What do you get when you combine the deranged minds of Lamberto Bava and Dario Argento? A stunningly insane splatter flick with demented demons and a kick ass metal soundtrack! For me, this movie the the pinnacle of 80\’s splatter, with it\’s outrageous gore effects, memorable characters, solid but simple story, and a list of metal tunes you can bang your head to while you watch a theater of people getting ripped apart my demons. But let\’s dive deep into the Bava directed, Argento produced splatter shocker that still has folks squirming with gore-soaked glee. This is DEMONS.
After having the shit scared out of her, and mistaking a masked weirdo handing out tickets for some deranged stalker, Cheryl accepts the ticket offer and meets up with her friend, Kathy. It takes a little convincing, but Cheryl gets her friend to go to this new theater that just opened up. Once in the theater, we are introduced to a huge array of characters. Some of the notable ones include two preppy dudes, George and Ken, who immediately begin hitting on Cheryl and Kathy. There\’s a blind guy and his daughter, who I always thought was his wife for some reason, a couple of the geekiest but innocent teens out on a date, and my favorite, the pimp and his two hookers. In the lobby of the theater is this samurai warrior riding a dirt bike, holding a sword, and a silver mask. One of the hookers puts the mask on, but gets scratched by it. Once everyone enters the theater, they are treated to a horror film about a group of teens breaking into the tomb of Nostradamus. The teens in the movie only find a book, and a mask that looks exactly like the one in the lobby. At the same time, the hooker who got scratched by the mask starts to get sick, and goes to the bathroom. This is when shit starts to go down.
The scratch on her face begins to puss and ooze, and she begins to transform into a heinous demon. The other hooker goes to the bathroom to see if she is okay, but she is attacked and thrown through the movie screen. Hooker number two begins to transform, and holy fuck it\’s gross. When I say gross, I mean that in the best way possible. The transformation scenes are so disgustingly brilliant, that even I was squirming in enjoyment. The hookers teeth begin to be pushed out by the new fangs replacing them, and if you\’re like me, anything with teeth really freaks me out. Teeth and fucking nails, can\’t stand it. One by one, the audience is either butchered and maimed by the infected, or they become Demons themselves. Even the theater is cursed, with all of the entrances being walled up by bricks, and no one is able to exit. It isn\’t until a bunch of coked up punks break into the theater to escape the police, which they soon meet their demise by the Demons, and then said Demons escaping into the city, causing more havoc.
This movie is just berserk, and I\’d give you more but I really don\’t want to spoil anything besides the basic premise. It\’s just that enjoyable. DEMONS is an unrelenting splatter movie that keeps your eyes glued to the screen from beginning to end. Whether you think the story of movie-goers being stuck in a cursed theater, and getting killed by hoards of demons is corny, it\’s full of incredible special effects and camera-work to keep you fixed into a daze of pure blood lust. Grab a group of friends, get a bunch of snacks, and pop in a copy of DEMONS. You won\’t regret it, and if you\’re like me, DEMONS will be part of every marathon you have in the future. I have the uncut version that Anchor Bay put out over a decade ago, but this has been re-released a bunch of times since then, and I don\’t think you would have an issue finding it. Let me know what you think, and enjoy!
@jakeisrepugnant 