Demons

I like to think about older movies I'd love to see on the big screen. I'm lucky enough to live near a place that tends to do at least one classic movie screening a week. It's something they started to do more when COVID-19 was affecting new movie releases, and I think they've just kept with it because people understandably flock to them. I've been fortunate enough to see a bunch of Kubrick and Miyazaki movies on the big screen, as well as other films like The Wild Bunch and The Godfather. I'm still holding out hope they'll screen some Sergio Leone or Akira Kurosawa one day, because both seem like no-brainers.

Anyway... I tend to think about how great epic, lengthy, big-budget movies would look on the big screen, but it's less common for me to watch a small-ish movie and feel a little sad I couldn't see it at the movies. But Demons is the rare movie that is fairly simple/low budget that I imagine it would be even better if watched in a cinema. This is because the premise is essentially people inside a cinema needing to survive hordes of demons that attack while they're watching a new horror movie. Cool visuals, ludicrous gore, and cheesy performances ensue, with all proving to make this a fairly fun movie.

It would be more impactful if watched inside a cinema, especially with the early scenes where people don't know whether the screams they're hearing are real or part of the movie they're watching. Divorced from the ideal viewing experience, this is still a very entertaining and no-nonsense Italian horror movie that's frequently silly but also never boring. It's probably not for everyone, but it was a good movie to watch on a Friday night that never proved too challenging or mentally taxing.

For an 80s gore-fest, you couldn't want anything more. This is another one of those "kitchen sink" movies that's in the same vein as "From Dusk Till Dawn". Put the same scenario in a movie house, back in the 80s, substitute the vampires with demons, and you pretty much get the picture. You can definitely see the influence here. With that said, if you liked "From Dusk.." and don't mind dubbing, then you should be right at home with "Demons".

There isn't a whole lot there in the way of plot. Some random folks are invited to a screening in an old movie theater. As the movie that they are viewing gets more and more violent, real life starts to imitate art and pretty soon, they discover that they are locked inside and what we're watching becomes a survival flick. That's pretty much it.

As far as gore, there is PLENTY of the red stuff with enough eye-gouging, throat ripping, and blood spurting to satisfy even the most ravenous gore hound. To say much more would give away a lot of the surprises, but it's well worth a rental. Check it out.

If you love gory horror flicks I am not sure why you haven't seen this classic. From Lamberto Bava comes one of his most memorable films and a total must-see for the gore hounds.

Cheryl (Natasha Hovey) is given a ticket to the new theatre called Metropol by some creepy dude (Michele Soavi) with a mask that's a mix between PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and THE TERMINATOR. So, Cheryl takes her friend Kathy (Paolo Cozzo) so they can skip class and watch a movie. Within the theatre there is a mask that through a pimp named Tony (Bobby Rhodes in a role that is downright hilarious) and his two prostitutes Carmen (Fabiola Toldedo)and Rosemary (Geretta Geretta) we see Rosemary get cut by the mask. Uh-oh!!! Soon violent, starving demons take over the theatre by storm.

Amazingly gory and not for the weak stomached. The acting is so bad it is memorable, which is much like the film. Another funny note is one of the people in attendance at the theatre is a blind man named Werner (Alex Serra).

The demons were created by Sergio Stivaletti. The music is awesome with a score by Claudio Simonetti and soundtrack that includes Billy Idol, Motley Crue and Accept to name a few. Written by Dario Argento (who also produced), Bava, Dardano Sacchetti and Franco Ferrini. Must say it is sort of a paper-thin story, but it sets everything up nicely for the great and bloody effects done by Stivaletti.

Gruesome picture in acceptable budget plenty of chills , suspense , screams , lots of gore , blood and guts . This actually is a very terrifying and frightening film ; dealing with a demonic infection spreads people in modern cinema . Selected at random , people on the street are invited to an advance screen of a new horror movie . There a prostitute is bitten and becomes a drooling , fanged demon . In a killing rage , she tears apart other in the movie theater . As a group of people are trapped in a large movie theater in West Berlin that is infected by ravenous , clawed demons who proceed to kill and posse the humans one-by-one, transforming into bloody creatures who attack the remaining humans , thereby multiplying their numbers . When the members of the cinema attempt to getaway , they find themselves caught within .

This exciting picture contains thrills, chills , graphic violence , action-filled with fierce fights and loads of gore and guts. The horror and action moments are fast moving and compactly realized . This is an effective and simple movie ; it results to be an acceptable Italian horror , including functional special effects realized in traditional style , but also some plot elements are plain stupid . The creepy images of wide range from the genuinely horrifying to the bizarre along with scary and amazing frames . The flesh-eating demons appearance deliver the goods, plenty of screams, shocks and tension . The picture displays shocking and well-crafted transformation in charge of expert make-up artist Sergio Stivaletti . The make-up assistants create a truly horrible cannibal demons , zombies-alike . A poster for ¨4 flies on grey velvet¨ is visible in the lobby of the theatre: it's the title of writer/producer Dario Argento's third film ; there also appears other posters such as : ¨Nosferatu¨ , ¨Metropolis¨ and ¨Non Nukes¨ . Commercial musical score , full of hard rock and catching songs performed by known singers as Billy Idol and Rick Springfield . Good production design , as the building used for the exteriors of the Metropol theater still stands in Berlin ; it's a club called Goya that's been host to several horror conventions thanks to its appearance in this film.

The motion picture was compellingly directed by Lamberto Bava , he cites this as his personal favorite of the flicks he has filmed and in which he shows nice visual style . His father, Mario Bava (1914-1980), was a legendary filmmaker ; he entered the cinema as his father's personal assistant, starting with ¨Planet of horror ¨(1965). Bit by bit he gained experience from his father, who made him the assistant director for most of the rest of his films. He even co-wrote the screenplay for ¨Shock¨ (1977) . Lamberto enjoyed his best commercial success to date with this "Demons" , produced by Dario Argento, co-written by Dardano Sacchetti and filmed in West Berlin, Germany . This international hit smash allowed him to co-write, produce and direct a sequel, Demons II (1986) that was also successful and turned out to be an improvement on previous film . He also directed a remake of his father's "Black Sunday" (1960), which was titled "La Maschera del Demonio" or International title "Demons 5: The Devil's Veil¨ . He used the pseudonym of "John Old Jr." , which was a tribute to his father Mario, who often used the pseudonym "John M. Old" . Lamberto has directed films about all kind of genres such as : ¨Blastfighter¨ , ¨A blade in the dark¨ , ¨Shark: red on the ocean¨, and ¨Macabro¨ that achieved critical fame in some quarters ; however , today Bava Jr. only directs television movies : ¨Fantaghiro¨ and sequels , ¨Caribbean pirates¨ , among others . Rating : Acceptable and passable atmospheric film-making from genre master Bava's son that achieved great acclaim among gore buffs . A must see for horror fans .

Demons (Demoni) is directed by Lamberto Bava and Bava co-writes the screenplay with Dario Argento, Dardano Sacchetti and Franco Ferrini. It stars Urbano Barberini, Natasha Hovey, Karl Zinny, Paola Cozzo, Fiore Argento and Geretta Giancarlo. Music is by Claudio Simonetti and cinematography by Gianlorenzo Battaglia.

A wonderfully nutty spiced Spaghetti Horror, plot has a group of people trapped in a Berlin movie theatre that suddenly comes under attack by ravenous demons.

It could reasonably be argued that Bava's movie has some cheeky narrative depth underneath the gloop and schlock, this is after all purposely set in a movie theatre and features a film that basically becomes real, sort of. But really it's a pic that's set up for like minded horror buffs to feast upon, to jump head first into its feverish horror comic book glee.

The script is as poor as the dubbing is, with a roll call of cardboard cut out characters and loose end scenarios jettisoned in readiness for the next plasmatic explosive sequence. Yet the care free abandon of the gruesome killings on show, and the rapid pace of it all, ensures it's a fun packed ride.

Even the musical score is schizo as it ranges from typical 1980s synth plods to heavy metal thunder - joyous. 7/10