Simply titled Demons, this eighties horror movie is exactly what you think it is: a cheesy, gory but ultimately fun ride for the fans of the genre. And all others who want that sweet, sweet hit of eighties nostalgia to knock them out of their socks. I guess that’s the first thing you’re going to notice here. Hairstyles, clothes, and most of all, that rocking soundtrack will take you back to this fascinating decade. We’ve got Billy Idol, Accept, Mötley Crüe, and even Saxon to help you get ready for this demonic party. And this is a party, make no mistake about it. We will be following a couple of young guys and girls who all get a free movie ticket from a mysterious stranger in a metal mask.
Since these are the eighties, of course, all of them go to the peculiar Metropol movie theater on the outskirts of Berlin, Germany. They’re not the only ones, as a colorful group of characters will descend upon this venue. Even a blind guy showed up with his female assistant. And yes, that really happens in the movie. As you can already guess, some ten minutes in all hell breaks loose. Now our heroes, led by the feisty and beautiful Cheryl, must find a way out and survive constant attacks. Constant attacks from bloodthirsty demons that are, for all intents and purposes, basically zombies. I mean, when they bite or scratch someone, that person turns into a demon.
Inspired by the huge success of both Dawn of the Dead and City of the Living Dead, it just did the old switcheroo. The latter was another successful Italian zombie production helmed by the unofficial European king of gore, Lucio Fulci. Demons was filmed in Berlin and Rome, and this gives it a distinctly European taste. The original audio is in English, just to be perfectly clear, despite this being an Italian movie. The director is Lamberto Bava, while the producer is none other than Dario Argento. Yes, that Dario Argento. We will see their vision of what trendy and cool kids look like and it’s freaking hilarious. I don’t want to go into details because that’s the charm of these old movies.
You go in them with an open mind, and they will surprise and reward you. With that being said, Demons is more of a curiosity than a proper horror movie. There will be a lot of gore in the second half of the movie and a couple of silly action scenes. The characters are terribly one-dimensional, and the dialogue is even worse. However, it’s the attitude and the general vibe that will keep things going. Not to mention the pacing and short runtime. Additionally, you kind of want to know how the fuck all of this happened. All of this makes Demons one tasty snack for all horror fans. I think it will especially appeal to a younger generation. Just imagine living in the eighties and stumbling upon this in your video store or local cinema.
There’s a reason why many consider this movie a cult classic. You can even call it a movie so bad that it’s good or a guilty pleasure, depending on your taste. It’s not as unhinged as, let’s say, Neon Maniacs, but it’s pretty damn close. And I love it for that. All I’m trying to say here is that I had a lot of fun watching it. And this was probably my third or fourth time. Granted, I was so high during those first couple of times that I only remember certain scenes. When it comes to the scares, there’s one scene in particular that stood out: the air duct one. I guess they were going for more of an action horror movie than a creepy/atmospheric one.
I feel like I need to emphasize once more just how gory and graphic this movie is. There will be blood, guts, pus, vomit, and everything else you can imagine. Including the glowing eyes, of course. People will be eaten, beaten, bitten, and torn apart, and the same goes for our demonic attackers. We will even get a good old throat-ripping. Ahhh, yes, nothing like a good old throat-ripping. The final scene is gloriously over-the-top including, well, I better keep my damn mouth shut. Let’s just say it’s crazy fun. However, it’s not all the graphic demonic violence that got this movie in trouble, but cocaine!
The infamous scene where four criminals are snorting cocaine during a car ride was banned in many countries. One of those four criminals is Nina, played by an oddly captivating beauty, Bettina Ciampolini. You can say that she’s Italian Linnea Quigley, best known for playing Trash in another 1985 horror movie, The Return of the Living Dead. Bettina actually married one of her co-stars from this movie, Karl Zinny, who plays Ken, and they’re still happily together. Faces were very important to Bava, and you can clearly see that in this movie. If you have a chance, do check out his commentary available for the Blu-ray edition; it’s quite illuminating.
Now, the sequel, Demons 2, from 1986, is not that good. It uses the same formula, only replacing the movie theater with an apartment building. I mean, it’s still watchable if that’s your cup of tea, especially to note all the Alien stuff it blatantly steals. I would recommend you check out his giallo style-over-substance slasher, Delirium AKA Le Foto di Gioia. Finally, if you’re looking for more horrors set in movie theaters, check out Midnight Movie, Popcorn, Anguish, and 2020’s Al Morir la Matinee.
Director: Lamberto Bava
Writers: Dardano Sacchetti, Dario Argento, Lamberto Bava
Cast: Urbano Barberini, Natasha Hovey, Karl Zinny, Fiore Argento, Paola Cozzo, Fabiola Toledo
Fun Facts: Metropol, the movie theater in the movie Demons, was actually a working nightclub during the filming. The invitations, the big sign, and everything else were real. Today, that place is the working club Goya, and you can visit it if you find yourself in Berlin.
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IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089013/
