Demon Slayer

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.

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.

Forced to do community service, five juvenile delinquents are chosen by some sketchy clergymen to help clean up a large abandoned former mental hospital. They includes gang-banger Tyson (Howard Williams, Jr.), goofy horn-dog Phillip (Adam Huss), bitchy slut Claudia (Hanna Lee), nice girl Tamara (Monique Deville) and moody goth girl Alicia (Michelle Acuna), who may even have another connection to the story altogether. Oh yeah, the place (which is full of trash and in bad need of a new paint job) also has a past history as a whorehouse AND as a place of demon-worship, so an evil force is eventually unleashed and things get out of control. People scream, people run, people die, people come back as zombie-killers... You know the drill.

Oddly, this film takes a longer-than-usual amount of time to kick into gear and in the meantime we have to endure the token horror-movie filler (flashback sequences, nightmare sequences, bathtub sequences, sex sequences...) The general premise is completely worn-out, but the script actually strives for some character development, which is unusual for a direct-to-video genre film. The acting is also surprisingly tolerable. The photography is a little too dark.

Hell, I sat through it without 1.) falling asleep OR 2.) using my fast-forward button, which is saying something for a film released by Roger Corman's New Horizons Home Video.

For what it is, (a 'B' movie, distributed by the infamous Roger Corman) "Demon Slayer," was actually really good.

seriously, if you can get passed the template of cheesiness, and "read between the lines," so to speak, you can find a story, with actual levels of character development. in other words, it seemed like the director did the best he could with what he was given. and the acting was surprisingly great. especially the lead male roles. nice stuff!

and i have to say, especially when compared to other Corman movies, the sound design was deeply immersing, and correct me if i'm wrong, but i think it was actually in 5.1... very good stuff, it made it feel bigger than it is!!!!