Demons & Demons 2
Demons and Demons 2 are bat-shit insane Italian monster movies directed by Lamberto Bava (son of Mario) that rank among my all time favorite horror movies. Neither feature very much plot or character development, but they make up for it with outstanding practical effects, gnarly gore, and colorful chaos. Giallo master, Dario Argento is a writer on both, and by many accounts, was also a mentor to the young Bava, as Bava Sr. had been for him.
Demons begins when a young woman, Cheryl (Natasha Hovey), receives an invitation to a movie screening and drags her friend, Kathy (Paola Cozza) along. They are joined at the cinema by a motley crew of film goers, including a pimp (the impressive Bobby Rhodes), two prostitutes, a blind man, and two young gentlemen (filling the roles of love interests).
Chaos soon breaks out when events in the theatre begin to mirror events in the movie, and people rapidly start turning into seriously gruesome demons (like zombies, they are able to pass along their curse with a bite or scratch). The movie-goers discover that they are trapped in the building, and all hell breaks loose.
Demons 2 begins with a slightly different setup from its prequel, but similar chaos quickly erupts. This time our characters are stuck in a high rise apartment building (making this outing somewhat reminiscent of David Cronenberg's Shivers), and our heroes are a young man, George (David Edwin Knight), and his very pregnant wife, Hannah (Nancy Brilli). Bobby Rhodes is back, playing a body builder this time; despite the change in occupation, his character is remarkably similar to the pimp he played in the previous film. Lino Salemme (Ripper from Demons) also returns as a security guard.
While Demons 2 ratchets the tension up even higher than the first one, it is otherwise more of the same. And that's not a complaint! Both films are great gruesome fun and I highly recommend them for gorehounds, Bava fans, Italian cinema aficionados, and anyone else with a cast iron stomach looking for a good time.
Fun fact: The creepy man distributing the movie passes in the first film is none other than Michele Soavi, one of my favorite unsung horror directors, responsible for Stage Fright, Cemetery Man, and Demons' companion film, The Church, among others.
Fun fact #2: The stunningly beautiful usherette in Demons, Nicoletta Elmi, is probably better known for her childhood roles in both Night Child (aka The Cursed Medallion) and Deep Red.
Fun fact #3: Giovanni Frezza, fan favorite Bob from House by the Cemetery, makes his final film appearance in an uncredited role as pint-sized gun wielding demon killer, Kirk, in the last few minutes of Demons.
Both films also feature impressive soundtracks with contributions from Motley Crue, Billy Idol, and the Smiths.
Demons begins when a young woman, Cheryl (Natasha Hovey), receives an invitation to a movie screening and drags her friend, Kathy (Paola Cozza) along. They are joined at the cinema by a motley crew of film goers, including a pimp (the impressive Bobby Rhodes), two prostitutes, a blind man, and two young gentlemen (filling the roles of love interests).
Chaos soon breaks out when events in the theatre begin to mirror events in the movie, and people rapidly start turning into seriously gruesome demons (like zombies, they are able to pass along their curse with a bite or scratch). The movie-goers discover that they are trapped in the building, and all hell breaks loose.
Demons 2 begins with a slightly different setup from its prequel, but similar chaos quickly erupts. This time our characters are stuck in a high rise apartment building (making this outing somewhat reminiscent of David Cronenberg's Shivers), and our heroes are a young man, George (David Edwin Knight), and his very pregnant wife, Hannah (Nancy Brilli). Bobby Rhodes is back, playing a body builder this time; despite the change in occupation, his character is remarkably similar to the pimp he played in the previous film. Lino Salemme (Ripper from Demons) also returns as a security guard.
While Demons 2 ratchets the tension up even higher than the first one, it is otherwise more of the same. And that's not a complaint! Both films are great gruesome fun and I highly recommend them for gorehounds, Bava fans, Italian cinema aficionados, and anyone else with a cast iron stomach looking for a good time.
Fun fact: The creepy man distributing the movie passes in the first film is none other than Michele Soavi, one of my favorite unsung horror directors, responsible for Stage Fright, Cemetery Man, and Demons' companion film, The Church, among others.
Fun fact #2: The stunningly beautiful usherette in Demons, Nicoletta Elmi, is probably better known for her childhood roles in both Night Child (aka The Cursed Medallion) and Deep Red.
Fun fact #3: Giovanni Frezza, fan favorite Bob from House by the Cemetery, makes his final film appearance in an uncredited role as pint-sized gun wielding demon killer, Kirk, in the last few minutes of Demons.
Both films also feature impressive soundtracks with contributions from Motley Crue, Billy Idol, and the Smiths.
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