I do get why people think this is one of the most entertaining horror films ever made, it's fast-paced and never lets up. However, I am sorry to say that I found it more irritating than entertaining. Maybe it was the bombastic anything-but-subtle soundtrack mixed in with the constant screaming, woeful dialogue/dubbing topped off with a dumber-than-dumb plot. I also didn't care much about what happened to any of the characters, so further interest was lost that way.

Yeah it had some awesome gore f/x but compared to another "recently-seen-from-the-80s" flick Return Of The Living Dead, it fails on almost every other level for me..

I didn't find it all that entertaining. Pretty much mediocre, imo. I don't really care for much Italian Horror past the early 80's.

what about
Ghosthouse (1988) or The Spider Labyrinth (1988)

>>3
What about them?

I loved the nightmare-warzone tone of the whole thing, and the demons themselves were pretty damn cool.

I get why people wouldn't like it though.

It is definitely go-for-broke and manic. I can see it being quite polarizing. These films operate on a mad-cap mayhem-and-carnage attitude, so I can understand why some would find it a bit tiresome.

Yeah like I mentioned, I had just seen Return Of The Living Dead prior to this one so that probably had a negative impact because it was similar in it's, as you say, "mad-cap mayhem and carnage attitute" (although not as much carnage) but which worked much better for me.

Funny as a whacked-out period piece, but otherwise a drag.

That's what I call an epic fail. How can you dislike the soundtrack? It has what is probably the best speed metal song of all time. Also, there's nothing wrong with dumb fun from time to time.

Yeeeaah. "Fast As A Shark" rules.

What I've never understood is how they managed to nab a popular song like "White Wedding" for the soundtrack. And what's more, why have a Rick Springfield song in there when all's they play is its weird creepy intro and not the actual track with singing? It's easy to miss, but it plays in the beginning before the mayhem starts, when the usherette is looking at herself in the mirror all suspicious-like.

It seems to me that, if you're going to, you know, pay a pretty penny to a popular record label for a then-popular pop singer to be on your soundtrack, you'd wanna go ahead and actually let your audience know that it's them.

Aye, I look far too much into these things.

How can you dislike the soundtrack?

I don't dislike some of the songs, I mean how can you not like 'White Wedding' but after a while the constant barrage of noise and therefore lack of any atmosphere/build up of tension is a bit off-putting for me.

Also, there's nothing wrong with dumb fun from time to time.

I agree, but there's enjoyble dumb and there's plain stupid dumb.

>>11
No offence anon but I think you just answered your own question when you said that "it's fast-paced and never lets up". I also think that you're barking up the wrong tree with your fangs by comparing it in any way to Return of the Living Dead. They're completely different animals. Return is a slick and sexy production whereas Demons is a rough and ready chancer of a production. If Return is a gram of top quality Charlie then Demons is a gram of heavily cut Ketamine. They're both great but one is much more refined and expensive than the other.

Personally I've always seen Demons as one of the only true Italian films that is desperate to appeal to a broader (read, North American) audience, while still maintaining the stamp of an Italian horror film. Though the theme of reflexivity is never fully realised it remains a conventionally linear, action based plot which most no other Italian zombie films even bother with. However hackneyed or unimaginative it is, it's probably the most 'American' Italian film ever made.

>>12
Yeah ok, I said it's fast-paced and never let's up but that doesn't necessarily make it an always enjoyable experience. And sure Return has twice the budget so would be unfair to compare quality but they are somewhat comparable thematically. My original comparison stems from the fact that I'd almost watched them back-to-back and that one I found entertaining, the other I didn't but nothing to do with budget really.

I agree. It is a good idea of a movie that the "action" got boring quick with. At some point before the very end they should have got out the theater an found out the whole city was demonized. The wtf helicopter part is one thing that ill always remember though.

If you think about it, Demons and Return of the Living Dead are a lot alike. People running and yelling hysterically trapped in some place with monsters at every turn all the while a hip rock soundtrack blares. Return has intentional comedy; Demon is unintentional. Return has good acting and a pretty smart script; Demons, well, heh....it's Demons. I think Lamberto Bava and co. put more stock into gore fx and a fast-pace over dialogue above a 1st grade reading level. I can see how some would hate the film because it's so damn stupid, however, I love it because it's boneheaded.

Demons is the retarded European brother of Return of the Living Dead. It's also peculiar both happened to come out the same year.

Return has good acting and a pretty smart script

No

>>15 sums it up well.

Lamberto is a bit of a hack, but Demons worked out very well, perhaps by accident or the pure insane genius of Dario Argento? You are almost infected with that frenetic schizoid psychosis typical of his own films made around that time (Tenebre, Phenomena, Opera).

Bava's other horror films I like a lot are Macabro and A Blade in the Dark, though are miles-apart from one another. Haunting, perverse and memorable alike.

I can see how some would hate the film because it's so damn stupid, however, I love it because it's boneheaded.

>>15 does sum it up well. And I often like boneheaded fun-type horror. Just not in this case.

I dunno, I haven't seen it in at least 15 years. Maybe I'd like it more now.

I think it's awesome, it has one of the best characters ever, Tony the pimp. I do think it gets kind of weaker once he dies since other characters are not as fun.

Like many Italian films i've seen, it is not a full exercise in cinematic quality - but i cant think of how could someone think it was not entertaining.

>>1
Yep. Pretty boring, awful soundtrack.

For the hundredth time....metal is not appropriate for horror. It just destroys the mood. Seriously I can't take any horror movie with metal seriously. Sure my favourite band is Iron maiden but would I want their song in the middle of Black christmas? Hell no. It is annoying to listen to metal in the middle of a horror movie.

But in Demons it doesn't pose a problem because the movie is ridiculous anyway. It doesn't even try to create any tension.

So you don't think there's any tension during the scene in the air duct (no sure if that's the right way to say it)?

>>23
For me, there was zero tension in the entire film. The sooner everyone died the better. Having said that, the lead actress was easy on the eyes .

Yeah I believe they were in an air duct.

Betcha didn't know the demon in the air duct was the guy's girlfriend.

I liked it. It is fun and gorey and Italian.

Nearly perfect horror film. How could you not care about Tony & his hoes?