Demonicus

This movie scared the hell out of me. These American college students are on a hiking expedition in Italy. One of them, James, becomes possessed by the spirit of an ancient Roman gladiator. James stabs his girlfriend to death, and then goes on a bloody rampage, hunting down his best friends. It is obvious that the director uses the Blair Witch Project as his inspiration. While I was watching, I felt like I was right there with these kids, running for my life in the mountains. The dialog is campy but the actors make it work.

For some reason, various young couples hiking through the Italian Alps split up to see who can reach their campsite designation first. James (Gregory Lee Kenyon) enters a cave, finds a skeleton of an ancient demonic gladiator and becomes possessed by the spirit of "Tyranus" when he puts on a helmet belonging to the corpse. He then spends the rest of the film running around in the woods hunting down his friends and hacking off their limbs to add to some stew to bring the undead "Demonicus" back to life. This shot-on-digital Full Moon release is stupid, senseless, has terrible acting and sound and the (Los) Angeles National Forest is a poor substitute for Italy. However, it's pretty high on the unintentional laugh scale thanks mainly to the overwrought lead performance. Whether bug-eyed running around in cheap-looking armor brandishing a sword or spouting neurotic Latin gibberish about demons and resurrection, Kenyon's ridiculous facial expressions and awkward line delivery must be seen to be believed. Oh well, at least he's not boring like most of the rest of the cast.

Seriously. I just wrapped up my first viewing of Demonicus and words have failed me.

I remember a time when I would see Charles Band's name on a film and my heart would race. He was never a Wes Craven or a John Carpenter. He was a bastion of hope for the little man. The guy whose movies arrived at the video store instead of the multiplex, but they still rocked harder than most of the trendy junk we otherwise had to endure.

And now... this.

A painfully-obvious Californian walking trail doubles for "the Alps" and an abandoned train tunnel is actually supposed to be "an ancient cave". I mean, they didn't even try to dress the thing up with moss or film it in a way that might suggest it was anything other than an old train tunnel! Ugh! Instead of a creepy demon gladiator, as the cover implies, we're treated to a dude wearing the latest in Wal-Mart Halloween apparel. There's a pretty cool looking corpse, who occasionally comes to life to belch and wiggle his fingers, but he doesn't even learn to stand until the final five minutes. Why couldn't he be the villain? Instead, we've got frat boy Joe with a plastic sword. Ouch.

Charles Band... you should be ashamed that your name is attached to such tripe. I love movies that are so bad, they're good. Hell, I occasionally enjoy a flick thats so bad, its just bad. This one, however, is just unwatchable. A perfect example of making a buck, rather than making a quality film.

I rented this one to see Vanesa Talor one more time. She can act, but doesn't get a chance in this clunker. The opening sequence is an elaborate crane shot of mountain landscapes. Must have come from a stock archive, because the movie is shot direct to videotape. The production values make _Blair Witch_ look professional. There's a really cheesy animated statue, but no other effects worth noting. This movie is bad, but not amusingly so. The players would do well not to mention it on their resumes.

Oh, if only I could say the same thing. This movie...Excuse me, that is too big a word to use for this heap. A movie is something people want to watch, and get some pleasure out of doing it. No, this 8mm mess is just plain absurd. Full Moon/Cult Video has really delivered a big bomb this time. Demonicus, is a total waste of a few thousand dollars (refering to the budget), a day or 2 of wasted time (the time frame this movie was made in), and just a down right disgrace to low-budget filmaking. I am all for the Indie/Low-Budget scene. I am/was a big Full Moon fan. However, with all of their latest offering, I am inclined to tenure my title of "fan" and pick up on another company or genre of films.

I agree with the previous review: The amputation scense looked to be straight out of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Though, they were done a little better in that movie. Laughable dialouge, appalling action, ridiculous costumes and unnecessary anger, make this turkey dead from the get-go. I cannot believe someone actually thought this was a good idea to produce, and the release this to the public. There is a bullet out there for that person. Charlie Band, don't you think you have tainted your name enough with the likes of such bombs as: Stitches, Retro-Puppetmaster, Hideous, and another other movie you have put your name on since you departure from Paramount. Just because you own a production company, doesn't mean you have the right to make garbage movies, and expect old Full Moon fans to just take them. We won', and most of us aren't.

My wife asks me constantly why I watch these movies. I am always disappointed, and feel chipped for watching them. I suppose I am a glutton to punishment or I am just hoping one day Full Moon will make a good movie again.

And what about the Video Zone? Was this such a studio joke they didn't wanna bother? Or did the actors just have nothing good to say about it?

Italian Alps! Indeed!

0 out of 10