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63%
Overall Rating
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Ranked #3,242
...out of 20,875 movies
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Several people are invited to join the opening of a new movie theatre. As the horror film shown to the guests gets more and more violent, the people start to transform one by one into bloodthirsty demons. The remaining guests begin the desperate battle for their lives.
--IMDb
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As far as the horror genre goes, in my opinion, the Italians are truly the masters of the craft. Japanese horror would be nowhere without the influence of greats like Mario Bava and Dario Argento. These guys are responsible for some of the most shocking and controversial horror films ever, long before "The Ring" and "Audition" thought about scaring people. Lamberto Bava, son of Mario Bava, is also included on this list for his exceptionally scary and enormously fun horror film, "Demons", released in 1985.
Set inside a West Berlin movie theatre, "Demons" centers around a group of people trapped inside this movie theatre doing battle blood thirsty demons on the warpath. As they watch the film unfold on the screen, the film starts to take over the souls of the people watching. "Demons" takes the idea of the traditional horror film and really adds some creative sparks. It also turns the holy of holies...the movie theatre...into a nightmare, using every part of the movie theatre as a killing ground for the creatures. There is also the added twist of having the movie on the screen running at the same time as the movie we are watching, and it is nice to see how Bava intersects the two and keeps us guessing at the same time. The name Bava is just synonymous with horror.
All of that said, "Demons" is definitely a film for the 1980's. It features the same kind of blood and gore techniques that "The Evil Dead" made so popular when it was released. The budget is a bit larger than that of "Evil Dead", but the same ideas behind the gore are present. I remember watching this film when I was younger and being absolutely traumatized by what I was seeing. The same could be said for "The Evil Dead". However, I think "Demons" has held up far better over the years than "Evil Dead". I can watch "Demons" today and still be scared during certain sequences. "Evil Dead" has lost its ability to affectively scare me.
To truly appreciate horror, you have to discover the Italian masters, and I would include Lamberto Bava in that group alongside his father and Dario Argento. "Demons" is actually one of the finest from that sub-genre. It has more modern day horror than Argento's earlier work, and it has more entertainment value than Argento's newer work, and it takes what Mario Bava did and just amps it up a few notches. This is a film Mario Bava probably would have made when he got further along in his career, if it had not been taboo to do something like this back when he was in his prime. This might have been his film after "Black Sunday" -- who knows? "Demons" is one of the best horror films ever made; a truly frightening and entertaining, blood soaked experience. 10/10
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#1:
grain of sand
- added April 24, 2007 at 4:40pm
I'm so glad you reviewed this, I saw this when I
was younger and have had it in the back of my mind
ever since.
the gore is great and its a
really fun movie, I plan on finding this.
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#2:
Ginose
- added May 2, 2007 at 11:09pm
Wow. This movie always continues to blow my
fuckin' mind. A classic that never EVER gets
boring.
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#3:
Tristan
- added May 14, 2007 at 3:27pm
I think Lamberto outdid his father, with this one.
And after the two sequels (Third one being called
The Church) I think it's safe to say he was a huge
contribution to Italian horror. 10/10
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#4:
Tristan
- added May 14, 2007 at 3:30pm
Sorry, it's The Ogre. The Church is something
different.
My bad.
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#5:
bluemeanie
- added May 14, 2007 at 5:29pm
Wow. I don't see how Lamberto Bava outdid his
dad. Mario Bava is probably the most influential
horror director ever, next only to Alfred
Hitchcock. His style and methods are mimicked in
almost every horror film you see today. "Demons"
-- as amazing as it is -- is just not on the same
level as "Bloody Sunday". I have watched both
sequels -- loved the second film, but loathed the
third one and really thought it should have ended
with two. Lamberto Bava's career has also been
pretty lacking, with the exception of the "Demons"
films. Mario Bava's career was longer and far
more influential and productive.
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#6:
Kari Byron's Sex Cyborg
- added July 11, 2008 at 8:12am
I feel like I'm in an alternate reality.... The
acting, dubbing, sound, premise, story - all were
horribly dreadful! The make-up effects are the
only thing worth a positive mention in this movie,
and they weren't even that fantastic.
Okay,
so you must all obviously love it for its camp and
cheese factor then. I guess it can certainly
provide a lot of entertainment for trashing, but
Christ, giving it a 10 still seems incredibly
ludicrous for a proper rating in my eyes.
1.8/10
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#7:
bluemeanie
- added July 11, 2008 at 10:47am
This movie still has some insanely bad ass shots.
It's like "Evil Dead" on acid. Yes,
it's campy, but it's also a damned fine horror
film.
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#8:
Nirrad
- added August 5, 2008 at 7:17pm
This movie was a fun ride. Great gore and some
good sequences. I didn't think it was like
"Evil Dead" on acid with it's camera
work though. This is something I would have loved
as a kid. Overall a fun movie. 8/10
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#9:
Chad
- added August 17, 2008 at 1:53am
I suppose I'm in the same alternate reality as
Jason / Sex Cyborg. I love horror and I love
eighties cheese, but this? This was fucking
wretched. Waste of time / 10.
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#10:
bluemeanie
- added August 18, 2008 at 3:28pm
Yes...you are both evidently residents there. And
what a sad and desolate place it is.
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#11:
Shakes
- added January 22, 2009 at 11:04am
10/10.
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#12:
Shakes
- added January 23, 2009 at 6:42am
Fuck you because i love this movie. see i'm VERY
passionate!
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#13:
Lucid Dreams
- added April 28, 2009 at 8:27pm
This movie was decent, it had some really
excellent gore scenes (guy with the eyes being
torn out), but overall a little overrated. 6/10
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