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Demons (1985) - Dario Argento


Right off the bat I am intrigued by the soundtrack featuring Motley Crüe, Rick Springfield, and Saxon among others. The story is neat. Dario Argento wrote and produced this and he hasn't disappointed me yet. This is the perfect midnight feature. It's gory and full of vintage flair and evil. 

Demons spread like a disease in a strange little theater that traps it's visitors inside during a "special" showing. Slowly moviegoers start turning into Demons. Murdering each other in grotesque ways while speed metal provides the tunes. It's survival mode as a group of people fight for their lives.

The survival part of the movie is really great. It's reminiscent of Romero's Dawn of the Dead film, just not as good. The characters are fun and original. The dubbing is horrible, but that's more of a charm. Lamberto Bava sets a good tone and keeps the movie interesting throughout.

This was my first Brava feature. It helped that Argento wrote and produced it. The movie has a few tropes that are really commonplace, but they don't become annoying. It works really well even with questionable effects. It develops it's characters really well.

If you haven't seen an Italian horror film this is a pretty decent one to start with for seasoned fans. It's fluid and entertaining. It has good characters and a decent story. This perfect for a late night horror movie marathon or dissecting with friends. The overlaying Zombie movie feel should be pretty easy for casual fans to enjoy. As long as the are not too offended with the low-budget effects and production. This might be a bit of a horror movie for horror fans. This is not a date movie. 

Director: Lamberto Brava
Country: Italy
Studio: DACFILM Rome
Did ya know: A poster for Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971) is visible in the lobby of the theatre: it's the title of writer/producer Dario Argento's third film. In Germany this was released as sequel to the second film which was released as the first part.






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