The one thing in horror film lists that I see often is about race. Mainly, about African American actors dying first. This is cemented in a lot of films, and then once again spoken about in the Scream trilogy. I have been looking for cases where the Black Guy doesn't get pwned within the first kill, and I have found some glowing examples. However, aside from BUSTA RHYMES in Halloween, I found that this film runs straight to the top of my list for proving that the Black Guy doesn't die last, he actually saves the day. I guess we can cite Romero's work, but since I'm a child of the 80's, this one takes the hat.
Night of The Demons cost me $29.99 when I got it. In fact, my fiancee bought it for me in Alaska, because it just happened to be on sale. It was one of those rare finds at the time, and now it's readily available, and there's even a sequel and a remake. The great thing about this film is the ending, in which our hero and 1 girl make it out alive, although they don't get out without a few scratches and a head full of nightmares, they make it.
Race relations in horror film isn't really the point of many films, but it's interesting to note that a wide variety of people will say, jokingly at times, that the black guy gets it first. However, it's not the case here, and it's the white people and a hot asian chick that bites the big one.
Yes, I know this post can offend some, but come on, it's horror and in horror, nothing is politically correct. So without further adieu or whatever, here's a rewind, remix, of Night of the Demons Review!
Alright, here is a classic for me, but not very well known for everyone. The movie is called Night of the Demons!
The movie revolves around a group of high school kids that are invited to a Halloween party at a haunted house. The house is a local mortuary, that has been abandoned for years. The kids are the usual gang of idiots, the class clown, the tough guy, the token black guy, the preppy kid, the preppy, the goth chick and the virgin who will have to fight off the demons! The main villain, Angela, decides to bring on a séance and unleashes hell onto the kids, and each dies a horrible death!
**Note: I went to a real seance once, and it was boring as hell. I hate how movies sometimes sensationalize these things, but hey, it's a movie, and real life isn't always as fun.
The movie was scary for me when I first saw it, when I was six years old! I didn’t really understand it when I was a kid, or what the gratuitous nude and sex scenes were all about, but then I bought the movie on dvd, and things all made sense.
The movie breaks a few taboos in it’s 90 minute course of horror goodness.
The first being that there is a death/sex scene in a coffin, which is not a good taboo to break, and reprehensible for me since one of my first jobs was selling caskets; a dead end job trust me. (That was a horrible pun)
The second thing being the black guy wins. No, no, I’m not a racist, and I know that you’re probably going to think that I’m going to be stretching a hard stance, but consider the fact that the ongoing stereotype is that the minorities get it first. Not this time around, we actually see a Michael Jackson costumed guy and an Alice and Wonderland girl barely make it through this one. Of course, I just spoiled the ending for you, but come on, I couldn’t resist.
**Note2: See, even when I first wrote the review, I knew that it was odd to see the black guy winning, and being the hero. I'm not that dense.
The movie has a lot of sexual tension, and coarse joking. There’s even a scene where a woman puts a lipstick tube through her nipple, which is something you don’t really see everyday in normal Rated R horror films.
This movie is going to find fans quick, and those that have already seen it either love it or hate it. I am in the category of loving it. I think there’s a good mixture of cheese and gore, and the sexuality is turned up because the director and writers knew what the audience wanted out of this. When I saw this in the horror section as a kid, I thought that this film was a porno, but it turned out to be an awesome little goregasm of a film. (Gore and Orgasm forms the word goregasm, which mixes sex and horror/gore, my new vocabulary word of the day) I recommend this film, as it is full of cliché horror moments, a couple of taboos, and some scary “witching”. It really draws some lines between a slasher film, a zombie flick and a supernatural haunting. It really doesn't define any genre's, that's for sure.
This film spawned some sequels, but none of them as good as the original 1988 release Night of the Demons, now available on dvd.
Before the remake comes through, make sure you check this one out. The Remake of Night of the Demons, is not going to trump this one...or is it?
Note3: I'll have to review the new one, I was sent a screener and I forgot to review it. So I'll watch it over the weekend and post the review on Monday, or Wednesday, depending on how full my stupid schedule is. Granted, I don't have a job or prospects for one, so I have a lot of time on my hands.
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it's been a while since i've last seen this film. Luckily i recorded it on tape while fear net was playing it. I miss the slasher films of the 80's and before.
ReplyDeleteNight of the demons was a good film. And i don't think your racist at all and you do have a point there.
Sir Jorge, is your fiancee a hot chick?, maybe you could post a picture of her.
ReplyDeletelurlene mcdaniel, thanks for the comment, i used to have this recorded off tv too. Oh and yes, i love the ending, and i guess it's not that racist.
ReplyDeleteah yes, girl in coffin...my dream girl