Demonia

Demonia (1990)

** (out of 4)

Five nuns are brutally murdered and five hundred years later their spirits get a chance for vengeance. Archaeologist team Professor Paul Evans (Brett Halsey) and his partner (Meg Register) begin to realize early on that something isn't right.

DEMONIA is a later day Lucio Fulci film, which is actually slightly better than its reputation. By this time the Italian horror market was taking its last gasps of air so if you're expecting something that looks or feels like ZOMBIE or THE BEYOND then you're certainly going to be disappointed. With that said, if you've seen Fulci's later day films like THE GHOSTS OF SODOM then you'll be happy to see that this here is better than that.

The biggest issue with DEMONIA is the same thing that haunted a lot of these films and that's the fact that there just wasn't enough money to pull everything off. The story here is an interesting one but it's never fully developed, which is really too bad. As I said, the budget was certainly very low here but Fulci still managed to build up a nice atmosphere and there's some minor gore, which his fans will enjoy. I also thought both Halsey and Register were good in their roles and they at least keep you interested in what's going on. Al Cliver (ZOMBIE) also appears briefly.

DEMONIA certainly isn't a classic movie and if you're new to Fulci it's certainly not the place to start watching. With that said, there are a few interesting ideas and moments scattered throughout.

In 1486, in Sicily, five nuns are crucified in their nunnery by the superstitious locals that believe they are evil and worship devil. In 1990, in Toronto, the skeptical archaeologist Professor Paul Evans (Brett Halsey) and his superstitious colleague Liza Harris (Meg Register) explore with their team the medieval dig where the nuns were killed. Liza has dreadful nightmares with the nuns while members of the expedition mysteriously die and the locals are against the research in the archaeological site.

"Demonia" is a deceptive Lucio Fulci's gore movie. The terrible story is never scary or intriguing; actually it is boring, with the low pace of the first half, and ridiculous with an awful conclusion associated to an annoying soundtrack. It is funny to see, for example, the blonde archaeologist that is superstitious, participates in séances and is scared after finding coffins with bones in a crypt. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

Not the worst of Fulci's films (MANHATTAN BABY wins that dubious distinction in my book...) but DEMONIA takes so long to get to any of the classic Fulci "good-stuff", that you'll probably be asleep by then.

Two archaeologists are digging around Sicily, and the locals don't like it too much. Apparently a group of nuns who were into group sex and Satanism once resided at the site of the dig. The locals don't like the scientists messing around in their backyards, and when some strange deaths occur around the dig-site, all hell breaks loose.

Luckily, DEMONIA does come with the "goods" towards the end. A good tongue-hammering, and a guy split in half are a couple of the notable scenes - unfortunately, the story isn't interesting enough for you to care by the time you get there. Drawn out and boring storyline isn't saved by a few cool gore scenes. Worth a look to the TRUE Fulci fan - don't expect a gore-fest masterpiece...5/10

A team of archaeologists are exploring the ruins of an ancient crypt in Sicily where five heretic nuns had been stoned and crucified by superstitious villagers.One of them Liza starts to suffer terrible nightmares about the nuns and other members of the team start to die in particularly horrible ways."Demonia" is a mediocre Lucio Fulci's nunsploitation flick that offers surprisingly little amount of gore including a tongue nailed to a barrel an,eye-gouging and an "Inferno in Diretta"-style decapitation between two springy trees.Still the film is well-shot,picturesque and enjoyable enough to give it a 6 out of 10.However if you are new into Fulci I suggest watching first "The Beyond" or "City of the Living Dead".

Director Lucio Fulci's DEMONIA opens in 1486, with the execution of five nuns accused of Satanism. In 1990, a team of archaeologists, led by Professor Paul Evans (Brett Halsey), sets up camp near the long-abandoned monastery where the event took place. It's not long before discoveries are made, secrets are uncovered, and hell-on-Earth begins.

Sort of.

Those accustomed to the Director's earlier work might find this movie a bit slow-building. It's suspenseful, but not in Fulci's usual, ultra-gory way. Oh, there are some bloody deaths, even decapitation, it's just not as continually visceral as his other films. DEMONIA's true mayhem is reserved for the finale.

Still, the story is solid, and the characters are interesting, especially Liza (Meg Register) and Lilla (Carla Cassola), the town medium. Certainly worth a watch for Fulci fans...