Il soffio del diavolo

Demon Wind (1990)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Corey (Eric Larson) wants to know what happened to his grandparents so he takes a group of friends out to the grounds where they died. Even though a local warns the kids not to travel there, they do it anyways and sure enough they unlock the secrets, which includes demons.

Charles Philip Moore's DEMON WIND is a rather interesting horror movie that has a lot of good things about it but also some bad things that really keeps it from being better. Going back to the 1970s there have been countless movies about people going onto sacred ground and having to battle a variety of evils. The evils here are some demons with a connection to Satan and whenever the movie is focused on them it's quite entertaining.

The biggest issue with this film is the fact that it runs way too long. At 97-minutes the film really do seem to last at least fifteen-minutes too long and it also didn't help that there were a lot of slow moments. The pacing is another issue as it just moves way too slow and this isn't helped by the extended running time. In all honesty this here was the biggest issue I had with the film and sadly it brings down the good moments.

Where the film does succeed is with its make-up and costume design. I've seen a lot of low budget movies in my life but there really aren't too many out there that contain as good of costumes as this film does. I was really impressed with the look of the demons and we're also given some pretty good bits of blood and gore as the demons rip into people. The make-up team certainly deserves a lot of credit for their work here and it's what keeps the film entertaining.

The performances are also decent for this type of production and best of all is that the cast at least make for some good characters to keep you interested in them. DEMON WIND isn't a complete success due to the issues I mentioned but if you're a fan of the genre then it's worth watching.

My review was written in August 1990 after watching the movie on Paramount/Prism video cassette.

There's a screw loose in "Demon Wind", a nonsensical horror film that fits the description one damn thing strung after another. Direct-to-video title has a tilt back and forth 3-D style box and not much inside.

Writer-director Charles Philip Moore has trouble presenting a coherent storyline in this overlong gore opus in which young people gather at a haunted house, intored in a cryptic prolog filled with religious imagery.

Hallucinations proliferate as the kids are victimized by satanists and their creations amidst exploding gore. Hero Eric Larson literally goes through hell and is defeated by the demon only to wake up and find his teen friends alive and well after all, unless that is another hallucination. Any way you slice it, film makes no sense.

Only here and watched this because I was playing High on Life. Didn't know this even existed.

Comical watch. Granted I was watching it with the added dialogue from the game but it was so worth it.

The acting in the film is typical 90s B movie acting with a questionable storyline but still gets laughs. Not sure if that is the script writing or the delivery. Or the additional commentary provided by the game. I don't think I could watch this as it is, as I know I would struggle with the pacing and general progression and predictability of the storyline.

Did load up imdb as I needed to check whether I actually knew the actors.

From its fiery opening credits, we know that DEMON WIND means business!

Cory (Eric Larson) and his friends are led to an old shack in the middle of nowhere. This has something to do with Cory's dad and a series of nightmares. From the weird gas station to the creepy diner, we can tell that DW is attempting to build an atmosphere of doom like EVIL DEAD.

Does it succeed? Hmmm.

Unlike this film, EVIL DEAD had a definite gloom-factor that hung over the entire project. Unlike EVIL DEAD, this movie has a karate-kicking magician! Sort of dull at first, upon arriving at the aforementioned shack, it all hits the fan! Actually, some scenes are reminiscent of something Sam Raimi might have done: a scary journal, squawking demons, squirting goo, etc.

There are also seven sacred daggers, like in THE OMEN, and some unmistakable NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD moments as well. All leading to the big finale, starring Satan himself, covered in corn syrup and mashed potatoes!

With the proper amount of intoxication, and the right group of friends, this could make for one transcendent viewing experience!...

Man oh man. This is a real treat.

I enjoyed this one. It has it all. and I aint lyin' neither. There is plenty of gore and there is ALWAYS something to laugh at. The film makers really should have gone for straight comedy.

I needed a good laugh. I've been getting a little burned-out at the job, having some girl trouble, and the whole week's just kinda sucked. This puppy just sorta jumped in my hand at the video store, so I bought the damn thing. I paid a wopping $2 for it and now it's forever stuck in my library of b-movies.

Here's the "plot". This guy (I can't even remember his name) has been having the sick, disturbing dreams and he thinks that if he calls up a bunch of his idiot friends and drags them to his dead grandparents' former home, then he will somehow find the meaning of life or some stupid thing like that. It turns out that the place is like a gate to hell, or something like that and a bunch of demons (who sound like a broken toy)show up and start killing everybody.

Yep, it's that stupid, but funny as hell to watch. Talk about some funny scenes. The two magician guys (who look an awful lot like a poor man's Sigfread and Roy) cracked me up. I loved their mullets and there is something a little homoerotic about the way they interact with one another. (am I the only one who noticed that?) Of course one of them is a kung-fu expert and he does kick a mean empty beer-can. I also liked the one over-bearing boyfriend who kept saying "that's why I keep her around." That was a howler. I found the old man at the gas station quite hilarious. His "warning" had me on the floor, wallowing in laughter (I'm sure if someone had walked in my room, they would have thought I was having some sort of convulsions.) Just his "there was BLOOD EVERYWHERE!!!" makes me giggle when I think about it.

The gore effects are pretty decent. The zombies look like they just finished smearing a jar of vaseline on their faces and regurgitated that big bowl of oatmeal they had for breakfast. Oh yeah, did I mention that their voices all sound like the lead singer of Cannibal Corpse with a slight electronic edge?

Well, I hope at least one person out there enjoys this work of art as much as I did. It takes raw talent and skill to make a film this funny. I really hope to meet the director some day. I'd also like to meet the guy who says "that's why I keep her around". That guy really cracked me up and I cracked open a beer simultaneously with his death scene. It's a shame the magical/ambiguous duo didn't stick around too long. They were the coolest ones in the group.

Well, I'm done reviewing this beauty. I'd just like to give a SPECIAL THANKS to the writers for coming up with that line "that's why I keep her around", the director for steering this whole thing in the right direction, the guys with the mullets, their hair-stylists, and the old man who gets to say "there was BLOOD all over the floors, all over the walls, there was BLOOD EVERYWHERE". I'd also like to thank that one girl who got killed in "Slaughterhouse". She's almost as talented as the old man and I'd like to see her in more stuff like this. She can fake a scream and die with the best of 'em.

One more thing: Lou Diamond Phillips is listed in the credits, but If he was in it, I must have missed him. Hmmm, maybe he was ducking behind a tree or hiding in the fake fog.