Curse of the Devil / The Vampires Night Orgy / Demon Witch Child - Vinegar Syndrome (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Spain/Mexico, 1973 (Curse of the Devil), Spain, 1973 (The Vampires Night Orgy), Spain, 1975 (Demon Witch Child)
Directors: Carlos Aured (Curse of the Devil), León Klimovsky (The Vampires Night Orgy), Amando de Ossorio (Demon Witch Child)
Cast: Paul Naschy, Fabiola Falcón, Mariano Vidal Molina, Maritza Olivares, José Manuel Martín, María Silva, Elsa Zabala, Eduardo Calvo (Curse of the Devil), Jack Taylor, Dyanik Zurakowska, José Guardiola, Charo Soriano, Helga Liné, Manuel de Blas, David Aller, Luis Ciges (The Vampires Night Orgy), Julián Mateos, Marián Salgado, Fernando Sancho, Lone Fleming, Ángel del Pozo, Kali Hansa, Daniel Martín, Tota Alba, Roberto Camardiel, María Kosty, Fernando Hilbeck, Montserrat Prous (Demon Witch Child)

Release Date: January 21st, 2024
Approximate Running Times: 84 Minutes 28 Seconds (Curse of the Devil), 84 Minutes 33 Seconds (The Vampires Night Orgy), 88 Minutes 10 Seconds (Demon Witch Child)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Curse of the Devil, Demon Witch Child), 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (The Vampires Night Orgy)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Spanish, DTS-HD Mono English (All Films)
Subtitles: English, English SDH (All Films)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $61.98

Curse of the Devil: "lycanthrope Waldemar Daninsky is back; doomed to become a bloodthirsty werewolf as punishment for his family's involvement in centuries-old witch trials." - synopsis provided by the distributor

The Vampires Night Orgy: "a busload of travelers become stranded in an eerie village where, each night after dark, the townspeople transform into ravenous bloodsuckers." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Demon Witch Child: "innocent tween Susan Barnes becomes possessed by demonic forces after a vengeful witch gives her a strange, cursed doll." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (The Vampires Night Orgy, Demon Witch Child), 4.25/5 (Curse of the Devil)

Here’s the information provided about the transfers, "All films were scanned and restored in 4K from their 35mm original camera negatives."

Curse of the Devil comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 36.1 GB

Feature: 23.7 GB

The Vampires Night Orgy comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 31.5 GB

Feature: 23.8 GB 

Demon Witch Child comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 34.1 GB

Feature: 24.9 GB

The sources for all three films are in great shape; some minor debris remains. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, compression is solid, and all three films retain an organic look. That said, when compared to Code Red’s The Vampires Night Orgy Blu-ray, this new release is a marked improvement.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Spanish - All Films), 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono English - The Vampires Night Orgy), 3.75/5 (DTS-HD Mono English - Curse of the Devil, Demon Witch Child)

Curse of the Devil comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Though both audio tracks sound clean, dialog sounds louder on the English language track. Included are removable English subtitles for the Spanish language track and removable English SDH for the English language track.

The Vampires Night Orgy comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Both audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced. That said, the Spanish language track is the more robust of these two audio tracks. Included are removable English subtitles for the Spanish language track and removable English SDH for the English language track.

Demon Witch Child comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Spanish and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. The Spanish language track is in better shape; the English language track has some background hiss. That said, both audio tracks and dialog come through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Included are removable English subtitles for the Spanish language track and removable English SDH for the English language track.

Extras:

Extras for Curse of the Devil include Spanish language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Spanish with removable English subtitles), English language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), alternate English language main title sequence (2 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), alternate ‘clothed scenes’ from the international version (2 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Spanish with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with Paul Naschy titled Paul Naschy: Interview with the Werewolf (14 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital Stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), an interview with Sitges Film Festival director Ángel Sala (14 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital Stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), and an interview with Sergio Molina, son of Paul Naschy (12 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital Stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles).

Extras for The Vampires Night Orgy include an interview with actor Jack Taylor (9 minutes 22 seconds, Dolby Digital Stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles),  an interview with Ángel Sala (13 minutes 32 seconds, Dolby Digital Stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), and an interview with filmmaker Victor Matellano(11 minutes 53 seconds, Dolby Digital Stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles).

Extras for Demon Witch Child include English language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an introduction by Ángel Sala, Carlos Benítez and Xavi Sánchez Pons (10 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital Stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), a featurette with Ángel Sala and Xavi Sánchez Pons (23 minutes 30 seconds, Dolby Digital Stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), an interview with actress Marian Salgado (22 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital Stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles), and Marian Salgado at Fancine de Lemos film festival (22 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital Stereo Spanish with removable English subtitles).

Other extras include reversible cover art and a spot gloss hard slipcase + slipcover combo (limited to 6,000 units).

Summary:

Curse of the Devil: A witch puts a curse on the Daninsky family and their descendants. Years later the curse comes to fruition when Waldemar, one of the Daninsky descendants, becomes a werewolf. Is Waldemar doomed to live his life as a werewolf, or will he find a cure to end his suffering?

Carlos Aured directed Curse of the Devil. He’s also known for Horror Rises From The Tomb, The Mummy’s Revenge, and Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll; all of these films also star Paul Naschy. There are 12 Hombre Lobo films, though they are not all related, they are all connected by a werewolf named Count Waldemar Daninsky. Curse of the Devil is the seventh Hombre Lobo film. 

By the time Paul Naschy made Curse of the Devil, he had firmly established a formula that he would continue to use for the rest of his career. When it comes to the cinema of Paul Naschy, you can always expect two things: a lot of carnage and nudity. In these two areas, Curse of the Devil delivers.

For some, Curse of the Devil will be a letdown after films like The Werewolf Versus Vampire Woman and Dr. Jekyll vs. The Werewolf. Those two films were directed by another frequent Paul Naschy collaborator, León Klimovsky. Where those two films were overflowing with style and atmosphere, Curse of the Devil is underwhelming in comparison. That said, Carlos Aured’s direction for Curse of the Devil is uninspired.

Though many Paul Naschy films are beautifully photographed and have striking imagery, their main draw is his presence. He once again delivers a performance that is in line with his other films, and his enthusiasm is infectious. Of course he surrounds himself with a bevy of beauties who all find his character irresistible. The other performance of note is Maria Silva (Tombs of the Blind Dead), who portrays Countess Elizabeth Bathory, the witch who put a curse on the Daninsky family.

After a solid opening that lays the foundation for the events that unfold, there is a long stretch where nothing surprising happens. Even the first sighting of Waldemar as a werewolf does not happen until around the 50-minute mark. That said, the werewolf transformation sequence holds up surprisingly well. Ultimately, despite its shortcomings, Curse of the Devil is still a film that fans of Paul Naschy will thoroughly enjoy.

The Vampires Night Orgy: A busload of tourists is forced to make an unplanned stop when their bus driver has a heart attack in the middle of nowhere. The only place nearby is a rural village that, unknown to them, is inhabited by vampires.

León Klimovsky directed The Vampires Night Orgy. He’s also known for The Werewolf Versus Vampire Woman, Dracula Saga, Vengeance of the Zombies, and A Dragonfly for Each Corpse.

The Vampires Night Orgy shares many similarities with another León Klimovsky, The People Who Own the Dark. Both films feature isolated locations where characters are attacked by vampires and zombies, respectively. The other thing that links both of these films is how effectively they use atmosphere to overcome their shortcomings.

The opening setup does a phenomenal job setting the foundation for what unfolds. In the opening moments, the stranded tourists find a town that looks abandoned, and while they are searching for anyone, the dead bus driver's body disappears.

The opening setup does a phenomenal job setting the foundation for what unfolds. In the opening moments, the stranded tourists find a town that looks abandoned, and while they are searching for anyone, the dead bus driver's body disappears. And when one of the tourists finally comes upon a local, there is an ominous tone that's quickly established by their hostile tone to him. This scene foreshadows the real danger that's lurking around the corner for the stranded tourists.

When it comes to the performances, the entire cast is very good. That said, there is no performance that stands out. Notable cast members include Helga Liné (When the Screaming Stops), who portrays a bloodsucking countess, and Jack Taylor (Succubus), who portrays another stranded traveler.

From a production standpoint, The Vampires Night Orgy is a film that maximizes its resources. The Vampires Night Orgy takes full advantage of its scenic locations, and its eerie score does an excellent job of reinforcing the mood. The narrative's pacing is deliberate, but this doesn't matter because there is an abundance of atmosphere. Ultimately, despite not living up to its salacious title, The Vampires Night Orgy is a very effective horror film.

Demon Witch Child: A young girl becomes possessed by the spirit of a witch.

Amando de Ossorio directed Demon Witch Child. He’s also known for Tombs of the Blind Dead, Return of the Blind Dead, and The Loreley's Grasp.

Spanish genre cinema, like Italian genre cinema, often made films that liberally borrowed from successful Hollywood films. Case in point, Demon Witch Child, a film that is obviously using The Exorcist as a starting point. A side note: Marián Salgado, the actress who portrays the demon witch child, dubbed Linda Blair’s character for the Spanish-language version of The Exorcist.

For a film about possession, it is a by-the-numbers narrative that offers no real surprises. The narrative is slow-moving; there is a lot of talking and not much in the way of scares. Though there are several people trying to help the possessed girl, a newspaper man, a priest, and the police, they all struggle when it comes to uncovering what's happening.

Most of what works in Demon Witch Child is not because of its workmanlike director Amando de Ossorio. Demon Witch Child’s greatest asset is Marián Salgado’s pitch-perfect portrayal of Susan Barnes, the young girl possessed by a demon witch. That said, the special effects, flying objects, and furniture moving around are surprisingly good. Ultimately, Demon Witch Child’s negatives far outweigh its positives.

Vinegar Syndrome gives Curse of the Devil, The Vampires Night Orgy, and Demon Witch Child strong audio/video presentations, and each film comes with informative extras; highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer