Night of the Demons
| release date | September 9 1988 |
| studio | Republic |
| director | Kevin Tenney |
| writer | Joe Augustyn |
| starring | Alvin Alexis, Cathy Podewell |
| rating | R |
| tagline | Angela is having a party, Jason and Freddy are too scared to come. But You'll have a hell of a time. |
| site | amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000 |
1 Comments
By far, one of the most ridiculous demonic possession films of the 1980′s, Night of the Demons is cram-packed with many hard to digest goodies such as an abundance of gory death scenes, cheesy teenage sexual innuendo, and terrible one-liners (I.E. “Eat a bowl of FUCK, I’m here to party!) The movie follows a group of irreverent, horny teenagers who enthusiastically ditch the high school Halloween dance to attend a creepy classmate’s Halloween party. The party just so happens to take place at an abandoned funeral parlor–which is rumored to be infested with malicious, soul hungry demons…Sound familiar? Well, One thing that all fans of the horror genre should know when approaching a demonic possession film is that the majority of these movies are based on roughly the same premise: A group of teenagers/young adults plan to spend the night in some sort of dilapidated residence that turns out to be populated by flesh and/or soul hungry demons of some sort. The infamous `Evil Dead’ series is a prime example of what the demonic possession sub-genre is all about.
Night of The Demons–as utterly terrible of a movie it is–features many humorously entertaining (and not to mention disturbingly memorable) scenes which will make you want to bust a gut…and then vomit soon after. One of the most memorably outrageous scenes involves scream queen Linnea Quigley drawing all over her porn-star perfect breasts with a stick of pink lipstick, and then successfully managing to fully insert the stick into her nipple. I never really understood the relevance of many of the over-the-top senseless scenes in this movie, which is probably the number one reason why I’m not too big of a fan of Night of the Demons. Honestly, I feel that this film is way overrated. There are so many well-crafted demonic possession films out there (I.E. Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead and William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist), I just feel that on top of being entirely too cliché, this movie really has nothing going for it except the over abundance of teenage nudity and gratuitous amounts of gore. I’m starting to lose all hope that maybe someday someone will throw me off with a totally new & improved take on the seemingly washed up genre that we all once new so well and loved.
The film continues on in the same typical, seemingly plotless fashion as many similar 80′s/90′s demonic possession films. The body count rises as the acting gets worse and the `Gap-commercial pretty’ teenagers grow increasingly haggard-looking. However, one thing about this film that really impressed me was the fashionably FX-enhanced demons. The gore in this movie is incredible–And I’m sure many fans (and even some non-fans) of the sub-genre couldn’t help but agree. The film contains some of the most gratuitous gore featured in any demonic possession film, including bursting eyeballs, torn out tongues, and slit throats spraying out excessive amounts of blood. One scene in particular that really blew me away was the nail-studded baseball bat to the face. Let’s face it it’s not very often that horror movie lovers are exposed to a new and unique way of watching someone get killed. So when it does happen, we’re usually not expecting it, hence why we are so utterly shocked and amazed by it. Night of the Demons is a `love it or hate it’ kind of movie. For every praiseworthy quality the film has to offer, there is an equally (if not much worse) bad quality to slowly follow behind it.
It can be said that director Kevin Tenney made an honest effort to impress horror fans with the grisly gore and teenage sleaze that basically make up Night of the Demons. He probably thought that he was successful at providing the audience with something that would leave a mark in horror film history. In retrospect, Kevin Tenney would have been much more successful at fulfilling his goal if he were to have made a `Slasher’ flick rather than a sad excuse for a demonic possession movie. The two key elements that he tried so hard to use as the foundation for Night of the Demons are clearly those of which should have logically been incorporated in an 80′s `Slasher’ flick. After all, every true horror fan is well aware of which specific characteristics are used in different horror films and why, mainly because the key elements used in a horror film are what segregates it into the sub-genre that it belongs in. One of my biggest issues with Night of the Demons is the tagline; “Angela is a having a party, Jason and Freddy are too scared to come, but you’ll have a hell of a time.” I mean honestly, if you want to be held accountable for the creation and production of a poor excuse for a demonic possession film, so be it, but don’t try to make it sound better than it really is by using the antagonists from some of the greatest horror films of all time in your tagline, that’s just unfair, not to mention extremely disrespectful.
Dominic Marceau of the eminent Horror website Bloody-Disgusting.com wrote a review that truly knocked me off my feet in terms of how much he worships Night of the Demons. Upon viewing this film for the very first time, I really did not think much of it. Once I finished reading Dominic’s review I couldn’t help but feel as though I had missed something. What is it that people find so entertaining about this movie? I thought to myself as I was overwhelmed by feelings of curiosity and the possibility that I may have misjudged the film. After I finished attempting to over-analyze the film, I came to the conclusion that just like any other horror film, it all comes down to personal taste. What appeals to one horror fan means absolutely nothing to another. This is one of the things that make horror movies so controversial, hence why such a large fan base exists. People love controversy! Well, my opinion of the film never changed, even after giving it a second chance. In fact, I found it rather difficult to sit through another ninety minutes of the same mindless, hardly entertaining crap that Night of the Demons is overflowing with. This movie is definitely only worth a one-time viewing.
This is one of my top 5 fav films… Night of The demons will scare the living hell out of you… then turn around and make your laugh about it…. this films rocks.. a must see!
This one stands out as a surprisingly good film complete with Linnea Quigley and sexy Goth girls gone bad. The plot is hardly complex but the effects and scenarios are the things childhood nightmares are made of.
super movie and Angela rulezzzz!!!!!!!!!!!
A personal favorite.
not one of my favorites, just ok thank god the 80s are gone
Awesome movie!
Good movie to watch. I enjoyed watching it, but I couldn’t help but feel like something was missing. I don’t exactly know what that something is, but there definitely is something. Overall a decent movie.
Im sorry but I dont think this is a cult classic. I think it just sucks ass in general. The acting is horrible and its really not that funny. The effects were alright.
Ah, good old “Night of The Demons.” An ex-girlfriend recommended this to me a while back. She was kind of obsessed with it at the time, and I can understand why. This is one from the good old days of horror. So bad it’s good. It’s hilarious, gorey, and full of T&A and the 80′s. In fact, I think I’ll get the DVD asap!
I’ve been hearing about this movie for some time now. People have cited it as one of the best movies of the ’80s (because let’s face it, the ’80s were the best decade for horror movies, and music for that matter).
I saw it last night and I woke up this morning wondering what all the fuss was about. The movie has a slow start, but then again it has some hilarious dialogue. The movie has a couple of scary shots, but then again it really doesn’t have much gore. The trade-offs give this movie a solid 3.5 skulls, but in the end, the movie just wasn’t that entertaining. I almost fell asleep when the ‘action’ started.
Awesome!!!
over hyped
80s movie cant wait for remale
one of my personal favorites
I thought it looked good, so I watched it, and it automatically became one of my favourite movies of all time!!!Its fucking awesome!!!
Love this movie, 80s classic.
bad ass loved it
one of my favorite movies from the 80′s
classic one of the best horror films of the eightys
One of the best 80s horror comedies.
Hands down.
Damn spiffy piece of 80′s horror greatness. Starts just like you’d expect any horror movie to start, but it spices things up here for an all around experience that doesn’t feel like you’ve been there and done that.
Plus you get to see a nipple absorb a tube of lip stick! Ever seen that before? Didn’t think so.
Think I ultimately like the second film more though.
i LOVE this film! angela scared the shit out of me as a kid. the first film is the best, then the 2nd, and the 3rd just sucks. back to the first film, it’s got a simple story, teens getting possessed one by one at a party, good atmosphere, DECENT acting, and awesome special effects. that lipstick in the boob scene is still effective to this day. rent all 3 of these, they’re worth it.
I finally watched this movie and had a great time. Although I wouldn’t put it up there with some other 80′s horror movies, such as Fright Night, I can definitely see how it inspired some current horror movies.
One of my favorite 80′s horror movies ever. Just plain fun.
I never watched this a a kid, so I don’t have any feelings of nostalgia towards it. With that being said, I found the first thirty minutes very tedious. Bad dialog. Bad acting. Bad writing. This movie was just too cheesy to ever connect with me. It’s not terrible, just mediocre.
very cheesy but you gotta love it! this movie scared the crap out of me as a kid. of course it’s not as good as you remember but it’s still a good look see.
Oh God! One of my very favorite all time flicks! I can’t wait to see what they do with the remake because I know in no way could even cut close! This is the movie I wait every halloween to watch just so it feels just as real as the first time although its torture!!!!!!!THE HALLOWEEN TO ALL HALLOWEEN FLICKS!!!!!!!!!!
I call this good old cheesey fun.
Cheesy fun but forgettable.
one of my favs…used to watch it when i was a kid..
great time
A fantastic 1980′s punk horror film. With funny moments in the beginning moving darker and darker as it goes it’s a great party-movie. Surprisingly, the make-up is affective. Demonic Angela really is disturbing looking and the disappearing lipstick (a device used in the sequels that’s really a trademark) is simple genius. I’ve loved this movie since I was a kid. While it’s not scary (more of a dark comedy/soft-core) it is enjoyable.
Yeah, that’s how I like my 80s. In fact this movie sums up everything that was important in 80s horror: your average partying stereotype-teenies (the cool dude, the idiot, the virgin, the bitch etc.), hardrock and bad synth music, a spooky house, booze, sex, lots of nudity, lots of gore, zombies and demons. Not very suspenseful or creepy, but highly entertaining with great make-up, great effects, fabulous one-liners and some damn brilliant kills.
Classic horror-fun from the golden age.
I love this movie, creepy,funny, and just plain fun. A must see on Halloween.
This movie was a blast, they did great on the demon make up. Those things look fuckin freaky. Good ol eighties horror. They don’t make em like this anymore, if you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it!
one of my all time favorite movies, completely amazing!
i liked it, but it fell a little short of my expectations, i’d definitely watch it again.
But as far as demon movies go, i still prefer Lamberto Bava’s Demons
Oh, you have to love the 80′ horror films… This is a classic example of that age a film so ridiculous and at the same time entertaining that it borders on being really epic. With one of the most cliched scripts of all time, involving the always annoying 80′s teenagers that enter an abandoned spook house only to be possesed by evil spirits, this movie has everything. The laughs are always there this film is loaded with cheezy effects and inane dialogue and the film’s low budget is apparent.
But the movie actually feeds on it’s sillyness and some of the action scenes are incredibly cool. The gathering, the way the “evil” girl explains the mystery of the Mansion before it actually unfolds, the enless wall around the house, the dance of the possesed girl are all there and make one big racket. Actually my most favorite part comes when the heroine uses an oven pipe to burn the evil spirits (she manages to hold the heated iron with her own hands without getting burned…) The ending fights and the way the story wraps up are incredibly inane too. Yet, this film manages to entertain on a low (even for the 80′s) budget.
Overall this is a “must see” cult classic. Watching it again on DVD after such a long time was definitely a nice surprise…
Very deserving of this BD rating. This movie makes my personal top 10 list. Night of the Demons did a great job scaring the crap out of me when I was a kid. On a Low-budget level this movie had great camera work and really impressive makeup effects. I loved that, as one-by-one people are killed in this movie, then come back as demons to kill off the rest of the gang. I always found this movie to be overlooked by horror fans. A very gory, cheesy, and fun horror movie that brings the body count.
I couldn’t watch the rest of this movie at all. It suck so hard. Acting was shit,story was shit. This movie is shit.
0 out of 10
This movie is what classic 80′s b-horror is all about! The story is unoriginal, the acting is cheese to the knees, the gore is perfect and the atmosphere is superb! When people yap about how stupid the story is and how crappy the acting is, it just tells me one thing, you know shit about horror movies! This movie isn’t trying to be the Exorcist, or Silence of the lambs. This is the old school shit! Love it to death!
Night of the demons is great 80′s fun with hilarious dialouge, creepy atmosphere and a ridiculous ending. Definetley worth a watch.
Score: 7.5
Real fun movie. Not nearly the best 80′s horror movie, but nevertheless a very good one. I thoroughly enjoyed this campy movie. All In All, Night Of The Demons is an extremely fun, gory, campy 80′s flick that goes well with this time of the year. I recommend it.
A fun movie that doesn’t take itself so seriously. Plus, it’s got demons in it, which means the rules are whatever they need them to be. Had I seen this when I was younger and also had a nostalgic attachment to it, I would probably enjoy it a lot more. For now, I can enjoy it for what it is. More information here:
http://thewolfmancometh.com/2010/10/25/night-of-the-demons-1988/
`Night of the Demons’ (also known as: Halloween Party) is a 1988 cult classic horror film written and produced by Joe Augustyn and directed by Kevin S. Tenney. The film tells the story of ten high school seniors having a Halloween party in an isolated mortuary. Their party turns into a nightmare when after conducting a seance as a party game, they unlock the demon that remains locked in the crematorium. (I have to say I loved everything about the intro, with its creepy, chilling & well crafted music, design, features & coloring, it was already getting me excited about this Movie.)
The film is similar to being somewhat of a slasher Movies, but for it drake texture & very gory scare/violence for its time makes it stand out from the slasher genre to just being utterly gory violence Horror, the film is really creepy , packs quite a punch, grosses you out, thrilling, horrific, dark & somewhat stupidly funny, the movie can be clever (in its own right) & is a good standard horror movie for the late 80′s and its format/material is good for a Cult Classic hardcore gore Horror film.
Night of the Demons is a great Horror film that can be cheesy, average acting & with the prefect make-up/special effects (that are limited) and that I have to say I did really enjoy seeing the film & am glad I got to watch this cool late 80′s Cult Movie that is scare, but yet cheesy & funny at the same time (and it know it which makes it easy to accept) and also I do really love the theme tune in this Movie as it is classic sort of music for a late 80′s Cult Film (don’t you think).
A real rollarcoaster ride of a horror film; Night of the Demons is a flick I’ve always heard about but haven’t seen for one reason or another until now. Right off the bat I was impressed and drawn in by the excellent, atmospheric animated opening credits. Then things slow down has we are introduced to the soon be dead or possessed teens who make the ill fated mistake of having a party in a “possessed” abandoned funeral home where a massacre once took place; when will they ever learn? After a seance(another bright idea) the shit hits the fan and the kids find themselves trapped and hunted down by their possessed buddies. Night of the Demons is fun and frightening, one the terror begins it doesn’t let let up until the credits roll. Besides the intensity I was very impressed with the excellent, grotesque make up f/x and transformation scenes. My biggest gripe is that I felt the location itself was underused, much of the action takes place in similar looking hallways, rooms and in one outdoor setting (front of the house). Its really to bad. That being said can’t wait to see NOTD2!
This should be on every horror lover’s list. It’s such a fun Halloween Horror flick. It’s full of scares and gore and plenty of demons. Angela is sooo creepy after she gets possessed as are the rest of the hellish creatures. I love the 80s feel of this frightful classic and if you haven’t seen it, I really think you should seek it out.
classic 80′s b horror. i think it was filmed pretty well. the idea of it was fun, but in the end it just doesn’t have the stuff to make it great. the women were flat out hot, especially the asian chick. fun to watch, once.
An AWESOME classic! It has that 80s feel too which allows you to not take your eyes off it. This movie was fun & has awesome parts in it. I loved all the characters, they’re all unforgettable. I definitively recommend it, if you LOVE the 80s!
awesome 80s horror flick I pull it out every Halloween. The sequel is pretty good too avoid part 3 though its bad
It wasnâe(TM)t as good or entertaining as I remember from when I was a teenager. Its still fun, but it just felt uneventful to me. I do like it, but I just wasnâe(TM)t that into it this time around. Maybe in a few years Iâe(TM)ll try renting it on DVD (hopefully BluRay) and see if I feel the same way. (I saw this on the computer free – legally – and it was cruddy quality). Check out a more in depth review at my Horror Movie/Book review site @ ShiversOfHorror.com
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