The Demoniacs – Indicator Series (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: France/Belgium, 1974
Director: Jean Rollin
Writer: Jean Rollin
Cast: Joëlle Coeur, John Rico, Willy Braque, Paul Bisciglia, Lieva Lone, Patricia Hermenier, Mireille Dargent, Monica Swinn

Release Date: April 22nd, 2024 (UK), April 23rd, 2024 (USA)
Approximate Running Times: 100 Minutes 5 Seconds (Original Theatrical Version), 108 Minutes 32 Seconds (Export Version), 85 Minutes 45 Seconds (Curse of the Living Dead - Alternative English-Language Cut)
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10 (All Versions)
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono French (Original Theatrical Version, Export Version), LPCM Mono English (Curse of the Living Dead - Alternative English-Language Cut)
Subtitles: English (Original Theatrical Version, Export Version), English SDH (Curse of the Living Dead - Alternative English-Language Cut)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $49.95 (USA)

"A gang of ruthless pirates, known as ‘the wreckers’, rape two survivors of a shipwreck. The women, now mute, are guided by a mysterious clown to a ruined castle, where they receive magical powers with which to exact their revenge on the gang." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (Original Theatrical Version, Export Version, Curse of the Living Dead - Alternative English-Language Cut)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, “The Demoniacs was scanned, restored and color corrected in 4k HDR at Film Finity, London, using original 35mm negative film materials. Phoenix image-processing tools were used to remove the many thousands of instances of dirt, eliminate scratches and other imperfections, as well as repair damaged frames. No grain management, edge enhancement or sharpening tools were employed to artificially alter the image in any way.”

The Demoniacs comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 92.2 GB

Feature: 50.9 GB (Original Theatrical Version), 54.1 GB (Export Version), 31.1 GB (Curse of the Living Dead - Alternative English-Language Cut)

This release uses seamless branching for the original theatrical version and the export version. The source used for this transfer looks exceptional. Image clarity, depth, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated and at times vivid, and grain remains intact; the image always looks organic. 

Audio: 4.5/5 (DTS-HD Mono French - Original Theatrical Version, DTS-HD Mono French - Export Version, LPCM Mono English - Curse of the Living Dead - Alternative English-Language Cut)

The original theatrical version comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in French with removable English subtitles. 

The export version comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in French with removable English subtitles.

The alternative English-language cut comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in English with removable English SDH.

All audio tracks are in great shape. Dialog always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery (91 images - stills/posters/home video art), a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital mono, text in French with removable English subtitles), outtake footage (2 minutes 7 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), an appreciation by author and musician Stephen Thrower titled Vengeance and Purity (41 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles for French film clips), an interview with actor Paul Bisciglia titled One Perfect Shot (8 minutes 39 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an interview with actor Willy Braque titled The Iron Eagle (10 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an interview with Jean Rollin collaborator Jean-Pierre Bouyxou titled One of the Demoniacs (20 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an archival extra titled Jean Rollin Introduces The Demoniacs (3 minutes 7 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), scene select audio commentary with Jean Rollin (50 minutes 2 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with film expert Tim Lucas for the export version, and an 80-page booklet with cast & crew information, an essay titled Rape, Revenge and The Demoniacs written by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, an archival extra titled The Making of The Demoniacs written by Jean Rollin,  an archival interview with Jean Rollin titled Lascivious Vampires, Deep Melancholy by Mike Lebbing,  archival interview with actor Monica Swinn titled Getting Naked by Jérôme Fandor, and information about the restoration. 

Summary:

Directed by Jean Rollin, a filmmaker whose career spanned five decades. His films are known for their fantasy and erotic elements. Notable films he directed are The Iron Rose, Lips of Blood, and The Night of the Hunted.

The narrative revolves around two young women who come back from the dead and haunt the four thieves who raped and murdered them.

Jean Rollin was a filmmaker known for his abstract and atmospheric horror films laced with erotica. And what his films lack when it comes to spoken words, they more than make up for with their atmospheric visuals, which reinforce the saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. That said, The Demoniacs' minimalism might be off-putting to someone unfamiliar with the cinema of Jean Rollin.

The Demoniacs opens with an inventive opening pro-log that introduces the main players before launching into the credits. Then there is a lengthy scene where the four thieves rape and murder two girls. This scene, at nearly fourteen minutes in length, perfectly sets the stage for what follows. Later on, the two girls come across an abandoned place that houses a demonic entity that everyone in town is afraid of. And when the two girls free him, he gives them the powers they need to exact revenge against the four thieves.

When it comes to the performances, the entire cast is fantastic, especially Joëlle Coeur, who portrays the only female in a group of four murderous thieves. She delivers a possessed performance in which she lets go of any inhibitions. And nowhere is this clearer than a moment in the finale where her character masterbates on a pile of seaweed. This was her third and final time working with Jean Rollin; the other films are Schoolgirl Hitchhikers and Bacchanales sexuelles.

Also, Lieva Lone and Patricia Hermenier’s portrayals of ghostly apparitions are memorable. Though their characters do not speak, that is not to say that their performances are not impactful. An interesting sidebar about one cast member, Mireille Dargent, who portrays a clown; she also portrayed a clown in Jean Rollin’s The Iron Rose.

From a production standpoint, Jean Rollin once again proves he's a magician with the way he stretches his anemic resources. That said, Jean Rollin’s exquisite taste when it comes to choosing location is one area where his films always deliver. This is especially clear when it comes to how the visuals fully exploit the locations. Ultimately, The Demoniacs is a film filled with surrealism and symbolism that walks a fine line between arthouse and exploitation cinema.

The Demoniacs makes its way to 4K UHD via a definitive release from Powerhouse Films, highly recommended.

Note: This release is a limited edition of 10,000 numbered units (6,000 4K UHDs and 4,000 Blu-rays) for the UK and US.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a VLC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer