Demons
A film that can quickly be summed up as âEvil Dead In A Movie Theaterâ, this Italian horror classic (filmed in Berlin) from 1985, directed by Lamberto Bava and produced by the legendary Dario Argento, manages to combine scares, gore, suspense, and atmosphere in a way not seen much in European cinema. A mysterious figure with a half-metal face (future director Michele Soavi) passes out free tickets for a screening of a new horror film at the Metropol theatre in downtown Berlin. As the moviegoers arrive, we get brief glimpses at each of the character types, including two college girls, two preppie guys, a pimp and his two hoes, a blind man and his companion, and many others, including the super-sexy female usher who works there. As it turns out, the movie is about some goofy teens who unleash the spirit of ancient demons intent on possessing everyone and taking over the world, and in time, the patrons in the theater start becoming possessed themselves and attacking each other, leading to the siege which takes up much of the filmâs running time. Thereâs a bit of a distracting subplot involving some punk rock delinquents (who snort cocaine out of a can of Coke with a straw) tooling around the city and eventually entering the theatre while running from the cops (though one bit involving the cocaine turns out to be the most creative use of Billy Idolâs âWhite Weddingâ ever seen), but sadly, once theyâre inside the filmmakers kinda forget about them and their fates and focus back on the survivors in the balcony. The film does feature a surprisingly rocking 80s soundtrack that includes Idol, Motley Crue, and Rick Springfield which adds to the liveliness of the proceedings. As far as the actors go, Natasha Hovey is beautiful as the Final Girl, while Urbano Barberiniâs Hero gets a bit ridiculous as the shirt sleeves come off and he becomes like a mini-Rambo, but Bobby Rhodes as Tony The Pimp nearly steals the show, talking smack to his bitches early on before taking charge when all Hell breaks loose. Being set mostly in one location allows for a fast pace, and the makeup and FX gore doesnât puss out and hold back like is so common today, as throats are ripped open, eyes are gouged out, and many unlucky souls generally get eaten and mauled. Things get better at the climax, with an emotional bit involving the Heroâs infected best friend asking him to kill him with a samurai sword before he turns, along with the final moments which serve as an obvious inspiration for 28 Days Later and one last shock (while the end credits roll!) which drives the nihilistic brilliance of the story home. Overall, a top example of why the 80s did it best when it came to horrorâŚ
8/10