Les chevaliers du démon

I was a big fan of the Tales from the Crypt TV show. Thus, I am a fan of this movie. It feels a lot like one of the Creepshow movies but has enough gore, humor and OTT carnage but it just doesn't have enough scope to brake away from the TV show and stand alone as a big screen movie.

Brayker (William Sadler) is a drifter who stumbles upon a lonely desert town after an explosive confrontation with The Collector (Billy Zane), a supremely evil being with Satanical powers who is desperate to get his hands on Brayker's mysterious talisman. Brayker spends the night in a shabby motel but The Collector soon turns up and unleashes hell upon the motel and it's inhabitants.

This is where the fun really kicks in. The Collector has fun enticing the residents (made up of Dick Miller, Charles Fleisher, Thomas Haden Church, Brenda Bakke, Jada Pinkett-Smith and CCH Pounder) to join him on his dark quest and steal the talisman from Brayker.

Director Ernest Dickerson (who also did Surviving the Game) does not hold back on the gore as he spoofs 1950's B-movies, honor's the TV show and pays brilliant homage to the Tales From The Crypt comic book legacy. It may be nothing more than a cheap, horror comedy with no artistic integrity but Dickerson still successfully pulls of a movie that will satisfy and entertain anyone who watches it.

Half of the movie's appeal lies with Billy Zane who acts out the role of The Collector with such wicked charm and delightful evil. You can tell he's having a great time and he makes a counterpoint villain for Sadler's dishevelled hero.

They could have made more Tales From The Crypt movies, but producers Robert Zemeckis, Gilbert Adler and Joel Silver (Walter Hill and David Giler ducked out) went on to found Dark Castle, the production company behind House on Haunted Hill, Thir13en Ghosts and Ghost Ship.

FREAKING LOVED IT!

This (to me) is a perfect flick for what it's aiming at. Seven people and a drifter named Braker are trapped inside a old church/ new motel while the super cool COLLECTER (Billy Zane, in a role that was meant for him) and his group of nipple pierced, glow in the dark green eyes, cloven hooved, goatee sporting, slimy demons trick and mangle the cast in order to get a "relic" key that hold the power of darkness from taking over the world.

Ernest Dickerson does well in the directing seat. The horror,comedy, and drama all combined nicely and never went over with the drama or comedy. None of it felt forced. As for the characters, I really warmed up to them (even the asshole Roach), all of the actors brought a little something special to their rather thin roles. I'll always remember the sad prostitute Cordelia, the no bulls*** Irene, or the funny "need a drink" hobo Uncle Willie. THE COLLECTOR is the main highlight of this movie. Excellent delivery by Zane. The man is too cool for TITANIC. I loved the way he persuaded some of the residents into selling there soul, it was more then just having the demons come in. The idea of the blood in the key and being able to make barriers of not letting in the demons was pretty slick too. William Sadler and Jada Pinkett brought a lot of drama and humanity to the movie, they served their characters well. The gore is also kick ass and works well (all about that arm getting ripped off, and hand punching through a face) and the demons looked pretty sick

My only complaint is the whole shooting the demons in the eyes to kill them was kinda blah, but Billy Zane has fun with even that ("I SHOULD KNOW, WHO MAKES UP ALL THESE RULES"). This is one cool movie, stands on its own two feet and pays respect to a lot of past horror movies, any true HORROR fan will appreciate THIS. ROCK ON CRYPT KEEPER!!!... thanx for all those hot babes that flash their stuff, it went well with the movie and never felt sleazy.

DEMON KNIGHT ***1/2 out of ****

There's a type of horror film that doesn't really aim to scare you as much as it uses the horror platform for creative or (let's be honest) entertainment purposes. Call it an action-horror and you can get away with spending more on practical effects, supernatural mysticism, and yes, some unnecessary nudity. And yes, I have a soft spot for this sort of horror film.

Demon Knight is a ton of fun and is really elevated by its performances. William Sadler is the quintessential 90s action hero, the strong silent type, but with enough empathy and kindness to make him lovable. Billy Zane is having so much fun here and while I think a part of it is the peak Freddy Krueger influence and he does come off as goofy, you can't help but want to see him on screen. Thomas Hayden Church is unbelievably skeezy and a fantastic love-to-hate character, and Jada Pinkett...honestly, kinda rocks here. Her acting is super 90s, and I adore it.

I also really loved the mythology and the role of Christianity. Even if you're not Christian, there's something special about a movie about demons having strong ties to Christian mysticism. Oddly, it gives the film a sense of cultural identity that I find more compelling than some generic, post-modern demon types. Speaking of which, while I initially thought the demons looked a bit generic (i.e. Mini Pumpkinheads), the practical effects are really excellent here and they do some fun, creative stuff with them.

It's not perfect by any means; there's a bit of information that is deliberately hidden throughout the movie for NO REASON other than to generate conflict, which is frustrating. It's also not particularly original, but at the end of the day, everyone is having fun here, and you will too.

A man named Brayker (William Sandler) is being pursued by the evil Collector (Billy Zane). He holes up in an isolated hotel with typical stock characters and they all try to make it through the night against Zane and his demon army. The first theatrical off-shoot of HBO's excellent "Tales from the Crypt" series. The story is ridiculous, but the acting is good. Jada Pinkett is very good as one of the residents of the hotel and Billy Zane is excellent as the Collector. He's obviously enjoying himself, his character is constantly joking and it rubs off on the audience. Also the film has VERY extreme gore--I'm surprised it got an R rating. And there's the obligatory, gratuitous female nudity. Unfortunately, there's not enough plot for a 90 minute movie. There's lots of padding and it slows the movie down. Still, it's funny, has great gory moments and Zane's performance. Worth catching--especially for horror fans. Avoid at ALL costs, the second (and last) theatrical Tales movie "Bordello of Blood".

Billy Zane raises what would be a decent horror/action movie to a higher plane. His deadpan delivery and funny quips are surprising in a character that is supposed to be the quintessential evil demon. If there was any justice in the world Zane would've been considered for an award. His performance is that good. The special effects look dated now, but that doesn't hurt the movie significantly. The characters are sufficiently fleshed out (pun intended) making them a little more than meat for the rampaging demons. The story, while interesting, doesn't make a lot of sense, at least not the back story. God created the Earth but the demons were already there and had 7 keys which gave them power over the cosmos? Huh? That aside, the movie is well done and Zane's performance is not to be missed.