DEMONIC TOYS

The 1990s is not a decade that's generally thought most fondly of by horror fans. Whereas the 1960s was littered with landmark genre entries (PSYCHO, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, BLOOD AND BLACK LACE etc), the 1970s heralded a new generation of more explicit, realistic terrors (THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE, THE EXORCIST and so on) and the 1980s revelled in the true glory days of pre-CGI special effects (THE FLY, HELLRAISER etc) ... the 1990s didn't really offer much.

Most filmmakers by that time had started insisting their latest genre films were psychological thrillers, or dark dramas ... anything but 'horror films', in fact. Non-horror features such as RESERVOIR DOGS and ROMPER STOMPER were bringing home the violence in a more palpable manner than most genre efforts. And even the big names - Romero, Argento etc - were by then showing strong indications that their best days were over.

In hindsight, then, perhaps the truest studio to the genre at that time was Charles Band's Full Moon Pictures. When everyone else in the industry was shying away from being associated with heavily censored, critically mauled horror cinema, they continued to churn out cheap, agreeable flicks that gleefully exploited all that was guiltily pleasurable about the genre.

1992 saw the release of their DEMONIC TOYS, a loose extension of a theme first explored in their 1988 classic PUPPET MASTER.

Here, the action begins as undercover cop Judith (Tracy Scoggins) sits in a car with her colleague-cum-beau, awaiting the arrival of a couple of arms dealers they're hoping to bust during a fake sale. While waiting, she idly tells him that she's pregnant. It's a joyous occasion which is sharply cut short when the dealers turn up, all goes wrong, and Judith's fella is gunned to death.

Chasing her late boyfriend's killers into a nearby warehouse, Judith soon realises that there's a lot more to worry about in there. namely, a demonic kid (Daniel Cerny) who was buried there 66 years earlier but has now been inadvertently awoken by the ensuing kafuffle.

Animating several toys in the warehouse in a bid to have them do his evil deeds, the kid wants to be properly reborn into the world in order to really exploit his undeniably vast powers. All he needs is to find a suitable host to possess. Such as, erm, an unborn child...

And so, Judith is left with little time to mourn her lover as she pits her wits against the kid, who's taken to hiding and crawling through the warehouse's venting system. Can she destroy him before his toys destroy her?

Richard Band's romantic piano-led score is unmistakable as a piece of his work. It lends character to the film, just as all of his scores do. It also harks undeniably towards the PUPPET MASTER movies, as if the concept and execution already weren't doing that in spades. Further grace is afforded to this low-budget silliness by way of cinematographer Adolfo Bartoli's rather exquisite compositions.

If the acting is broad and somewhat 'soap operatic' across the board (look out for Robert Mitchum's grandson Bentley in a supporting role), then it is at least perfectly in keeping with David S Goyer's frill-free, pulp-savvy script. Performing in a film such as DEMONIC TOYS could arguably be described as a thankless task anyhow, as all the best lines are afforded to the foul-mouthed, genuinely funny toy doll Baby Oopsie Daisy.

Speaking of 'funny', there is a keen sense running through DEMONIC TOYS that none of this is meant to be taken too seriously. That should go without saying, I realise that, but even when wisecracks aren't being made, there's an agreeable verve to the action - even the sometimes surprisingly violent horror scenes - that recalls the best of the Full Moon roster (PUPPET MASTER, CASTLE FREAK etc).

FX work is good, albeit in an intentionally crude way. There's something eternally charming about stop-motion animation, perhaps especially so in this day of soulless Multiplex-pleasing computer graphics and 3D gimmickry. The toys were apparently designed by FX supremo John Carl Buechler, and his work is as dependable as ever here.

Stylishly shot and lit, neatly edited and directed by Charles Band veteran Peter Manoogian (ELIMINATORS) in a muscular, taut manner, DEMONIC TOYS is undemanding viewing and delivers as much in the way of schlocky fun as it does pulpy, trashy violence. It's not art by any stretch of the imagination, but it really is entertaining.

88 Films' dedication to treating Full Moon films with unprecedented reverence continues with their blu-ray presentation of DEMONIC TOYS.

The film comes uncut in a lovely 1080p HD transfer which preserves the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio in a healthy, vivid and nicely filmic 16x9 format. The MPEG4-AVC file is generously sized, allowing for a compression-free playback which especially benefits the deep blacks and fine contrasts of the film's many darker scenes. Elsewhere, the usual stylised colour schemes associated with Full Moon flicks are boldly referenced in this bright, sharp and clean presentation.

I remember thinking this film had the look and feel of a rather insipid made-for-TV production when I first saw it in the mid-90s. This new transfer sets me straight on that matter.

English audio is proffered in 2.0 and 5.1 mixes. While both are DTS-HD offerings, the latter is also a Master Audio mix. As you can well imagine, there are no complaints on either track. Indeed, Richard Band's instantly recognisable score has never been better served.

The blu-ray disc opens to an animated main menu page. From there, pop-up menus include a scene-selection menu allowing access to the film via 12 chapters.

Extras are a tad lighter on the ground here than has been the case with previous 88 Films/Full Moon BDs.

The film's original trailer is an enjoyably campy 79 second affair, and looks about on a par with the main feature visually.

We also get a nice 7-minute "Videozone" featurette which looks at the film's making, in VHS-quality pillar-boxed fashion. Still, it comes complete with on-set interviews with the likes of Scoggins and Manoogian, so can't really be sniffed at.

Other than that, the only other bonus features are trailers for CASTLE FREAK, THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM, PUPPET MASTER, DOLLMAN and SUBSPECIES.

DEMONIC TOYS has aged surprisingly well. Whether that's because it's a good film, or simply that the calibre of the genre's output these days is so naff, I'll leave that for you to decide.

Either way, 88 Films should be commended for giving another Full Moon title a fine blu-ray release for the UK market.

By Stuart Willis