Dèmoni (1985)

Director:

Lamberto Bava

Writers:

Dardano Sacchetti (story)
Dario Argento (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

30 May 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

They will make cemeteries their cathedrals and the cities will be your tombs.

Plot:

A group of people are trapped in a large West Berlin movie theater infected by ravenous demons whom proceed to kill and posses the humans one-by-one thereby multiplying their numbers.

Plot Keywords:

Demon | Mask | Lobby | Friend | Motorcycle

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Urbano Barberini	...	George
Natasha Hovey	...	Cheryl
Karl Zinny	...	Ken
Fiore Argento	...	Hannah
Paola Cozzo	...	Kathy
Fabiola Toledo	...	Carmen
Nicoletta Elmi	...	Ingrid, the usherette
Stelio Candelli	...	Frank
Nicole Tessier	...	Ruth
Geretta Geretta	...	Rosemary (as Geretta Giancarlo)
Bobby Rhodes	...	Tony
Guido Baldi	...	Tommy
Bettina Ciampolini	...	Nina
Giuseppe Mauro Cruciano	...	Hot Dog (as Giuseppe Cruciano)
Sally Day	...	Carla

Also Known As:

Demons (International: English title) (USA)

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:16+ (Quebec) | New Zealand:R18 | Spain:18 | Australia:R | Canada:R | France:-16 | Italy:VM18 | UK:18 | USA:Unrated | West Germany:(Banned) | Mexico:D | Argentina:18 | Iceland:(Banned) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company:

DACFILM Rome

Trivia:

All of the graphic violence in the film was fully scripted and little improvisation was done on screen.

Goofs:

Continuity: Moviegoers find out that they can't leave the cinema - there is no way out. But when Metropol is shown from outdoors, we can see lightened rooms through the windows. Were characters too dumb to jump out from the windows or to take down using the rope?

Quotes:

Frank: WHORES!... you can tell them a mile away.
Ruth: What do you care?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ginî piggu 3: Senritsu! Shinanai otoko (1986) (V)

Soundtrack:

Demon

This gory horror film is entertaining for fans of the genre.

Sereval people are invited to join the opening of a new movie theater is been renovated from an old Gothic structure. Cheryl (Natasha Hovey) and her best friend-Hannah (Fiore Argento) decide to skip class to be there for the opening night. When a prostitute (Geretta Giancarlo) tries a demon prop mask from the new film and it cuts her face. When Cheryl and Hannah become friends with two young guys:George (Urbano Barberini) and Ken (Karl Zinny), while watching the movie. When the Prostitute watches the film, her cut is eventually starts to fester, turning her into a green-drooling demon. She kills and then can transforms people by scratching with her nails. The movie theater is unexpectedly blocked from the inside, not letting people get out. While sereval survivors are trying to get out of the movie theater before it is too late.

Directed by Lamberto Bava (A Blade in the Dark, Delirium, Frozen Terror) made an amusing gory horror film with some strong visual style and a heavy metal soundtrack. Although the film is badly dubbed in English, too bad... The DVD (From "Anchor Bay Entertainment") doesn't have the original Italian dubbing. The story is extremely thin but it has some good moments (The film within a film is the highlight).

DVD has an clean non-anamorphic Widescreen (1.66:1) transfer and an fine-Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. The DVD has an audio commentary track by the filmmakers, a short behind the scenes featurette and the original theatrical trailer. The film has become an international hit that spawned a sequel (Made by the same director) and a non-related sequel in 1989 titled "The Church". This film is written by Dario Argento (The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, Creepers, Deep Red), director:Bava and Franco Ferrini (Sleepless, The Stendhal's Syndrome, Two Evil Eyes) . From a story by Dardano Sacchetti. Argento also produced this film. (*** ½/*****).