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A group of people are trapped in a movie theater that is in the process of being infested with demons. Each person a demon kills, bites, scratches, etc., will become a demon, giving this film some zombie movie-like qualities. If there’s one thing this movie teaches its viewers, it’s to never accept a free movie pass from a creepy guy in a weird metal mask. I find it ironic that such a message contradicts the internal logic of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, where the free barbecue offered by the creepy redneck near the beginning of the movie would have been much preferable for the characters rather than going to creepy house in the middle of no where. Sure, the movie would have been a lot less exciting and gory if they had accepted the barbecue and took the redneck’s advice, but it has forever left a mark on me about always accepting free barbecue and listening to rednecks when I’m in the Deep South… I think I better get back to talking about the movie I’m supposed to be reviewing…
Director Lamberto Bava is somewhat of a legend in the realm of horror movies. This movie marks his first major breakthrough as Demons would go on to be an international success. As well, another horror legend, Dario Argento, co-wrote this film, meaning you have a recipe for a successful horror movie, well in Europe anyway. Truthfully, the gore in this movie is first rate. Like any good European horror movie, the gore in spots is so good that you can’t help but feel grossed out by it. The make up effects are also incredibly impressive, and hold up well even to the special effects of today. Some of the demons in this movie look a lot more intimidating than zombies we see in other movies of the time.
The use of the blind man is well done here. It is interesting to note that a blind character appears in most of the other movies I’ve seen from Bava. Some people may find the use of a blind character offensive, but I think it adds a new level of suspense as the character struggles to make it out alive.
By throwing around names like Bava and Argento, you may have guessed that this movie is dubbed. Personally, I have no problems with that, but some people might. I’ve seen enough movies and talked to enough people about movies, to know that some people just hate dubbed movies, regardless if they’re dubbed poorly or well. The dubbing here is adequate and didn’t take away from the movie for me. However, some people may take issue with the dubbing. The characterization in Demons is terrible. I’ve seen this movie twice and I can’t remember any of the characters’ names. They’re all one dimensional and boring. You have the hero, the sidekick, their two love interests, the stereotypical prostitutes and Black pimp, a couple of characters that are only there to be creepy, some horny teenagers, and then there are some characters that aren’t even interesting enough to be one dimensional. It’s easy to overlook the limited characters when you consider the gore and suspense in the movie, but it’s still a very validate criticism that I’m sure many people will make about this movie long after I write this review. The other problem here is that the movie is just plain weird in spot. For example, the woman who cares for the blind man meets up with some other guy and starts making out with him in the middle of the movie theater. Was that even necessary when you consider that both she and her boyfriend are just fodder for the Demons? Why even introduce his character? I guess may be we’re supposed to think she’s a bad person because she ditches the blind old guy to get some lovin’.
Then there’s the ending, which again is just plain weird. Some old guy, his way younger and hotter wife, and their kid show up in a jeep to save the hero… I know that the makers of this movie wanted to show the Demon epidemic had spread throughout the whole city at the end of the movie, but I’m sure they could have done that better. Why did the hero have to survive? I know there’s a sequel, and I’m pretty sure that the hero and the other three characters in the jeep aren’t in it. So why do an open ending if you had no plans of ever going back to it? I guess the actor who played the hero probably went into to bigger and better things… like appearing in low budget European porn…
Demons is not the most obscure Italian horror movie, but I’m willing to bet that a lot a newer horror fans have probably never heard of it. If you fall into that group, go find this movie and watch it. For the rest of the horror fans out there, I would say that you should watch this movie too. The gore, make up effects and suspense make this a worthwhile horror movie, and I guarantee that anyone who considers themselves a horror movie fan will find something in this movie to like.
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