Fright Fest 2016 Review #2: Night of the Demons (1988)

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Gives a whole new meaning to “heat wave”

Subgenre:  Possession / Supernatural

Summary:  A group of teens awaken evil spirits at a Halloween party.

Review:  Night of the Demons starts of promisingly, with retro-cool animated credits and a cheesy synth theme setting the tone.  This movie is as 80s as it gets, complete with mullets, sleeveless shirts, and excessive T&A.  We’re introduced to our cast of stereotypes early on: virginal good girl Judy, hyper-slut Suzanne, Italian greaser Sal, and hard-partying douchebag Stooge.  Angela, the class weirdo, invites them to a Halloween party at a spooky abandoned funeral home.  After some terrible dancing to even worse music, she leads the group in trying to summon the spirits that live there. And then…well, I don’t want to spoil the surprise.

Night of the Demons has plenty of B-Movie charm going for it, especially in its first half.  The terrible acting, one-note characters, and hilariously batshit dialogue (sampled below) keep things entertaining…that is, until the demons show up.  The movie’s midsection is its weakest link, trading the so-bad-it’s-good fun of the first act for halfhearted attempts at horror.  Thankfully, it manages to pull itself together in time for a well-executed climax and a blackly funny epilogue.

Choice Quotes:

“Wow, bodacious boobies sis!”

“It’s Count Dingleberry, the flaming asshole of Transylvania.”

“Eat a bowl of fuck!  I am here to PARTY!”

The Verdict:  Despite its inconsistency, fans of trashy horror will enjoy Night of the Demons.  I give it six coffin-contained copulations out of ten.

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