Film Review: Demons 2 (1986)

SYNOPSIS:

Residents of a high rise apartment building struggle to survive an outbreak of murderous demons.

REVIEW:

I absolutely love Demons. I saw it when I was in the 7^th grade and it scared the living shit out of me (though not as much as it did a neighborhood kid who was so freaked out by it his mother had to take him to the doctor because he wouldn’t eat or sleep after he saw it). It remains one of my favorite movies of all time and to be honest to this day it still creeps me out a little bit. I remember seeing Demons 2 in our local video store about a year after I saw the first one and knew that I had to see it as well. Thankfully it was every bit as awesome as the original and I wasn’t disappointed by it in any way. While I will always love the first film more the sequel (which I watched again for the first time in years a few days ago) still kicks all kinds of ass in its own way and is just as excellent.

One of the things that makes Demons 2 so good is that it just has a great premise. We have a group of random people trapped in an apartment building with no way to escape while they are being hunted down by an ever-growing army of demons who enjoy violently killing anyone they come into contact with. It sounds simple enough and I know that it isn’t the most original idea for a horror movie but it works. And believe it or not it is actually scary (to me, anyway). The first time that I saw it I had a lot of trouble sleeping that night and I remember when I finally did fall asleep that I had several nightmares that involved me running for my life while a group of snarling demons chased after me. While it didn’t bother me nearly as bad when I watched it recently there were still a couple of scenes that made me more than a little uncomfortable and I actually jumped once or twice (the scene in the elevator gets me every single time). If you don’t think that older horror movies can be scary then I invite you to try this one out as I think it’ll change your mind pretty damn quick.

Another reason that I dig the movie so much is that it is just fun in general. There are demons running amok killing people off left and right, so how could you not enjoy it? It is just one of those movies that I could watch over and over again and never get tired of. I always have a blast when I watch it and I think that it actually might get a little bit better with each viewing. I like the fact that there is always something going on and there is not a single dull moment to be found anywhere in this movie. The buildup before the demons show up is great and things only get better once they do pop up and go about slaughtering anyone unfortunate enough to get in their way (and a lot of people do). In my opinion the best horror flicks are the fun ones, and Demons 2 is a perfect example of that.

Did I mention that this movie is violent as hell? The demons don’t mess around when it comes to killing people and do so with glee. We get some pretty cool death scenes that include numerous people being slashed to pieces by angry demons, a chick mauled by a demon dog (which always bothers me no matter how many times I see it), death via tanning bed, and a poor bastard who has his nuts ripped off while he is valiantly fighting for his life. Needless to say death is plentiful in this film and I approve.

Co-written by genre legends Dario Argento and Lamberto Bava Demons 2 is a winner. I dig pretty much everything about it and think that it is a great follow up to the original. I liked the subtle changes that they made from the first film (not only do you turn into a demon if one of them scratches you but this time around you will become one if they bleed on you too) and thought that the special effects were top-notch (no crappy CGI to be found here, folks).

I also thought it was cool they brought Bobby Rhodes back to battle the demons again (even if he is an entirely different character this time around), and dug the fact that a young Asia Argento makes an appearance (this was her first movie). If you are in the mood for a great horror flick that is a violent, scary, and just fun in general then check this movie out as soon as you can. Better yet watch it back to back with the original for one hell of an awesome double feature that you won’t soon forget. Highly recommended!

BLURAY Features

• High-Definition 1080p transfer from original vault materials in the 1.66:1 aspect ratio, featuring all-new color correction supervised by Synapse Films
• International English Stereo Soundtrack
• Original theatrical trailer
• Newly translated optional English SDH subtitlesMake sure and pick up Demons 2 bluray release now available (as well as Demons 1 bluray)over at Synapse Films