Demonia

Demonia seems to be a movie by Lucio Fulci that I don't know about... the death scenes in this movie are corny and are not the same to other death scenes in Fulci's earlier films, mainly the ones from the late 70's to middle 80's. I think it was because of the special effects director was changed or something, I'm not sure. But the one I remember was the one scene where the guy is caught upon a trap while trying to get his son from one of the nuns or whatever, and the guy is split apart from his son tripping upon a rope or something. The effects looked terrible, I'm sorry.

Otherwise, the movie was weird to me. Not saying that the movie is a piece of crap, though it could be better. The music was... well, I think it could be better. I liked the intro music, plus the music following the intro scene.

So, final verdict? Well, Demonia is a mixed bag of good and bad. If you're a true Fulci fan (like me), then this is your movie. If not, then... I guess you should give it a try. Demonia, the 'What the Babuguganosh!?' moment of Fulci's career.

Also, Al Cliver (Zombi 2) actually is in this movie, though he is credited as Al Clever... clever, I must say, eh? Ha ha ha... ha???

Demonia (1990)

** (out of 4)

Five nuns are brutally murdered and five hundred years later their spirits get a chance for vengeance. Archaeologist team Professor Paul Evans (Brett Halsey) and his partner (Meg Register) begin to realize early on that something isn't right.

DEMONIA is a later day Lucio Fulci film, which is actually slightly better than its reputation. By this time the Italian horror market was taking its last gasps of air so if you're expecting something that looks or feels like ZOMBIE or THE BEYOND then you're certainly going to be disappointed. With that said, if you've seen Fulci's later day films like THE GHOSTS OF SODOM then you'll be happy to see that this here is better than that.

The biggest issue with DEMONIA is the same thing that haunted a lot of these films and that's the fact that there just wasn't enough money to pull everything off. The story here is an interesting one but it's never fully developed, which is really too bad. As I said, the budget was certainly very low here but Fulci still managed to build up a nice atmosphere and there's some minor gore, which his fans will enjoy. I also thought both Halsey and Register were good in their roles and they at least keep you interested in what's going on. Al Cliver (ZOMBIE) also appears briefly.

DEMONIA certainly isn't a classic movie and if you're new to Fulci it's certainly not the place to start watching. With that said, there are a few interesting ideas and moments scattered throughout.

Director Lucio Fulci's DEMONIA opens in 1486, with the execution of five nuns accused of Satanism. In 1990, a team of archaeologists, led by Professor Paul Evans (Brett Halsey), sets up camp near the long-abandoned monastery where the event took place. It's not long before discoveries are made, secrets are uncovered, and hell-on-Earth begins.

Sort of.

Those accustomed to the Director's earlier work might find this movie a bit slow-building. It's suspenseful, but not in Fulci's usual, ultra-gory way. Oh, there are some bloody deaths, even decapitation, it's just not as continually visceral as his other films. DEMONIA's true mayhem is reserved for the finale.

Still, the story is solid, and the characters are interesting, especially Liza (Meg Register) and Lilla (Carla Cassola), the town medium. Certainly worth a watch for Fulci fans...

..But she's no Catriona Macoll. Wow.....I like "Zombie," "The Beyond," even have a special place for "The Gates of Hell." For some idea of this one's rank in the Fulci canon, "Aenigma" is better. This one makes no sense, the gore is cheap, and everyone, including Lucio must have been sleepwalking when they made this. Sure it ain't the worst thing ever, but it's pretty bad. Flatly directed with a potentially interesting storyline, Fulci missed the target big time with this.

In 1486, in Sicily, five nuns are crucified in their nunnery by the superstitious locals that believe they are evil and worship devil. In 1990, in Toronto, the skeptical archaeologist Professor Paul Evans (Brett Halsey) and his superstitious colleague Liza Harris (Meg Register) explore with their team the medieval dig where the nuns were killed. Liza has dreadful nightmares with the nuns while members of the expedition mysteriously die and the locals are against the research in the archaeological site.

"Demonia" is a deceptive Lucio Fulci's gore movie. The terrible story is never scary or intriguing; actually it is boring, with the low pace of the first half, and ridiculous with an awful conclusion associated to an annoying soundtrack. It is funny to see, for example, the blonde archaeologist that is superstitious, participates in séances and is scared after finding coffins with bones in a crypt. My vote is five.

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