Review: Lucio Fulci’s ‘The Devil’s Honey’ Brings Sex And Saxophones Together In 4K From Severin
by David Lewis
If you’ve ever watched an erotic thriller and thought to yourself, “Hmmm … needs more saxophone,” then you need to add Severin Films’ new 4K UHD/Blu-ray combo of The Devil’s Honey to your shopping list.
Director Lucio Fulci is best know for such ultra gory Italian horror classics like The Beyond, City of the Living Dead, and The New York Ripper. 1986’s little-seen The Devil’s Honey features significantly less blood and guts but really cranks up the sleaze factor, making it more aligned with fellow ’80s erotic thrillers 9 1/2 Weeks and Betty Blue (leading up to hit ’90s entries Basic Instinct and Sliver) than Fulci’s more famous films.
Also known as Dangerous Obsession, The Devil’s Honey stars Blanca Marsillach as Jessica and Stefano Madia as saxophonist Johnny, two lovers whose kinky coupling is shattered when he falls ill. When Johnny dies on the operating table under the eye of distracted surgeon Dr. Simpson (Brett Halsey), Jessica blames the doctor and embarks on a bizarre revenge odyssey which mostly involves her getting naked and treating Dr. Simpson like a dog, while Johnny’s sax-playing ghost eggs her on.
There’s hardly a shot that doesn’t feature nudity or some sort of amorous encounter, including S&M kink involving hot wax, guns, and human blood — plus motorcycle naughtiness, staircase naughtiness, and even saxophone-assisted naughtiness. Even with all that, it’s a bit of a repetitive, soapy slog but it has a few well-executed twists and a good ending which we won’t reveal here.
Corinne Cléry and Bernard Seray also star, and Fulci himself pops up in a brief cameo.
Scanned in 4K from the original negative, The Devil’s Honey looks and sounds spectacular, and includes a slew of special features. An new interview with Marsillach reveals tensions she felt with Halsey, Fulci, and producer Vincenzo Salviani. Halsey echoes her sentiments in his own candid interview, saying she has “no discipline and no talent.”
There’s also an interview with composer Claudio Natili, appropriately titled “The Devil’s Sax,” and a newly-discovered audio interview with Fulci where he calls it “a film not to be underestimated,” and compares and contrasts it to other films including 1990’s Misery.
Features also include an alternate opening, and two Fulci experts discuss the film’s context within his body of work in informative but somewhat dry visual essays. The package comes with a reversible cover and a nice slip case as well.
The Devil’s Honey 4K UHD/Blu-ray combo is now available from Severin.
