Night of the Demons is one of my absolutely favorite creature features from the 1980s. From its animated title sequence, that completely sets an opposite mood than the finished film, to its over the top gore - the film delivers in a way only quirky b-movies from this bygone era truly can.
The plot concerns a group of friends who decide to have a Halloween party at an abandoned funeral home on the edge of town. Little do they know, "Hull House" is filled to the brim with roaring, drooling demons, just waiting for Halloween so they can sneak into our world and possess the living. Of course, that's exactly what happens, with half the cast quickly becoming monsters and the other half becoming their fodder.
The acting is uniformly weak, yet charming. From a Linnea Quickly fan's perspective, its saying a lot when she blows away almost everyone in the cast. Of course, the hammy acting you're forced to swallow only adds to the film's b-movie charm. It feels as though everyone has their tongue firmly planted in-cheek, even as the blood begins to spray.
And spray it does! The unrated version of Night of the Demons, which was not screened theatrically but is now widely available on VHS and DVD, has more gore than ten movies from this era combined. Its over-the-top, nasty, and wonderfully demented. Gorehounds who have yet to uncover this gem will definitely rejoice.
There's no reason anyone should LOVE Night of the Demons, yet the film has a charm all its own. With legions of fans and two sequels under its belt, this modern classic somehow defies convention by becoming a wonderful 90 minutes of filmgoing.
If you haven't checked it out yet, do yourself a favor and pick this one up. As the poster artwork says, you'll have a Hell of a time.
The plot concerns a group of friends who decide to have a Halloween party at an abandoned funeral home on the edge of town. Little do they know, "Hull House" is filled to the brim with roaring, drooling demons, just waiting for Halloween so they can sneak into our world and possess the living. Of course, that's exactly what happens, with half the cast quickly becoming monsters and the other half becoming their fodder.
The acting is uniformly weak, yet charming. From a Linnea Quickly fan's perspective, its saying a lot when she blows away almost everyone in the cast. Of course, the hammy acting you're forced to swallow only adds to the film's b-movie charm. It feels as though everyone has their tongue firmly planted in-cheek, even as the blood begins to spray.
And spray it does! The unrated version of Night of the Demons, which was not screened theatrically but is now widely available on VHS and DVD, has more gore than ten movies from this era combined. Its over-the-top, nasty, and wonderfully demented. Gorehounds who have yet to uncover this gem will definitely rejoice.
There's no reason anyone should LOVE Night of the Demons, yet the film has a charm all its own. With legions of fans and two sequels under its belt, this modern classic somehow defies convention by becoming a wonderful 90 minutes of filmgoing.
If you haven't checked it out yet, do yourself a favor and pick this one up. As the poster artwork says, you'll have a Hell of a time.