In an effort to avoid repeating themselves, the makers of The Angel of Darkness sequels have looked to the West for inspiration: Part 2 ripped off The Evil Dead, whilst Part 3 developed into a lame Exorcist clone (albeit one with less puke and more schoolgirls). Part 4 is no exception, with the makers this time plundering the occult classic The Omen for ideas.
They shouldn't have bothered: despite nicking elements right, left and centre from some of the horror genre's best known titles, the Angel of Darkness films have all been remarkably similar and equally unimpressive. I never thought I'd say it, but hot, naked schoolgirls being ravaged by multi-limbed sex-demons can actually be dull (especially if, like me, you watch all four films back-to-back!!!).
This time around, the demon is trapped inside sexy but wholesome schoolgirl Izumi, but is unable to get up to its usual tricks (rampant orifice invasion) thanks to the crucifix that she wears around her neck. Out to locate and destroy the monster are a nun and a priest, but their efforts are hampered by Izumi's evil protector Sakiko, who does her best to help the girl realise her true tentacle-thrashing potential (and, in a Carrie-style side story, also settle the score with a group of nasty school bullies who have been making Izumi's life hell).
Besides the usual soft-core sex and the obvious and rather irritating The Omen 'references' (the nun skewered by a falling pole; the mysterious lines that appear on photographs of future victims; Sakiko's similarities to Billie Whitelaw's Mrs. Baylock), there's also a confusing back-story, told in B&W flashbacks, which reveals that Izumi is an adopted child and some rubbish about her beating a rapist to death with a pole, but, to be honest, it all does very little to make the film any more interesting.
