The Devonsville Terror – Vinegar Syndrome (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1983
Director: Ulli Lommel
Writers: Ulli Lommel, George T. Lindsey, Suzanna Love
Cast: Suzanna Love, Robert Walker Jr., Donald Pleasence, Paul Willson

Release Date: February 14th, 2023
Approximate Running Time: 82 Minutes 19 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $42.98

"Nearly 300 years ago, the residents of Devonsville tortured and murdered a trio of women suspected of witchcraft. However, as they burned, the condemned women swore vengeance from beyond the grave...

The Present: Jenny Scanlon has just moved to Devonsville to take up a job as a schoolteacher. While some in the community welcome her more progressive minded approach to education, the town’s older menfolk, all descendants of those responsible for the centuries old witch-hunts, become increasingly suspicious that Jenny, along with two other liberal young women are in fact agents of Satan who have returned from hell to take revenge on behalf of the executed witches. As unexplainable events involving Jenny begin to occur, old superstitions and paranoia run amok, leading to an ever increasing threat of violence…But is the long feared curse in fact coming true?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Newly scanned & restored in 2K from its 35mm internegative."

Here's additional information about the transfer, "The Devonsville Terror was scanned and restored from the best known surviving film elements, a 35mm Interpositive. While extensive restoration was performed to ensure that it looks better than ever before on home video, certain damage, inherent in the source, was unable to be fully resolved without harming the filmic integrity of the image."

The Devonsville Terror comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 42 GB

Feature: 22.3 GB

The information provided about this transfer gives one a clear idea of what to expect quality-wise. Outside of some minor source-related damage, the image looks great. The colors look correct and stronger than they did for the 88 Films Blu-ray release. Also, image clarity is greatly improved, black levels are strong, compression is solid, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 4.25/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English, and included are removable English SDH subtitles. The audio sounds clean, clear, and balanced. Range-wise, ambient sounds and the score are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (1 minute 55 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a behind the scenes still gallery, an archival interview director Ulli Lommel (7 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles), an interview with camera operator Jürg V. Walther titled Mind of a Chess Player (18 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English SDH subtitles), an interview with makeup artist Erica Ueland titled Not Very Nice People (12 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English SDH subtitles), an interview with actor Paul Willson titled The Incredible Melting Man! (42 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English SDH subtitles), an interview with Special effects artist Matthew W. Mungle titled It’s Melting Men! (15 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English SDH subtitles), an interview with actress Suzanna Love titled God is a Woman (35 minutes 22 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English SDH subtitles), reversible cover art, and a spot gloss slipcover (limited to 6,000 units).

Summary:

The Devonsville Terror was co-written, produced, photographed, and directed by Ulli Lommel, whose other notable films are Tenderness of Wolves, The Boogeyman, and Olivia.

There is something sinister about a film that revolves around witchcraft and the mass hysteria that happens because of it. The narrative revolves around a town that has not caught up with the rest of the world. The people of Devonsville are a superstitious lot whose ancestors rounded up and killed women accused of witchcraft. And because of this town's backward way of thinking, they view any outsider as a threat.

Based solely on its premise, The Devonsville Terror has a solid foundation on which to build. Unfortunately, when it comes to execution, the parts do not come together as well as they could have. And nowhere is this more clear than when it comes to the narrative, which has far too many lulls where nothing really happens.

The core of the cast features two recognizable faces: Donald Pleasence (Halloween) in the role of a doctor named Warley and Robert Walker Jr. (Evil Town) in the role of Matthew Pendleton, whose family keeps the town in check. Both of these parts are not much more than glorified cameos. The other key cast member is Suzanna Love in the role of Jenny Scanlon, the protagonist who has come to Devonsville to be the town's schoolteacher. At the time The Devonsville Terror was made, she was married to Ulli Lommel. She would appear in ten films that he directed.

The Devonsville Terror is at its best when it comes to the flashback sequences, notably the scene that opens with a film. The flashback sequences are well executed. They feature a variety of ways in which accused witches are tortured and killed. Another strength is composer Ray Colcord’s solid score, which greatly adds to the mood. Ultimately, The Devonsville Terror is a film that relies heavily on atmosphere, which is unfortunately undone by poor execution.

The Devonsville Terror gets a definitive release from Vinegar Syndrome.

Written by Michael Den Boer