Demons

Demons (1985)

The movie opens with a beautiful young girl meeting up with a strange looking man who gives her free tickets to a new movie. The girls name is Cheryl and she convinces her friend Kathy to skip class and go off to the movie. When they get to the theater we are introduced to a few other characters, a pimp and a couple of his girls, an older married couple, and others. One of the working girls ends up cutting herself on a mask that is in the lobby and after the movie starts turns into a demon. Anyone she kills turns into a demon, so before you know it everyone still alive in the theater is up to their eyeballs in demons. Then we are introduced to a group of kids driving around listening to classic 80s music and doing coke. They end up in the theater after letting a demon out. This is important because later on the survivors of the theater emerge only to find the city overrun with more demons.

In the tradition of Italian horror movies you just can’t try and hold Demons to any sort of narrative. The story is all over the place with characters appearing and disappearing at random, including the mysterious guy from the subway who shows up at the end for a big fight. Who is he and how is he connected to the outbreak? Hey if these are the kinds of questions that need answered then don’t watch Italian horror movies, because they will drive you nuts. Speaking of driving this movie has one the most iconic 80s horror images not involving a masked killer or zombie. That is of course the motorcycle chase thru the theater. This has always stuck with me as one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in a movie. Sure if you look close enough you can see the ramps and yes you can’t actually ride a bike over theater seats like that. But in the end if it is cool looking then who really cares? How realistic does a movie about demons taking over the world one theater at a time really have to be? In my opinion not much, so chill out and enjoy the manic energy. Demons might not always make sense, but it is never boring and always fun.

One of the side effects of the goofy story is that the cast isn’t given much to work with. You won’t find any great performances in this movie, because the cast spends most of it’s time running away from the demons. Hell not only that but there are so many characters in the movie that no one gets much screen time, including Natasha Hovey (Cheryl) who looks at the start to be the star of the movie. The one other thing that I do want to point out is that everyone needs to watch for Nicoletta Elmi, who plays the usherette. She played one of the creepy kids at the end of Bava’s Bay of Blood and shows up here in a supporting role. Nothing great, but my inner horror nerd though it was cool (and yes I recognized her!).

No review of Demons could be complete without talking about the creature design and special effects. Several characters undergo transformations into demons with each being slightly different from the rest. I’m especially fond of the first demon hooker and of course who doesn’t like the demon dog born from a particularly annoying woman? Not only do the creatures look good but also the kills are well thought out and fun. The movie doesn’t skimp on the gore with liberal amounts of the red stuff being spilled all over the screen. All of it practical effects, without a single weak one in the bunch. Can’t ask for more that that.

So if you can’t tell by now I’m highly recommending that everyone go out and get a copy of Demons for their collection. This is one that you will watch and want to show your friends. Trust me you can’t go wrong with it.

4 out of 4

reviewed by John Shatzer