If you've been following Film Deviant for awhile, then you are probably fully aware of my obsession with Lamberto Bava's Demons. Well...the time has come to finally devote an entire goddamn week to one of my favorite genre films of all time...DEMONS WEEK! Let's start things off with what hooked me into wanting to see the classic film in the first place...the artwork!
Over the years there have been many, many incarnations of the artwork that have adorned the posters, VHS covers, Laser-Disc covers, soundtracks, DVDs, Blu-rays and just about anything else you could imagine for Demons. Do you remember the very first image of the film? What was it? Was it the classic one-sheet that depicted a bunch of demon silhouettes ascending from a hallway staircase? Or maybe it was the classic Starmaker VHS cover that came out in the early 90's. For me, it was that New World VHS from the 80's that had the main demon creature's face on the cover flashing his vicious fangs with the fuchsia logo. It was a pretty simplistic cover that featured some of the bands on the soundtrack. It is such a memorable image for me because of the demon's face. So fucking creepy at the time. While it really scared me as a child...I just couldn't keep my eyes away from it. I remember finally getting the nerve up to ask my mother to rent the film only to be left speechless as the credits rolled. It was a cinematic experience that pretty much left a lasting impression on my young mind that has snowballed into an obsession with the film. Out of every film that I own, Demons is the one that I consistently watch over and over again. My "go-to" film, if you will.
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| JAPANESE POSTER ARTWORK |
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| SWEET PALACE HOME VIDEO VHS VARIANT (LOVE THE "LEAVES EVIL DEAD FOR DEAD" BLURB!) |
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| DVD VARIANT W/ DEMONS 2 IMAGE |
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| WEIRD ARGENTINIAN VHS VARIANT |
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| ANCHOR BAY "DARIO ARGENTO COLLECTION" DVD THAT DISPLAYED DEMONS 2 ARTWORK ON BACK |
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| ARROW VIDEO BLU-RAY RELEASE WITH SICK ORIGINAL ARTWORK BY JEFF ZORNOW |
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| SYNAPSE LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY RELEASE WITH STUNNING WES BENSCOTER ORIGINAL ARTWORK |
And here's a few Demons 2 artwork pieces for good measure. The original US "theatrical" one-sheet has remained a favorite of mine. Love Sally's silhouette in the door and the tagline..."LET'S PARTY". It pretty much hung on my bedroom door for most of my teenage years.
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| DEMONS 2 "THEATRICAL" POSTER BEAUTIFUL ARTWORK THAT CAPTURES THE FILM |
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| FUNKY NEW VISION VHS VARIANT FOR DEMONS 2. LOVE THE USE OF THE ACCENT HORNS OVER THE "A" |
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| ANOTHER GREAT WES BENSCOTER PIECE FOR THE SYNAPSE LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY RELEASE! |
So, as you can see, Demons (and Demons 2) has had some pretty great artwork throughout the years. I've always been partial to the original New World Video VHS release because it was the very first one to reel me in. Tho, if I had to pick my overall favorite...the original "theatrical" poster with the demons emerging from the staircase, glowing eyes and all, is such an iconic image. What is your favorite? Do you still have any of the original posters from the 80's? If so, comment below and let us know!
By the by...there are also so many great commissioned pieces for all the Demons screenings that go on around the world. If you Google "Demons 1985 movie posters", you'll get all kinds of awesome original artwork that you might've never seen before. Like the following poster for a screening that demanded the patrons come dressed in 80's fashion!
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| SICK EUROPEAN INDIE SCREENING COMPLETE WITH 80'S DRESS CODE REQUEST! I'M IN LOVE WITH THIS! |
Thanks for reading,
bryan.
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