A beautiful but spoiled young woman named Jessica (Blanca Marsillach) is deeply in love with her saxophonist beau Johnny (Stefano Madia) and the couple regularly have sex in the strangest of places and the strangest of ways, even using his instrument in their sordid activities. Elsewhere, a surgeon named Dr. Wendell Simpson (Brett Halsey) is stuck in a sexless marriage. He enjoys the services of prostitutes, where he smears red fingernail polish all over her stocking covered nether regions.
One afternoon, Johnny takes Jessica out for a motorcycle ride, where they end up having a spat that ends with him hitting his head on a big rock. He’s rushed to the hospital, where Wendell is on call. Unable to concentrate because his wife has threatened divorce, Wendell botches the procedure. Johnny’s death sends Jessica into a tailspin. She conspires to make the doctor pay, by kidnapping and holding him captive with a protective German Shepard keeping watch.
Kinky, bordering on the insane, The Devil’s Honey must be seen to be believed. easily stealing the show from her more well-known co-stars, Blanca Marsillach’s level of intensity is off the charts. Director Lucio Fulci has long been known for his zany storylines, but he turns it up to eleven here and his cast seems happy to go along for the ride. Clearly a product of the mid-eighties, the overall look of the film is like many of the music videos that were popular on MTV during that era.
Sadly, many fans lost out on the opportunity to see The Devil’s Honey in theaters, because it ended up going straight to video in most countries other than Italy. In America, a heavily cut VHS was released by AIP (Action International Pictures) under the name Dangerous Obsession, minus some of the most gratuitous footage. Thanks to the folks at Severin films, 2017 marked the first time The Devil’s Honey was released uncut in the United States via Blu-ray and DVD.
In 2024, Severin Films has released The Devil’s Honey on 4K UHD. Presented in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio, the transfer is advertised as being a new 4K scan of the original negative with HDR10 color-grading enhancements. The result looks great. The film has a decidedly grainy look throughout and soft-focus lensing, which works since it was shot on film. textures look realistic and skin tones look natural. A nice upgrade from the previous Blu-ray, depth and clarity shine. Colors are bright and the image is free of anomalies.
The DTS-HD 2.0 tracks are offered in English and Italian with optional English closed captioning provided that translates the English dialogue rather than the Italian track. The Italian track is the better of the two, it is noticeably fuller, while the English dub sounds a bit flat at times. Hisses and distortion aren’t an issue with either track.
The following extras are included:
DISC ONE – 4K BLU-RAY
- Trailer
DISC TWO – BLU-RAY
- Sax, Lies and Videotape – Interview with Actress Blanca Marsillach
- Archival Audio Interview with Director Lucio Fulci By Michele Romagnoli
- The Devil’s Halsey – Interview with Actor Brett Halsey
- Wild Flower – Interview With Actress Corinne Cléry
- Producing Honey – Interview with Producer Vincenzo Salviani
- The Devil’s Sax – Interview with Composer Claudio Natili
- Stephen Thrower, Author of Beyond Terror: The Films Of Lucio Fulci, On THE DEVIL’S HONEY
- Fulci’s Honey – Audio Essay by Troy Howarth, Author Of Splintered Visions: Lucio Fulci And His Films
- Alternate Opening
- Trailer
