johnson

Audio Commentary With Director Kevin Tenney, Producer Jeff Geoffray, And Executive Producer Walter Josten

Audio Commentary With Director Kevin Tenney, Actors Linnea Quigley And Phillip Tanzini, And Casting Director Tedra Gabriel

See You In Hell: An interview with writer/producer Joe Augustyn (35:06 in HD)

Coffins and Contortions: An interview with actress Jill Terashita (18:17 in HD)

The Perfect Punk: An interview with special effects artist Nick Benson (08:57 in HD)

Night of the Demons International Cut (89:46 in SD with 2.0 Dolby Digital)

Special features only found on the companion Blu-ray disc:

You’re Invited: The Making Of Night of the Demons (71:31 in HD) – A 70-minute documentary from 2014.

Amelia Kinkade, Protean: An Interview With Actor Amelia Kinkade (22:31 in HD)

Allison Barron’s Demon Memories (03:56 in HD)

My Demon Nights – An Interview With Linnea Quigley (13:56 in SD)

THE HALLOWEEN PARTY Workprint (SD)

THE HALLOWEEN PARTY Alternate Opening Title Sequence (04:00 in SD)

Alternate R-Rated Scenes (03:08 in SD)

A Short NIGHT OF THE DEMONS (08:12 in SD) – A version of the film shown to potential distributors

Theatrical Trailer (01:28 in HD)

Video Trailer (01:55 in HD)

TV Spots (01:16 in SD)

Radio Spot (00:35)

Promo Reel (04:00 in SD)

Still Galleries (HD) – Behind-The-Scenes, Special Effects And Makeup, Photo, Posters And Storyboards

Full disclosure: This UHD was provided by the label for review. This has not materially affected DoBlu’s editorial process. For information on how we handle all review material, please visit DoBlu’s about us page.

The following six screen shots serve as samples for our subscription-exclusive set of 41 full resolution, uncompressed 4K screen shots ripped directly from the UHD: