Démons 2

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.

Maybe Lamberto Bava's original Demons was like a strike of lightning that couldn't be replicated or maybe this sequel was rushed into production too fast, but something is missing from Demons 2. The makeup effects are still well done even if the gore has been toned down significantly (and curiously so).

The biggest disappointment is that the story is basically the same as the original film, except the cursed movie now plays on TV and the rules of how to get possessed are a little bit different and don't make as much sense. In the original, a character was cut by the demon mask (just like in the movie within the movie) and that's what turned her into a demon and, in turn, allowed the virus to spread. In Demons 2, the demons emerge from the TV at whim with nothing channeling them to emerge from the screen. It all points to poor planning.

Demons 2 always trades a theater location for a high rise apartment complex, which just isn't as moody. Bobby Rhodes returns as a completely different character from his character in the original which further complicates things.

This isn't to say that Demons 2 is necessarily an awful film or anything. It's entertaining and gets the job done, but it feels like there was a lot less thought and passion put into it than the first.

This movie's script was poorly written and can be as senseless as the 1st movie though it's more consistent. This movie also has the same problems as the previous film (such as technical problems, cartoonish performances, etc.) but it is a fun ride if you just wanna cheap thrills.

In a residential building, demons are released though a television horror film, where two couples visit the forbidden area nearby the Metropol movie theater to seek vestiges of the demon infestation some time ago and accidentally resurrect one demon. The guests of Sally (Coralina Cataldi Tassoni) in her birthday party are infected by the demons and spread the contamination to the residents. Each viewer that is infected by a monster, is contaminated and transformed in another monster, threatening the rest of the defenseless persons. The survivals realize that they are trapped in the locked building and organize a defense in the garage. Meanwhile, George (David Knight) and his pregnant wife Hannah (Nancy Brilli) seek a way out through the roof.

"Demons 2" is a rip-off of "Demons", using television in a residential building to spread the demons, instead of a screen in a movie theater, and funnier. I saw this film many other times on VHS and today (05 November 2010) I have just seen it on DVD. This film has great make-up and special effects, but the original "Demons" is better and scarier. One attraction is the eleven year-old Asia Argento, in the role of Ingrid Haller. This movie is only recommended for fans of trash-movies. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): 'Demons 2 – Eles Voltaram' ('Demons 2 – They Are Back')

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.