**This post contains MINOR spoilers**
The Story- On Halloween night, Angela (Amelia Kinkade), with some help from her friend, Suzanne (Linnea Quigley), prepares for a Halloween party at Hull House, an isolated and abandoned funeral home. “Scaring the shit out of” her guests is Angela’s main goal. Judy (Cathy Podewell), Rodger (Alvin Alexis), Helen (Allison Barron), Stooge (Hal Havins), Jay (Lance Fenton), Max (Philip Tanzini), and his girlfriend, Frannie (Jill Terashita) are all invited, but Sal (William Gallo) sneaks in at the last minute.
A bum stereo temporarily dampens the mood, but Frannie suggests a past life seance. After the seance, the party takes a dark turn, when the group unknowingly unleashes a demon…
My Thoughts- If you take one look at Angela and Suzanne, you’d never guess the two of them are friends. Linnea Quigley brings a bubbly and enthusiastic spark to Suzanne. She fits the bill for being a wild party girl.
Angela? You can tell she’s someone, who takes pride in being an outsider, or as Judy says the “weirdo.” Amelia Kinkade’s confident and sharp performance as Angela is just so fun to watch. She relishes in being the evil ring leader after Suzanne passes the demon to her. Angela smiling at Sal after the possession takes a hold of her sticks out as a big moment. It’s a devilish smile, because Angela knows she’s about to cause a lot of trouble.
But there’s one scene, where Kinkade shows some believable vulnerability. After the seance, Angela realizes the group is in serious danger. Angela is scared, and she realizes she made a mistake. Angela is one of my all-time favorites for horror movie characters. The black wedding dress is a great look for her, and she’s one of those characters that I always have a hard time picturing anyone else playing, because Kinkade is simply phenomenal as Angela.
Night Of The Demons has a high death count, but it’s not a case where the characters are too thin or disposable, because EVERYONE adds something to the movie. Cathy Podewell nails Judy, playing a humble and innocent protagonist, with a hopeful and positive personality. Judy dressed as Alice from Alice in Wonderland just works on so many levels. Podewell has the perfect look to resemble Alice. On top of that, Judy is stuck in a living nightmare, a nightmare, where’s she forced to fight to stay alive.
For years I couldn’t stand Rodger. He constantly freaks out and panics, he’s whiny, and running away is usually Rodger’s first choice over helping out, or taking a stand to fight. But you know what? I get it now. Imagine being trapped inside an old funeral home, and your possessed friends are trying to kill you. That’s terrifying, so of course Rodger is scared.
Rodger is smart. While everyone else was more concerned with partying and sex, Rodger was focused on surviving and looking for a way to escape. Rodger’s reactions to everything going on inside Hull House? The way he reacts feels more realistic for how any normal human being would respond to dealing with an unprecedented situation and supernatural threats.
Stooge? Yes, he’s a wild party animal, and he’s also an asshole. But it’s not that simple with Stooge, because you get the feeling Stooge is someone, who tries way too hard to fit in with the cool kids. There’s one scene, where Suzanne locks herself in the bathroom. Stooge sounds upset and frustrated that he can’t get in. You can hear that disappointed whimper in Hal Havins’ voice, the one moment, where the mask falls off for Stooge.
William Gallo confidently plays the kid, who’s too cool for school and the rebel tough guy, but Sal turns the corner to become one of the heroes towards the end. Lance Fenton’s Jay is kind of a tool, who takes himself too seriously, the guy, who runs into a big problem, because he’s obsessed with chasing sex.
Philip Tanzini’s Max has an important role here. Max is a jokester, with a snappy and upbeat sense of humor, but he’s also the storyteller, explaining the dark history behind Hull House, and “Old Man Hull’s” unusual lifestyle. And kudos to Donnie Jeffcoat Jr. for a few good laughs during his brief screen time as Billy, Judy’s obnoxious and bratty younger brother.
Hull House is the perfect setting for Night Of The Demons, the old funeral home in the middle of nowhere. Cobwebs, it’s dirty, quiet, and there’s an eerie spookiness throughout Hull House. It’s bad enough you’re being hunted and chased around by demons, and to make matters worse, you’re miles away from civilization.
The house is not haunted, it’s possessed! Another important layer for Hull House, because emphasizing the dangers of a possessed house over a haunted house separates Night Of The Demons from other haunting films, adding a refreshing nugget to the story. Scary stuff, because Hull House is the absolute last place anyone wants to be, demons or no demons.
Going by Max’s stories, Mr. Hull was obviously a weird and creepy dude, who lived a strange lifestyle. The underground running stream working as a barrier to prevent any demons from leaving Hull House is another nice touch. Screenwriter Joe Augustyn puts a lot of effort into building up the dark mystique of Hull House, stepping over the line for an ordinary abandoned building, and crossing into hell on earth territory.
Night Of The Demons has a fantastic soundtrack, and each song perfectly complements certain scenes and moments throughout the movie. Computer Date for the start of the party, The Beast Inside for Stooge and Angela’s brief slow dance, and my top pick goes to Stigmata Martyr during Angela’s electric dance in front of Sal.
I can’t say enough about the excellent practical and makeup effects here. So many great picks to choose from, but one that always sticks out for me is, Suzanne pushing the tube of the lipstick into her boob. It’s not just the fact that she did it, but Linnea Quigley jamming her finger all the way inside really adds to the squirming reaction they were going for. Angela “warming her hands in the fire”? Truly a gnarly and shocking moment.
Two big problems with the missing gate and the window. Big plot holes, but Night Of The Demons is still a fun horror comedy. Just the right amount of cheesiness, consistent laughs, and the morbid humor is hilarious. Each character has their own unique brand of comedy, and Stooge (“EAT A BOWL OF FUCK! I AM HERE TO PARTYYYY!”) is easily one of my favorites. And that miserable old codger got what he deserved in the end.
Night Of The Demons is a great hidden gem, if you’re into 80’s horror movies. And thirty-seven years later, Night Of The Demons still has one of the best horror movie intros!
Rating- 9/10
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