Week of Horror 2010: Day 05

Five days in The Rambling of a Minnesota Geek's Week of Horror, we got yet another new-ish release. Thanks to the positive review from Freddy in Space, I felt inclined to see this flick, and it did not disappoint. In review, the Week of Horror has consisted of Monster Island, Killer Condom, Paranormal Activity 2, and Troll 2. Only two more days!

Night of the Demons

Starring Shannon Elizabeth, Edward Furlong, Monica Keena, Diora Baird, Michael Copon, Bobbi Sue Luther. Written by Jace Anderson & Adam Gierasch, based off the 1988 screenplay "Night of the Demons" by Joe Augustyn. Directed by Adam Gierasch. Release: 19 October 2010 (DVD). Seven Arts International, 93 mins., Rated R

Plot: It's Halloween night, and a parties ragging at a house full of demons who want to be set free.

Now isn't that photo just sexy?

So glad I found it.

In the special features, director Adam Gierasch made a comment about just making it a fun rock 'n roll sexy horror movie, and that's exactly what NIGHT OF THE DEMONS is. The entire soundtrack is made up of rock 'n roll songs, though to the movies credit, they all pertain to Halloween or the theme someway, somehow. You got girls dancing to the songs, either dressed in their slutty outfit (nearly every female is a slut in the picture) or in the process of taking it off. And the funness - well, there is that, but it mostly originates from the script and actress Monica Keena, which is funny that I liked her in this one but wasn't particularly a fan of her in FREDDY VS. JASON. Take the finale for example, a very nicely done sequence that appeared to provide a full-circle sort of ending, but then it defied my expectations and delivered a great 'bazinga'. NIGHT OF THE DEMONS is a truly modern horror movie, embracing and joking around with the genre. It mostly works, and it sometimes doesn't.

I never saw the original NIGHT OF THE DEMONS, so those hoping for a compare/contrast review might be disappointed. But I can say that I was expecting a more eerie, moody atmosphere, an art house-type of flick that would freak me out. Eh, I did not get that. However, the demon make-up was freaky and cool. Again, I reference the above picture. I don't know why, but I am so bloody impressed by that demon job. I love the eyes, I love the demon skeleton face - it just rocks. Shannon Elizabeth's demon face was pretty stellar, too, but I can't seem to find a decent picture of it. Now, as far as the male demon faces - they're just freakin' ugly, as in, they're grotesque demon-wise, but they're also not very impressive looking from a design standpoint. Guess I'm just a little nitpicky.

Speaking of Ms. Elizabeth, it was great to see her after what seems like a long absence from the screen, and she gets a slutty role to boot. Although, male readers, you'll be sorely disappointed she doesn't actually do any flesh flashing, she nonetheless has a nice make-out scene with another gal. Being as how she's quite the promiscuous character and first to be demonfied, it's her duty to seduce and turn her fellow friendos.

And about the demons, story-wise, I dug it. Demons so cruel and evil that Hell itself cast them out. Now there's a whole movie right there. Frak, taking time to think about it, NIGHT OF THE DEMONS is a wasted opportunity. The demons possess human bodies, thus have the ability of speech, so it would have been astronomically fantastic to delve a little bit into the psychology of these beasts, get their point-of-view on the world or Lucifer, even. It also would have been nice to have a scene where a demon tortures one of the survivors, to get a sense of how cruel and evil incarnate they really are. As it is, they just gruesomely kill or maim people.

Wow, this review is making me sound like I need therapy. Very much not the case, folks. Just wishing DEMONS (2010) explored a few more avenues than it did. But what we, the audience, do get is a pretty good usage of 93 minutes, full of demons, gore, pretty ladies, slutty outfits, F-bombs (nearly all said by Mr. Furlong), and rock 'n roll.