Night of the Demons (1988)

Ten teenagers party at an abandoned funeral parlor on Halloween night. When an evil force awakens, demonic spirits keep them from leaving and turn their gathering into a living Hell.

Director:

Kevin Tenney (as Kevin S. Tenney)

Writer:

Joe Augustyn

Stars:

Cathy Podewell, Alvin Alexis, Hal Havins

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hal Havins	...	Stooge
Allison Barron	...	Helen
Alvin Alexis	...	Rodger
Harold Ayer	...	Old Man
Billy Gallo	...	Sal (as William Gallo)
Cathy Podewell	...	Judy
Karen Ericson	...	Judy's Mother
Lance Fenton	...	Jay
Donnie Jeffcoat	...	Billy (as Donnie Jeffcoat Jr.)
Linnea Quigley	...	Suzanne
James W. Quinn	...	Clerk #1 / Demon Voices
Clark Jarrett	...	Clerk #2
Amelia Kinkade	...	Angela (as Mimi Kinkade)
Jill Terashita	...	Frannie
Philip Tanzini	...	Max

Storyline

On the night of Halloween, 10 teens decide to go to a party at an abandoned funeral parlor. "Hull House", rumored to be built on an evil patch of land & underground stream, is the place. While starting the party, the teens gather around a big mirror to perform a seance...BIG MISTAKE. They awaken some evil force and find themselves trapped and taken over one by one. Now it's a battle for who can survive and cross over the stream before going to hell....

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Plot Keywords:

demonic possession | demon | killed during sex | halloween | breasts | 

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Taglines:

Angela is having a party, Jason and Freddy are too scared to come. But You'll have a hell of a time.

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Produced for a modest $1.2 million, the film racked up outrageously large grosses in its limited release. Debuting in Detroit, it hit New York City at Thanksgiving, and earned $3.109m, holding screens until the end of the year.

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Goofs

In the final escape scene, Roger and Judy scale the high wall by grabbing the barbed wire running along it. When Roger falls over the wall, we see no visible means of scaling the wall from the outer side, yet he is somehow able to climb back up to the top to rescue Judy.

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Quotes

Stooge: [pounding on the bathroom door] Damn it bitch, c'mon! What'd you do, flush yourself down the fucking toilet or what?

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Alternate Versions

An "Unrated" version is available on videocassette and DVD in the United States. The following scenes included in the unrated version were cut from the theatrical release to earn an MPAA rating of "R" rather than an "X":

• The scene in which Angela bites off Stooge's tongue is a few seconds longer with a little bit more blood.
• When Suzanne gouges out Jay's eyes, the shot lingers slightly longer, exposing more gore.
• The close up shot of the razor blade ripping from the old man's throat is slightly extended with more gore. Additional scenes, cut from the R-rated version for content or running time, include:
• In the convenience store scene at the beginning of the unrated version, Linnea Quigley's character asks the two male clerks if they have "Sour Balls". In the R rated version, she simply walks past them, and out of the store.
• In the unrated version, the party scene is a little longer with more exposition.
• There are substantially more shots of Angela floating through the hallway.
• For reasons still unknown, the giant demon head that appears over Hull House at the end of the film has animated glowing red eyes in the unrated version, but does not in the R-rated theatrical cut.

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Connections

References The Wizard of Oz (1939)

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Soundtracks

Stigmata Martyr
Composed and Performed by Bauhaus
Published 4.A.D.
1985 Beggar's Banquet Ltd.

User Reviews

cool

Night of the Demons is a great movie and an excellent example of how good low-budget can be. Sure, much of it is fairly predictable, but somehow it's still much more enjoyable than the crap we see these days being passed off as "Horror". I give the gore a solid 9, and the Demons' one-liners are actually funny. I'm still creeped out by "Stop looking at me!" The soundtrack is well done, I was surprised to hear "Stigmata Martyr" from Bauhaus! There is also some very nice T&A on display, as well as some hella good make-up effects. The second film in the series is pretty good too, but avoid the inferior third one. Night of the Demons may be dated, dark, and low-rent, but it still has a lot of potential. It's definitely worth a rental at least. Give it a chance tonight, just stay away from any old makeup! (you'll understand when you see it!)

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 October 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Night of the Demons

Filming Locations:

South Central Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,200,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$3,109,904

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,109,904

Company Credits

Production Co:

Blue Rider Pictures, Meridian Productions, Paragon Arts International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1