This special limited edition spot gloss slipcover (designed by Haunt Love) is limited to 6,000 units and is only available on our website and at select indie retailers. Absolutely no major retailers will be stocking them.
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?
From director Ulli Lommel (THE BOOGEYMAN) comes one of the more notorious witchcraft themed horror films of the 1980s, THE DEVONSVILLE TERROR. Starring, and co-written by Suzanna Love (OLIVIA), and featuring Robert Walker Jr. (EASY RIDER), Donald Pleasence (HALLOWEEN) and character actor Paul Willson (OFFICE SPACE), this unnerving study in superstition, with a touch of social commentary, builds to a legendary special effects meltdown of epic proportions. Long unavailable on video in the US, Vinegar Syndrome is proud to bring THE DEVONSVILLE TERROR to Blu-ray, newly restored in 2K from 35mm negative elements and packed with brand new interviews!
directed by: Ulli Lommel
starring: Suzanna Love, Robert Walker Jr., Donald Pleasence, Paul Willson
1983 / 82 min / 1.85:1 / English Mono
Additional info:
Overall rating: 4.3727274 / 5 from 330 reviews.
The Devonsville Terror is a special limited edition horror film slipcover, praised for its excellent packaging, great look, and engaging practical effects. The film itself is a notable entry in the horror genre, with a strong performance by Suzanna Love and a legendary special effects meltdown. The Blu-ray release is newly restored in 2K from 35mm negative elements and includes brand new interviews.
Review topics: [fit, frame, colors, set, quality, looks, material, work, design, packaging, sound, buy, upgrade, improvement, effort, film, beauty, movie, release, transfer, effects, flick, slipcover, horror, restoration, features, extras, artwork, witch, story].
"This early 80s witchcraft themed horror flick is one hell of a wild ride and it’s made that much more entertaining by Vinegar Syndrome’s outstanding transfer. Packed to the gills with extras, you can’t go wrong with this bizarre flick! A+++"
"Vinegar Syndrome always does quality work, even with the more obscure titles. The 2K scan looks great, with the perfect amount of grain for a film such as this. It was a blind buy, and it didn’t disappoint."
"The movie is a 5 out of 10. What I enjoyed: the vicious killing of the witches in the movie's prologue. That wheel kill is unlike anything I've ever seen. Donald Pleasance's irrational yelling while holding a hypnosis-based interrogation is also delightful. Also, it was pretty cool to see one of the two Bobs from Office Space have his face melted. The cool devil guy from the slip looks greatnin the film. What I didn't enjoy: the movie is quite slow. The mythology is under-developed. It needs more witchiness and at least some thrills. The action bookends the movie. The in-between is somewhat dull. The townspeople reminded me of Nilbog's residents from Troll 2 in that they're the most unattractive people you'll find anywhere. Film looks great, the slipcover is excellent."
"Not the best witch hunt movie, but some good bits. Donald Pleasence keeps things interesting as always"
"Looks substantially better than my old dvd. Enjoyable movie. Slipcover looks great as expected! Glad I picked this one up."
"Another blind buy for me solely due to positive Letterboxd reviews and stars Donald pleasance."
"Excellent flick with fun, gnarly effects."
"A mellow film, atmospheric mood. Enjoyable."
"German filmmaker Ulli Lommel gets a lot of flak from cult film fans. That's in part because of the, to put it mildly, diminishing quality of his films in later years, specifically his 21st century forays into cheap serial killer biopics. The other reason is that Lommel is a bit of an odd duck even when he was at the height of his powers. His sensibilities are European (he was mentored by Fassbinder) and we was influenced by both the punk scene & its DIY ethos as well as Andy Warhol's Factory. His thematic obsessions often presage the concerns of grief/trauma horror popular today and he often takes a slow-burning approach. As such fans of straight 80s slasher focused mainly on T&A or gore may find Lommel isn't there cup of tea. I believe, however, that Lommel can be very rewarding for a certain type of film fan. Case in point with THE DEVONSVILLE TERROR. This is Lommel's take on the witch hunt folk horror genre and it certainly fits the bill of slowburn. It also deals with the aforementioned themes often dealt with in so-called "elevated horror" of today: trauma, the sins of the past, patriarchy, and the like. In many ways, DEVONSVILLE TERROR is Lommel's stab at feminist horror. And, like THE BOOGEYMAN, it features hypnotism tropes to deal with its themes, this time around with Donald Pleasence rather than John Carradine. All of which is to say that THE DEVONSVILLE TERROR is an interesting effort from Lommel that should be watched by people who enjoy oddball cinema. But hey, even if you're not into Lommel's sensibilities you also get a pretty crazy climax with a moment straight out of INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM. I find Lommel's weirdly European meets trash aesthetic and an obsession with psychology sensibility to be quite up my alley. But your mileage may very."
"Great special effects. You can't go wrong with Donald Pleasence."
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