With horror industry heavy hitters already in place from the 1970s, the 1980s built upon that with the rise of brilliant minds in makeup and effects artists, as well as advances in technology. Artists like Rick Baker, Rob Bottin, Alec Gillis, Tom Woodruff Jr., Tom Savini, Stan Winston, and countless other artists that delivered groundbreaking, mind-blowing practical effects that ushered in the pre-CGI Golden Age of Cinema. Which meant a glorious glut of creatures in horror. More than just a technical marvel, the creatures on display in ‘80s horror meant tangible texture that still holds up decades later. Grotesque slimy skin to brutal transformation sequences, there wasn’t anything the artists couldn’t create. It Came From the ‘80s is a series that will pay homage to the monstrous, deadly, and often slimy creatures that made the ‘80s such a fantastic decade in horror.
“The will make cemeteries their cathedrals and the cities will be your tombs.”
Lamberto Bava’s Demons is a magical display of Italian horror at its finest. Produced and co-written by Dario Argento during his heavy metal craze, even featuring Goblin mainstay Claudio Simonetti on the score, this is an epic monster movie that bops to the beat of its pulse-pounding, fist-pumping soundtrack with a colorful aesthetic Bava likely picked up from his father, horror master Mario Bava. That the cast is largely comprised of teens aged from 15-20 only furthers the film’s high energy. But the thing that ties it all together is, of course, the demons.
Shot in a closed down movie theater, the somewhat Inception-like plot sees a group of strangers invited to a mysterious screening at a newly renovated theater, only to find themselves locked in with predatory demons. It’s a fun wink to the audience, in that the mysterious screening is of a horror movie that delivers all the exposition on the demon curse. Namely in that the shiny silver mask in the lobby holds the key to unleashing the ravenous demons.
Poor Rosemary (Geretta Geretta) connects the dots too late, having put it on before the screening started. She falls ill, the scratch on her face from the mask pulses before bursting into an obscene amount of green puss. Her mouth gushes blood as her new fanged teeth force out her own, her nails follow suit, black veins and red eyes take over, and she’s off to devour the unassuming audience. Those that survive the attack then turn themselves, causing an outbreak among the panicked theater attendees. Basically, it becomes full-fledged carnage that spreads fast.
Gruesome transformations, green pus and vomit, and violent gory deaths thanks to special effects and make-up artist Sergio Stivaletti, one of Europe’s make-up and special effects masters. He collaborated with most of Italy’s most important horror directors, working on films like Phenomena, Cemetery Man, The Church, Opera, and more. Demons was among his first, though.
Stivaletti and his team had a huge lion’s share of work with the creation of the demons. The mechanical work from the pulsing flesh, casting various teeth molds for various stages of transformation, demon puppets, and a ton of gore effects meant a lot to juggle during production. Throw in motorcycle stunts, a massive helicopter crash, and impaling by rebar, and Stivaletti and his team deserve just as much credit for Demons as director Bava and producer Argento.
Which is probably why they reunited for the sequel, Demons 2, where they took the concept to a whole new wacky level. It’s also why Stivaletti sparked rumors of reuniting once again with Bava and Argento for Demons 3D, a potential modern reboot. Though studios tried to capitalize on the success of Demons and Demons 2 numerous times by renaming horror films to appear as sequels in the franchise, Bava’s are the only official Demoni films.
Between the heavy metal, punk rock soundtrack, the sense of fun, and the bloodbath of the demons’ feeding frenzy, Stivaletti, Bava, and Argento delivered an all-timer. It’s quintessential ‘80s horror, and I’d love for them to bring the gang back together for one more film. If they could invoke the killer tag-lines from the ‘80s too, that’d be great.
