'Demons' comes from Lamberto Bava and Dario Argento and tells the story of a mysterious midnight screening of a horror movie at the local theater. Only those who have received a special ticket attend and once the projector rolls, the film on screen starts to blend into reality leading to demonic possession and lots of gooey gory bits in the popcorn. Funny story, I actually heard about 'Demons' back in the third grade from a young girl in my class. Who knows where a third grader in the 90's had access to a film like this but the way she described it to me left me creeped out and totally fascinated. I just had to see the movie for myself, only to cut to my senior year of high school where I finally managed to get ahold of a copy of the film on DVD.
And not only did it live up to my childhood imagination, it blew it away. After all, I couldn't have possibly thought up the intense stuff seen in 'Demons' at 8 years old or else it would have left me awake for weeks. What works the most here is that despite its big and apocalyptic theme it's simple idea and early creepy vibes that really help get you in the mood. It starts out very slow with the creepy musical score common with Italian horror films and for a while you may think nothing's going to happen until that one scene and the demon reveals itself and that's when you get the satisfying feeling that you did make the right decision in choosing 'Demons'. And then the film gets chaotic and really fun until the end credits roll, with blaring heavy metal music and blood splattering the walls leaving the viewer on a big high.
For a small budget, the gore and demon makeup effects are very impressive and rightfully gross to look at. For the most part it's simple which makes it all the more effective though you'll occasionally get the more elaborate effects sequence, which is not executed as well but it's nice to see them attempt a unique and varied amount of monsters. While there's a lot of fun to have in 'Demons' for those unfamiliar with Italian horror you may be left simply scratching your head wondering what the heck I see in a film such as this. Italian horror films are always about what you see on the screen rather than a straight story, which rubs many viewers the wrong way. The dialogue here is overdubbed with English and it's very poor in both audio and writing quality. So for those going in without much knowledge just be warned that you're here for spectacle and visuals and not a story.
'Demons' and its sequel are fun 80's movies that have some memorable moments that will stay with you. It only suffers from the usual story and pacing issues common with the Italian horror genre. I recommend checking out the Blu-Ray releases by Synapse films if you're looking for something new to show at your Halloween party this year.
( B )
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