Night Of The Demons

     I have such a huge place in my heart for cheesy 80's horror. Pretty obvious, right? Which brings us to the most recent 8'0s treasure I've blown the dust off and given a whirl. I don't recall ever seeing NIGHT OF THE DEMONS in its entirety back in the day. I distinctly remember certain scenes here and there, but finally saw the entire film from start to finish last night. And let's just say, I'm so glad I crashed Angela's party, cuz it was awesome. NIGHT OF THE DEMONS is so outlandishly campy and absurd that it's impossible to take any of it seriously.  It's very much like THE EVIL DEAD in that respect.

      NOTD tells the story of nutjob Angela and loose Suzanne (memorably played by both Amelia Kinkade and Linnea Quigley), who on Halloween night, decide to throw a dance party at "Hull House", an abandoned funeral parlor. During a seance, a horde of demons are unleashed on the partying teenagers, and Angela and Suzanne become possessed. This is when NOTD kicks into high gear, as the two set out to infect the entire group of horny teens.  It's completely over-the-top, with boobs, blood, and plenty of demonic mayhem to spare.  Director Kevin Tenney (WITCHBOARD) obviously loves the genre and gives the frantic fright fest some nice touches along the way. You know how I am about my atmosphere, and NIGHT OF THE DEMONS is positively soaked in it. It's a bona fide cult classic, and pretty damn funny on top of it. And this movie works best with that right group of people under those right circumstances, if you know what I mean... It's silly, it's ridiculous, and frankly it's not October without it. And that's a huge part of why I love it.

       There's so much to love about NIGHT OF THE DEMONS- the bad acting, the cringe-inducing but hilarious puns, the outrageous gore effects, the boundless energy. Throw in some "Evil Dead" mayhem and some righteous 80s fashions, a great time is guaranteed.  It's certainly as fun as "The Evil Dead", maybe even more fun. This movie, like most starring Linnea Quigley, is certainly an acquired taste.  Those looking for a serious scare might look elsewhere. I can appreciate both myself- depending on my mood.  "Night Of The Demons" has made its mark on pop culture apparently, as it's yet another 80s classic to be remade.  I haven't seen the remake, but I would imagine it's pretty hard to replace the original.