Synopsis: A group of teens plan to spend Halloween night at a party in a local rundown house that may or may not be possessed. (Hint: It is.)
Night of the Demons is cut from the same cloth as its predecessor Evil Dead. Of course, that should be no surprise, as they both deal with possession, but it shares a little bit more than just that. It carries with it the same sick sense of humor that made Evil Dead the cult classic its always heralded as, a status that Night of the Demons shares in its own right.
The film clarifies the difference between a house that is haunted and a house that is possessed and in doing so, is separating itself from your standard haunted house fare. Like I said, this movie is more of a cabin in the woods movie than it is an Amityville Horror ripoff and it’s this difference that makes this film worth watching. It’s fun, it’s brutal, and it’s all together memorable. Though the characters are all their own breed of annoying, they’re simply playing the stereotypes that they fill.
There are some pretty nice gore effects in this film. It doesn’t turn the dial to 11 like the previously mentioned Evil Dead, but it has its own moments that stick out as quality for the time period. Someone loses an arm, eyes are gouged, and people get impaled. It works.
Gore Rating: 3 out of 5
I could see this film being pretty scary during the time it was made, especially in the theaters. There are some pretty good jumps and some creepy makeup effects, but overall, it’s mildly scary. It didn’t keep me up at night, but I appreciated what they did to try and get some scares.
Scare Rating: 2.5 out of 5
For any male horror fan, the name Linnea Quigley surely brings up fond memories of puberty. In Night of the Demons she plays Suzanne, the token sexpot of the group. She’s the first to get possessed and one of the most famous moments of the film involves her making lipstick disappear. It’s sexy, in a creepy sort of way, because you have no idea what the hell is going on. I would say that the remake managed to make this scene a bit more disturbing (and Diora Baird in the remake has a bit more places to hide the lipstick), but there’s something about being the original.
Sex/Nudity Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Overall
Night of the Demons is a fun movie from the 1980s. It’s creepy at times, brutal, and overall a really good time. If you haven’t seen it before, I highly recommend remedying that fact soon. It’s a quality standout from one of the classic eras of the genre.
The Main Damie 