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Night of the Demons (1988) -
If there were a way to take an average of '80s horror movies, the results might look like this one. Where to begin? It has a Breakfast Club-like assortment of teenagers, a malevolent force, folklore explaining its motivations, a claustrophobic setting, superfluous nudity, Linnea Quigley, etc. That does not mean it's an average movie, though. Due to the familiar setup, I thought I could guess who the demons would possess, but my scorecard was very low, which is a good thing. The love triangle involving the lead, Cathy (Podewell), is just as unpredictable, as is the demons' antics. From an amazing dance routine to some most unusual makeup application, they are thankfully not just mindless killing machines. The movie also earns its horror comedy label, mostly because the teenagers sound like actual teenagers.
Even though the movie has many surprises, I would not say the entire product pushes the ‘80s horror envelope that much. Also, while I'm all for lots of buildup, it seems like the movie is halfway over until any of the really good stuff happens. If you don't believe that envelope needs to be pushed, you want to get into the Halloween spirit and/or want to liven a up a Halloween party, it's still a worthy choice. That also applies if you need a reminder of how awesome Linnea Quigley is.
If there were a way to take an average of '80s horror movies, the results might look like this one. Where to begin? It has a Breakfast Club-like assortment of teenagers, a malevolent force, folklore explaining its motivations, a claustrophobic setting, superfluous nudity, Linnea Quigley, etc. That does not mean it's an average movie, though. Due to the familiar setup, I thought I could guess who the demons would possess, but my scorecard was very low, which is a good thing. The love triangle involving the lead, Cathy (Podewell), is just as unpredictable, as is the demons' antics. From an amazing dance routine to some most unusual makeup application, they are thankfully not just mindless killing machines. The movie also earns its horror comedy label, mostly because the teenagers sound like actual teenagers.
Even though the movie has many surprises, I would not say the entire product pushes the ‘80s horror envelope that much. Also, while I'm all for lots of buildup, it seems like the movie is halfway over until any of the really good stuff happens. If you don't believe that envelope needs to be pushed, you want to get into the Halloween spirit and/or want to liven a up a Halloween party, it's still a worthy choice. That also applies if you need a reminder of how awesome Linnea Quigley is.