The Evil Force - Böse Mächte

ok, we all remember "piranha," and the sequel. and we remember the triumphantly average "battle beyond the stars." and we've all at one point or another, tuned in to some really bad Roger Corman movie late at night... and maybe we don't even know who Roger Corman is, but we've all seen at some point in time, one of his many horrible 'B' movies. and of course, we all understand that these movies are somewhat meant to be stupid. no story, no character development, and atrocious acting... and i reluctantly saw "Demon Slayer," expecting all of the above to once again stand true. but HARK, i was surprised beyond belief to see that this movie was in fact pretty damn good. (albeit a corman film...) i'm not comparing this to anything but other corman films, in which case it deserves a 10!! no joke. it still has it's moments of 'B' movie plot-points. but overall, i think this newcomer, "James Cotten," (who apparently wrote and directed it) is going to be big someday. in my opinion, if this movie gets distributed correctly, and advertised correctly, it could become an underground cult-classic. (a-la, evil dead, evil dead II, and army of darkness...)

good job guys! oh, and the sound design was truly stand-outish. very slick work.

Trying a new method of reform on teens, a group of troubled youths is sent off to clean an old asylum for community service where they find a book that shows the asylum was built on a brothel whose members worshiped an evil Aztec God and must get out before succumbing to the threat.

This was a pretty good surprise. The film's greatest strength is its rather enjoyable cheesy atmosphere that's enough to give this a high watch-ability. It's mostly centered around the slow-burn build-up that focuses on the group's arrival at the asylum and the various hints that something isn't right with the pace that leads to the revelation of the book and what it leads to. Knowing the background on the group that previously inhabited the asylum and their set up there, including the Satanic origins found strewn over the asylum found during their clean-up, the investigation into the mysterious whorehouse that was originally built and flashing shots of their history all create an eerie and chilling backstory that sets everything in motion. Once this setup is in place, the film starts in on a series of impressive series of supernatural action that keeps the film watchable. The various visions are pretty creepy involving flashes of the cult sacrificing their victims by chopping them to pieces or seeing animals which aren't that, and the best is the snake gag in the bathroom which has a small twist to it rather than being a traditional gag that makes the scene work. It has a couple of nice shock moments here and there featuring the ghostly spirits suddenly appearing out of nowhere as well, and the high-energy finale involving demon possession, an onslaught of otherworldly figures, and the few gore scenes, which isn't over-the-top but is more effective for that, carries enough to like that really holds this one up as the film really isn't all that bad. There really wasn't a whole lot of things wrong with it. The most obvious one is the very slow beginning that at times is really a struggle to get through the first half. There's a lot of bickering amongst the group that really doesn't do much other than drag out the film with useless scenes that are merely reinforcements of what was known earlier and really gets old fast as there's yet another scene of the group arguing with each other. That also puts all the action at the back end of the film, meaning that it really gets going towards the end and is a little slow as it starts itself off. It's a little clichéd as well, as there are several other films with pretty much the same general plot. It hardly finishes itself in a predictable manner but then it doesn't really show much change while doing so either. These are the two main problems with the film.

Rated R: Graphic Language, Nudity, several Sex Scenes, Graphic Violence, and drug use.

The premise is simple enough. A group of wayward teens are sentenced to clean up an abandoned insane asylum and along the way encounter evil spirits, gruesome murders and demonic possession. All the makings for a popcorn horror film.

A bit corny but the one true highlight of this otherwise forgettable film is Hannah Lee who plays "Claudia." She commands the screen and gets the most mileage out of her character. Hopefully, this will be a good springboard for better opportunities because it would be a shame to see her waste her talents in these types of roles. I hope to see more of her work in the near future.

Direct to video Horror B-movie that works for what it is. Let's see, "Demon Slayer" has great nudity, sex, gore, and an interesting story. The movie has no big budget but it's good to see that it's producers spent a lot of effort in creating a "solid" b-movie.

Hannah Lee is one foxy lady and one of the reasons for you , b-consumer, to get this movie.

There's some voluntary (and involuntary) humor mostly provided by the two male leads. The white "punk" guy is funny when it's needed and the though "brotha" delivers some funny lines. The references to Morpheus and Shaft are somewhat funny. The rest of the cast is very good. The priest with the patch in the eye delivers some weirdness with the plot with lines as "in the name of God, Frida Kahlo, etc.". And stating he's the "demon slayer!". The non sense in the movie makes it enjoyable and entertaining. There's some good gore and a crepy atmosphere in the movie.

Please, watch it if you're a die hard lover of B-Horror flicks. It's an okay way to kill 90 minutes.

For a movie of this type, filmed with the budget allowed, I found this movie to be very entertaining with a good story line and very good acting. It kept your interest throughout with enough comedy to keep your interest and enough intrigue to keep you wondering what would happen next. Congratulations to the cast and crew.