Dèmoni 2... l'incubo ritorna

Lamberto Bava's "Demons" is easily one of the most popular Italian horror films ever made along with Dario Argento's gialli and Lucio Fulci's zombie bloodbaths.In "Demons 2" the action moves from a cinema to a high-rise block of flats;a documentary in which a team of archaeologists explore the ruins of the city besieged by demons in the first film is showing on TV.As the team are attacked by a resurrected demon,the creature forces its way out of a TV set and into the real world,infecting the unlucky residents of the building and transforming them into bloodthirsty demons."Demoni 2" is not as gory as "Demoni".It plays more like a campy comedy as it features some truly hilarious moments.The special effects are surprisingly tacky and amateurish(demon dog and demon baby look especially horrible),the script is silly,but the film is fast-paced and mildly entertaining.The score by Simon Boswell is sleep-inducing compared to the one Claudio Simonetti gave us in the first.At least we get some lovely songs by Dead Can Dance,The Smiths and The Cult.If you are a fan of "Demons" you can give this one a look,just don't expect anything as great as the original.7 out of 10.

Director Lamberto Bava and producer Dario Argento quickly responded to the international success of DEMONS (1985) with this sequel. Abandoning the downbeat open ending of the original film, this follow-up merely repeats the scenario rather than continuing it. Sadly, the end result is a film that one would expect from sequel/money hungry producers rather than the original film's creators.

The biggest flaw with DEMONS 2 is the complete lack of logic. I know it sounds crazy to say that about a film featuring slime spewing demons, but hear me out here. A television program featuring young kids searching for demons (not the same film featured in the first one) is merely on and then a demon jumps out of the TV. While you can see the filmmakers trying to replay the original design with a different medium, they ultimately fail. The original, despite its loony scenario, at least presented a more reasonable explanation. The demon plague is spread by a movie theater customer being scratched by a mysterious mask and not by some demon merely popping out of the screen. Not only that, but this sequel never thoroughly addresses what happened in the original film. The voice over on the television show hints that demons appeared in the world for a few days but no one in the film addresses it. It is as if the events from the first film never happened.

The script also alters the demon mythos to cut plot corners. For example, the demons now apparently spurt acidic blood (shades of ALIEN) that burns through the floors and conveniently kills the power in the apartment complex. If this lazy script writing weren't enough, the entire situation is taken from David Cronenberg's superior SHIVERS (aka THEY CAME FROM WITHIN).

The filmmakers also make the huge mistake of teetering towards the laughable by including a demon child and demon dog, which wins the award for least convincing transformation of the 1980s. It is truly embarrassing. These inclusions, coupled with a phony pint sized demon straight out of a GREMLIN rip off, really push the film into the bounds of ridiculousness. Sergio Stivaletti reprises his role as F/X coordinator and provides the requisite demons transformation highlights such as teeth falling out and talons popping out under fingernails. The film also features the world phoniest barbell.

A few familiar faces pop up from the first film. Pasqualino Salemme, who was one of the punks in the first film, pops up briefly as a security guard. And Bobby Rhodes, memorable as Tony the Pimp in the original, appears here as gym instructor Hank, a different but equally managerial character. As with the first film, he gets all of the film's best lines. Also of note is Coralina Cataldi Tassoni as the bratty birthday girl turned lead demon Sally. She maintains a steady energy, despite being covered by layers of make up and slime. And in a bit of trivia, the film also marks the theatrical debut of Argento's daughter Asia. No doubt this exposure to horror at an early age prepared her for working with Vin Diesel.

Certain films I love while having no explanation as to why...."DEMONS 2" is one of these films. Simply the exact same film as its predeccessor, only set in a high tech apartment building, it lacks a lot of the stuff that makes the first film great. There's no heavy metal on the soundtrack, very little blood, it's not nearly as scary or action-packed as the original, but it certainly makes me laugh. The early stuff with the group investigating the ruins of the city is pretty creepy but this all gives way to some hilarious dialogue, and a classic bout between demons and fitness buffs in the building's parking garage makes me smile every time. Though not nearly as bad as many people say it is, I guess "Demons 2" is enjoyable for mostly the wrong reasons.

Aug 21

So not as good as the first film but still decent stand alone film.

Different characters and different setting so this can be watched independantly of the first film.

Still its an 80s Italian horror so i like it.

7.5 out of 10.

Yes, sequels get a rough ride. They never seem to live up to the original and in horror movies that's truer than most. However, the imaginatively-titled 'Demons 2' seems to be just as good is its predecessor – largely because it's the same film. The first film was about a group of unfortunate people trapped in a haunted building that was slowly being overrun by bloodthirsty demons (who are basically zombies by another name). Here, we have a group of unfortunates trapped in a haunted building that is slowly being overrun by bloodthirsty demons. In fact, many people seem to wonder whether this is actually a remake rather than a sequel.

It's kind of both, in the same way that Evil Dead 2 was basically a remake that had been re-done and extended to make it a new film of its own. The events of the first Demons film are pretty much glossed over to the point where it's just a brief one-line mention which can be taken different ways. What you're left with is another gore-fest of excellent special effects (for the eighties, anyway), pretty scary demons (they out-creep any shuffling zombie in my opinion) and a completely nonsensical plot which will leave you scratching your head as to whether what you're witnessing is either true genius or a complete mess.

Demons 2, like the first one, is a masterpiece of its genre. You may find it one of those 'so bad, it's good' films, but it's also got its own charm. The gore is better than most of its contemporaries and it's daft feel and loud eighties rock music give it a look and feel of its own (unless you count the first film, obviously). Plus Bobby Rhodes returns and the film is all the better for it. It's a shame he couldn't headline the film as he steals every scene he's in as the manic gym instructor! If you've seen the first film, what you'll get is a re-tread, but, if you enjoyed the first outing, you shouldn't mind. If you haven't seen the original, don't worry – you'll soon pick up what little 'plot' is required to understand this. Do you like daft eighties horror? Do you like zombies? If so… give this one a watch, just get your mind in for something that doesn't always make sense and try not to pick too many holes in the story. I swear that demon child only wanted a cuddle.