Celebrating its 35th anniversary, 1988’s Night of the Demons is a perfect Halloween party movie; not merely because the plot involves a Halloween party (and, in fact, the shooting title was Halloween Party until the producers of Halloween threatened litigation), but it embodies the spirit of the holiday.

Director Kevin Tenney (Witchboard) and writer Joe Augustyn veer between creepy and campy throughout the 90-minute runtime. A playfully spooky atmosphere is immediately established by the Scooby Doo-esque animated credit sequence set to a bombastic synth theme by the director’s brother, Dennis Michael Tenney (Leprechaun 3, Leprechaun 4: In Space).

The plot follows a group of rowdy high schoolers to a deadly party at the infamous Hull House. As goth hostess Angela Franklin (Amelia Kinkade) explains, the abandoned abode is possessed rather than haunted: “The spirits living in a house possessed never existed in human form. They’ve only existed in spirit form. They’re pure evil. They’re demons.” A seance awakens the spirits, who start turning the partygoers into savage demons.

Performances are stiff and the characters can barely tolerate one another, so the film’s first half may by difficult for impatient viewers. Kinkade is the highlight, making Angela a franchisable commodity. She also utilizes her dance background to choreograph a uniquely sensual routine set to the gothic rock stylings of Bauhaus’ “Stigmata Martyr” while strobe lights flash.

Cathy Podewell (Dallas) plays milquetoast final girl Judy, who, with the exception of one flame-throwing moment, is little more than a damsel in distress. Scream queen Linnea Quigley (The Return of the Living Dead) shows off her physical assets, but her monotone delivery lacks vitality. The male characters are all varying levels of obnoxious, none more so than Hal Havins (Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama) as misogynistic pig Stooge. Alvin Alexis’ cowardly Rodger is a rare Black man to make it to the end of an ’80s horror movie, thanks to his instinct to run at the first sign of danger.

The faults become part of the fun once blood starts being shed, as the special effects are the real star of the show. Fresh off of high-profile gigs like making Slimer in Ghostbusters and working on Big Trouble in Little China, Night of the Demons was Steve Johnson’s first gig running his own effects shop. He proved himself with some memorable work, most notably the scene in which Quigley seamlessly inserts a tube of lipstick into her breast; a marvel of practical effects that still holds up after 35 years.

Innovative shot composition from Tenney and director of photography David Lewis (UHF, The Hills Have Eyes Part II) give the illusion of better production value than many of Night of the Demons‘ low budget peers. Visual flourishes range from an elaborate shot framing the ensemble in shards of broken glass to Sam Raimi-esque kinetic camerawork.

Night of the Demons has been newly restored from an earlier 4K scan of the unrated camera negative, presented with Dolby Vision HDR, for Scream Factory’s new Collector’s Edition 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray. The color grade is slightly warmer than the previous Blu-ray, and clarity is sharper than ever. Three audio tracks are advertised — DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, and a new DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo remix — but there are minor issues with each of them.

The 2.0 track is actually MGM’s 2012 remix featuring looped audio to compensate for missing elements. It was also used as the base for the 5.1 track, so it has the same problems. The new 2.0 remix, which utilizes all original audio elements, suffers from minor sync issues. It’s hard to say if these mistakes are significant enough to warrant a replacement disc, but Scream Factory has been known to correct such gaffes in the past.

While many of Scream Factory’s UHD upgrades feature new 4K transfers with the same extras as their previous Blu-ray counterparts, Night of the Demons offers new interviews with Augustyn, who details differences between his original script and the final product, actress Jill Terashita (Sleepaway Camp III), who recounts eerie encounters on set and shooting her nude scene, and special effects artist Nick Benson, who discusses his duties under his then-room Johnson, in addition to previous interviews with Kinkade, Quigley, and actress Allison Barron.

Several alternate versions of the film are included in standard definition: the international cut, which is nearly identical but features a different sound mix, the 88-minute Halloween Party workprint, and an eight-minute promo reel created for potential distributors. While the original R-rated cut is absent, its alternate scenes can be found among the extras.

Three archival commentaries are ported over: Tenney, Quigley, actor Philip Tanzini, and casting director Tedra Gabriel from Scream Factory’s 2018 Steelbook Blu-ray; Tenney, Johnson, Podewell, Havins, and actor Billy Gallo (Who’s the Boss?) from Scream Factory’s 2014 Blu-ray; and Tenney and producers Walter Josten and Jeff Geoffray from Anchor Bay’s 2004 DVD. Some details are repeated, as can be expected, but all three provide a healthy mix of camaraderie, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and technical information.

As if there wasn’t enough insight elsewhere, 2014’s You’re Invited: The Making of Night of the Demons is a comprehensive, 72-minute documentary with over a dozen cast and crew members, from Tenney and Augustyn to stunt coordinator John Stewart and animators Kevin Kutchaver and Kathy Zielinski. Other special features include: The Halloween Party alternate title sequence, theatrical trailer, video trailer, three TV spots, promo reel, and four still galleries (behind-the-scenes, special effects & makeup, stills, and posters & storyboards).

In typical horror sequel fashion during the halcyon days of home video, Night of the Demons 2 pushes the concept over the top, with Angela becoming a wise-cracking Freddy Krueger type. Augustyn returned to write the 1994 sequel, with Brian Trenchard-Smith — who previously helmed cult classics BMX Bandits and Dead End Drive-In and immediately went on to make Leprechaun 3 and Leprechaun 4: In Space — stepping into the director’s chair.

The events of the original film have become something of an urban legend in the years since, with the missing Angela (Kinkade) rumored to have descended to Hell. Her younger sister, Melissa (Merle Kennedy, May), is mockingly called Mouse by her peers at a Catholic boarding school for troubled teens. When bully Shirley (Zoe Trilling, Dr. Giggles) is banned from the school’s Halloween dance, she decides to throw a party of her own at Hull House. It’s not long before Angela rears her ugly head and possessions occur.

The cast includes Christine Taylor (The Wedding Singer), Bobby Jacoby (Tremors), and Rick Peters (Dexter) among the teens, along with Jennifer Rhodes (Charmed) as a nun who wields a yard stick like a sword and rosary beads like nunchucks. Too much time is spent with the one-dimensional characters before getting to the good stuff, especially for a sequel, but the acting is better this time around — although several cast members distractingly emphasize the wrong syllable of Hull House (Hull House).

Lewis returned as cinematographer, and while there’s nothing as inspired as the first film’s mirror shot, he still gets to have some fun. The religious angle lends itself to a gorgeous, if underutilized, lighting setup motivated by stained glass. Jim Manzie’s (Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, Tales from the Darkside: The Movie) score is adequate; more traditional and therefore less memorable than its predecessor. Angela has another dance number, but its potency is dulled by replacing goth-rock with humorously incongruous death metal courtesy of Morbid Angel.

Johnson once again tackled the special effects, which may not be as noteworthy as the first but there are some good gags. A pair of breasts morph into hands in an attempt to one-up the infamous lipstick gag (and the lipstick itself makes an appearance). Unfortunately, the serpentine form that Angela takes in the finale brings to mind 50s B-movies. The snake motif is revisited in the final shot, which features an early CGI creation that reportedly cost $5,000.

Night of the Demons 2 has been newly transferred from the interpositive with DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo sound. A new commentary with actors Cristi Harris, Jennifer Rose, Darin Heames, and Johnny Moran is not exactly illuminating — none of them remember much about the plot, let alone the production — but it’s a jovial walk down memory lane with the cast. An archival track with Trenchard-Smith and Lewis is far more informative, including insight into how budgetary restraints hindered the finale.

“A Tale of Two Demons,” a conversation between Tenney and Trenchard-Smith that lasts over an hour, is perhaps the best extra for either film. It’s fascinating to hear the two creatives discuss with genuine admiration their work in the franchise. The engaging, 48-minute interview with Johnson could double as a proof of concept for a documentary on his storied career. Not only does he admit to disliking the Night of the Demons movies, he also reveals that he got through the production of the first movie with the assistance of methamphetamine.

Kinkade, Harris, and Geoffray also sit down for new interviews. Kinkade confesses to being “stunned” that a sequel was being made and notes that Quentin Tarantino is a fan of the follow-up. Her piece is bogged down by shameless excerpts from her latest book, but it ultimately leads to moving accounts about how much Angela has meant to fans. Other special features include: a 99-minute workprint in standard definition; over two hours of VHS-quality dailies; a gallery of behind-the-scenes photos, including a lot of great special effects shots; and the original trailer.

Night of the Demons may not have the cachet of Evil Dead, The Return of the Living Dead, or Re-Animator, but it was made in the same tradition as those ’80s classics: low budget, high energy, practical effects-driven horror with a side of comedy and a punk-rock ethic. Night of the Demons 2, while not quite as strong as the original, is a worthy follow-up. (1997’s Night of the Demons 3 has also received a new Blu-ray from Scream Factory, but it was not provided for review.) Together, they make for one hell of a Halloween party.

Night of the Demons is available now on 4K Ultra HD.

Night of the Demons 2 is available now on Blu-ray.