DEMONI (AKA DEMONS)

1985 / Director. Lamberto Bava
Review by Justine Ryan.

Demoni aka Demons is set in Berlin. Two students, Cheryl (Natasha Hovey) and Kathy (Paola Cozzo) are given free tickets to attend a movie screening at a new cinema, Metropol, by a mysterious metal-masked man (Michele Soavi – Director of THE CHURCH). The girls decide to skip school and as the sun goes down, they arrive at the Metropol.

Soon as the other patrons arrive (featured are a blind man and his wife, a teenage couple (Dario Argento’s eldest daughter, Fiore who also appeared in PHENOMENA and THE CARD PLAYER, two best friends, George (OPERA’S Urbano Barberini) and Ken (Karl Zinny), a married couple celebrating their anniversary, a pimp, Tony (Bobby Rhodes), two hookers, Rosemary (Geretta Geretta) and Ruth (Nicole Tessier) and usherette Nicoletta Elmi (DEEP RED)) the film begins.

The movie starts with two couples in a cemetery digging up the tomb of the 16th century prophet Nostradamus, who predicted the future and the coming of the demons. Inside his tomb is an ancient book and an old cursed mask (in a nod to the death mask in Mario Bava’s BLACK SUNDAY). It is inscribed that demons are instruments of evil, whoever wears the mask will become a demon, spreading pestilence and contaminating the world, making cemeteries their cathedrals and tombs your cities. However, one of the characters (again, played by Michele Soavi) in the film within the film, makes the mistake of trying on the mask, cutting the side of his face, mirroring what happened earlier to Rosemary when she tried on a replica of the mask in the lobby of the cinema.

Soon the fun begins when Rosemary transforms into a demon and begins attacking.

The original story is written by Dardano Sacchetti (when he brought the script to Lamberto Bava, it was originally a three episode concept named HORROR MOVIE. They expanded on the first story, where two men are taken over by evil forces that emerge from a cinema screen). A fun and energetic screenplay by Dario Argento, Lamberto Bava, Dardano Sacchetti and Franco Ferrini.

A highlight is the film's music by Goblin’s Claudio Simonetti and additional rock music by Accept, Motley Crue, Billy Idol, Rick Springfield, Go West, Saxon, Pretty Maids and The Adventures.

Demons will appeal to any fans of Italian horror cinema with its offerings of Helicopter decapitations, glowing eyes, a demon bursting through a victims back, demons being hacked up by a samurai sword, claws emerging through fingernails and a galore of other delightful visuals all created by makeup FX, Sergio Stivaletti.

A must see!

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