Film Review: Demon Terror (Dämonenbrut) (2000)

SYNOPSIS:

Fleeing away from the police, after a bank robbery which went wrong, a group of offenders decides to take refuge on a deserted island. The apparent tranquility of this place actually hides a horde of demonic creatures desperate to satisfy their cannibalism and carry out their mission: to impregnate women with the seed of the devil and enslave men. One after the other the criminals will be hunted down, abused, murdered and this island, which meant to be a peaceful refuge, will ended up like their tomb.

REVIEW:

Demon Terror (or Damonenbrut) is also known as Insel Der Damonen II (Island of the Demons 2), the sequel to Andreas Bethmann’s 1998 film that left a lot to be desired. This time around, though, there is a lot more going on. It might not all make much sense, but in this case, the sequel is easily much better than the original. Again, we are in an “all German language, no subtitles” situation, but this is one of those movies where, for the most part, the pictures tell a thousand more words than any badly delivered dialogue ever could. That’s not to say that we aren’t missing something, as there are a couple of longer monologue style parts that probably give us some explanation and backstory, but the general idea is still very obvious without, as it is with most of Bethmann’s films. I’m still trying to figure out if that “general idea” we are getting is a good one.

If you remember the first movie (Die Insel Der Damonen), just increase all of the events of that movie and you’ve got part two. More blood, more characters, more violence, more boobs, but the same island. Oh, and add some hardcore sex scenes, the trademark of Bethmann’s later films (well, not so much sex, more like masturbation and tentacle P*rn scenes in this one). It all starts with a ship being attacked by something, some kind of monster, and after the ship goes down, the survivors find themselves stranded on an island. Well, not all of the survivors; some of them end up in a mysterious place being tortured and raped by demons. But the main two survivors, Mike and Maria (Chrisz Meier and Katja Bienert, respectively) find themselves lost on an island that seems to hold a lot of evil.

There is also a second story going on, a group of criminals escape to the same island with a hostage after a bank robbery in which everyone (aside from the hostage) was killed, including a baby (a pretty amazing scene, really, involving poop noises and a child’s doll that wasn’t in any way altered to look realistic).

Much like Mike and Maria, they, too, wander aimlessly around the island, eventually stumbling upon the demons. Much of this movie, in fact, seems to revolve around wandering people eventually finding trouble. More often than not, this trouble comes in the form of the zombie-like demons. And that, my friends, is essentially the plot of Damonenbrut, just add in blood, gore, and boobs and extend it for an hour and fifty minutes. Oh, and throw in an army platoon for good measure. And a scene where a woman takes a shower, then takes a bath, then washes her hands (not only is not decidedly NOT Shakespearean, but the whole sequence doesn’t seem to even fit in this movie, aside from the appearance of some nasty tentacles).

Whatever the main demon creature is, the one who is infecting the others and causing their teeth to grow all crazy and their eyes to change, seems to have tentacles. It also has a very specific modus operandi when it comes to its killings. With the men, it likes to send a drill through them, whether it be through their guts or their hands. However, with the females, it prefers a more intimate approach. Before an eventual choking, the demon rapes the women with its turd-looking tentacles. So we get penetration and oral scenes, complete with excessive money shots. Thanks so much, Mr. Bethmann, just what we always wanted.

Damonenbrut isn’t a great movie, but it is somewhat enjoyable if you don’t mind the confusion and lack of an attention grabbing plot. Aside from the gross feeling the movie leaves with you through its treatment of women, there are some fun gorey moments. Lots of blood, too. And it’s obviously very low budget, so it deserves credit for the effects that do come close to being convincing.

I certainly wouldn’t go so far as to say it is original, because it’s really not. But it does fit quite well into the tradition of German splatter movies, and even features cameos by other notables such as Andreas Schnaas and Timo Rose, as well as the director himself playing the role of one of the demons. All in all, it’s right on par with most of Andreas Bethmann’s movies, so why not check it out. And no, seeing the first one won’t help Damonenbrut make any more sense, sorry.