Hello again, and welcome to Day 6 of my 31 Days Of Horror and I have a bit of an apology to make. Earlier this month, I was perhaps a little overly critical of the business practices of Italian Horror filmmakers of the 70s and 80s. Yes, they had a habit of stealing everything that came their way, but they also made some of the most beloved and effective films of the era. Just like Demons.
Opening on the Berlin subway, Demons introduces us to Cheryl, a nervous young woman at odds with the world of rockers and punks around her. One individual in particular catches her eye – a demonic looking man covered in metal. Despite her fears, he doesn’t attack her – instead pushing a mystery invitation to a cinema into her hands and walking away.
Curious, Cheryl persuades her friend Kathy to go with her, and together they turn up at the cinema – along with a crowd of equally confused and baffled people from all walks of life who also received an invitation. On the way into the screen, one of the guests, Rosemary, plays with a mysterious demonic mask on display in the foyer and accidentally cuts herself on the metal.
Eventually, the group sit down to watch the film – and low and behold – it’s a horror movie! In the movie, a group of dumb teenagers wander into a house and find a mysterious metal mask – and when one plays with it, they accidentally cut themselves. OoooOoOOo.
Long story short, the action on the screen plays out in reality, with Rosemary mutating into a demonic creature before one by one infecting the rest of the crowd until only Cheryl and her preppy love interest George can save the day – on the back of a motorcycle, wielding a samurai sword. Yeah, it’s pretty awesome.
Overall, the story doesn’t make a huge lot of sense – but this is EASILY made up for by the endless gore, practical effects and production design. The rocky nu-wavy soundtrack is also pretty awesome, too. The demons themselves, though.. I mean.. they’re deadites, right? From The Evil Dead series? They’re EXACTLY the same.. In fact, it almost looks like the whole concept came from this Evil Dead 2 tv ad.. but, hey, judge for yourselves.
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