In 1985, Dario Argento and Mario Bava released a pus filled Italian horror extravaganza called Demons. Demons adds up to a bit of an inside joke. Completely devoid of a proper plot and devoid of any semblance of sanity, Demons assaults the senses, it doesn’t try to stimulate the mind. Demons 2 followed up just a year later with more demonic mayhem, and maybe just tiny bit more heart.
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Demons 2 – Totally different and almost exactly the same
Much like the original, Demon 2 relies on video as the catalyst of the demon infestation. This time the action takes place in a high-rise apartment. Instead of the big screen, this time the begins with on a television screen. Inexplicably, a strange broadcast begins simultaneously on every television screen in the apartment building.
The broadcast follows a band of amateur archaeologists launch a nighttime excursion to pillage abandoned ruins of demon artifacts. A woman cuts her hand and unwittingly drips blood in the mouth of a demon corpse breathing life into the beast. Sounds ridiculous, right? Nah, this happens all the time. Check Christopher Lee in Dracula has Risen from the Grave (1968).
The demon quickly dispatches tomb raiders and shifts its attention to the screen, staring into the eyes of a woman riveted to her seat. In a simple, yet awesome effect, the demon pushes itself through the television screen and into the apartment of the woman. Her name is Sally, and it’s her birthday party. As a gift she receives the throbbing demon veins and razor sharp mangled teeth.
It’s My Party and I’ll Spew Bile If I Want To
Sally represents the biggest departure from Demons. In the original, some demons were more important than other, but they were absolutely the bad guys and it was not intended that the audience care any of for more than 30 seconds after they turned. Sally is THE DEMON in Demons 2. Not only does she serve and a reluctant lead for the demonic army, but she’s maybe even the main character of the whole affair. If nothing else, she’s a demon deserving of sympathy.
Coralina Cataldi Tassoni plays the role of Sally. She would later take a role as the seamstress in Dario Argento’s Opera the following year. The most interesting thing about Sally is that she isn’t interesting at all. She has some hang up with how she looks, how she dresses and how she is perceived by her friends, but her character development is abysmal. One couldn’t care less about her… at least until she turns.
When Sally receives her infectious bite, she twists and furls into the most impressive demon design of the franchise. She be the most horrifying thing ever filmed if she didn’t always look so… sad. As she runs, arms outstretched, through the apartment building she seems to have a dwindling sliver on sentience that makes her plight punch right in the feels. Its as if the real Sally is still a passenger on a horrifying rollercoaster flying off the rails.
What may be most interesting is that this is clearly Bava’s intent. Demons 2 is about Sally.
Is Quantity Better than Quantity?
While Demons 2 recycles much of the formula, but how well does it do? Demons 2 hits the mark with respect to quantity, but often at the expense of quality.
Apart from the demon design of Sally, the special effects take a step back. Many are still horrible in a good way, but in many cases were not executed with care and precision. Many scenes reveal the pale flesh of the actors beneath the collar of the shirt. In other cases, the make-up stops just above the sleeve line, again offering pale human flesh as the demon scrambles about. In some close-ups the audience clearly sees that some of the demons make-up amounts to no more than a bit of green- blue grease paint in that Dawn of the Dead (1978) kind of way. Certainly, these amount to cost saving measures, but the film could have avoided these lazy sacrifices.
Is Crazy Better than Quality?
In many cases, Lamberto Bava manages to turn the crazy dial for this film. It’s not just humans that get in on the demons fun, but puppies too. The puppies transformation is admirable, but the final product feels a bit silly, especially with its ill paced emerald green eyes. Also, Lamberto Bava introduces a possessed child and subsequently recycles the old back-burster gimmick. This time a beast bursts from the chest of the child ghoul. In the original back-burster scene, Sergio Stivaletti crafted a beautifully-horrible full-size demon to claw its way from the back of the victim. The effect was iconic and stunning. This time, what burst forth from the chest of the child looks more like a lame rubber monkey with alligator teeth. What’s more the 1/2 monkey, 1/2 alligator, 1/2 demon is 1/10th as scary as the child demon already was.
The only thing more brutal than the demons is the acting…
Apart from the great post-human performance by Coralina Cataldi Tassoni, the acting feels stiff and the dialog contrived. It’s hard to say if it if any better or worse that that of Demons which ranks very poorly in its own right. Lamberto Bava does bring back Bobby Rhodes to play a new character, or rather the same character with a new profession. In this film he plays Hank, the resident meathead that runs the gym. Hank comically leads a troop of fellow meatheads against the demonic army.
Finally, the Demons 2 soundtrack maintains that Italian horror feeling indicative of the genre. The soundtrack brings back a healthy mix of euro-synthpop and period correct rock music. Notably, The Cult’s “Rain” makes an appearance as well as offerings from the The Smiths and Love and Rockets.
Out with a Whimper
Demons (1985) closed with a totally ambitious ending. Upon their escape from the theater, the demonic plague had already escaped the confines and the outside world burned. Demons were everywhere, and the only chance of survival was to flee. They also added a predictable but fun little twist before rolling the credits. Compared to that epic ending, Demons II goes out with a whimper. The final two survivors escape the confines of the apartment building and walk off into the future as the credits roll. Boo.
Demons 2 – The Wrap
Demons 2 is a solid movie for fans of the first, no doubt. Those that are fans if its carnage will applaud it excesses while ignoring its transgressions. Demons 2 packages everything that a fan of Lamberto Bava and Dario Argento would love. It spills plenty of gore and provides plenty of action. Anyone that loves stereotypical Italian horror will appreciate this movie. The subtle focus on Sally’s demonic plight adds a pretty neat dimension to the whole affair.
At times, it feels a bit like eating left-overs, but at the end of the day Demons 2 will cater to the the sensibilities of hardcore horror fans.
Demons 2 (1986) - More Demonic Pus Squirting Fun - Malevolentdark
Director: Lamberto Bava
Date Created: 1970-01-01 00:33
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