NIGHT OF THE DEMONS

A remake of Kevin Tenney's 1988 cult horror.

A sepia-tainted opening reveals the grisly demise of six people who gathered at the plush Broussard mansion in 1925 to attend a séance. The gig is organised by house owner Evangelina, who is secretly in love with guest Lois. She's subscribed to some black magic spells in the hope that they will make him fall for her charms. Alas, the sorcery conjures malevolent demons instead and all but the black maid perish.

Fast-forward 85 years, and your typical group of obnoxious young adults are getting ready to party on Halloween night.

And so we meet three interchangeable sluts: Maddie (Monica Keena), Lily (Diora Baird) and the fabulously chested Suzanne (Bobbi Sue Luther). While getting ready for a shindig that has been organised in the old Broussard mansion - the first time anyone's been in the place for 50 years - they discuss sex, make-up and the benefits of shaven minges.

Meanwhile, Lily's ex Dex (Michael Copon) hangs out with goofy Jason (John F Beach): they're the film's Jay and Silent Bob - although neither is silent. They like to smoke dope and generally bum around.

Then there's Colin (Edward Furlong, who these days looks more like a tramp than a film star). He used to date Maddie but is now down on his luck as a drug dealer. He's in bother with his boss, sinister Briton Nigel, for not making enough profit. While receiving a blowjob from a random wench, Nigel warns Colin that he must generate healthy sales at the Broussard party that evening ... or else.

So, the six individuals all end up at the mansion for the lavish party hosted by sexy Goth chick Angela (Shannon Elizabeth). Imagine "My Super Sweet Sixteen" set to a soundtrack of Misfits and Murderdolls-type tunes.

Following some dancing, drinking, drug-dealing and fucking, the party is closed down by the cops who relish in informing Angela that although she's hired the place for the evening, she does not have a permit to charge the $10 entrance fee. Everyone is ushered away from the place.

Aah, but ... when the police show up, Colin panics and hides his stash of drugs in a ventilation system that leads to the basement. Maddie and Lily can't find Suzanne. Jason and Dex are sticking to the girls now that Dex seems to be back on with Maddie. So, all six of our principal characters - along with hostess Angela - end up left behind in the otherwise empty mansion.

A trip to the basement in search of his loot leads Colin to make a gruesome discovery: six rotten skeletons hidden down there. Upon closer inspection, Angela cuts her finger on the teeth of one of the corpses ... or did it bite her?

Following the realisation that the huge gates to the surrounding land have been locked for the night, the party of seven decide to spend the evening drinking and playing party games - an amusing round of "spin the bottle" ensues.

But horny Angela's behaviour is becoming more outrageous as the night progresses, and a kiss she shares with Dex leaves him feeling decidedly peculiar ...

If you've seen the original, you'll know what happens next. If you haven't, you can probably guess anyway. Either way, I won't spoil the fun here: suffice it to say, that's about it in terms of plot - the remainder of the film cruises along on a succession of gory sight gags, soft sex scenes and the occasionally effective one-liner.

NIGHT OF THE DEMONS is directed by Adam Gierasch, who was one of the co-writers of Dario Argento's THE MOTHER OF TEARS. The remake's screenplay is co-written by Gierasch and Jace Anderson - another person guilty of contributing to the messy TEARS script.

But here, working with Joe Augustyn's original screenplay as a loose template, the guys have remained focused to deliver an unfussy, modest tale of demonic possession that races along at a fair old pace and remembers to tick all the right boxes along the way: boobies, blood and memorable set-pieces are all present and correct.

Of the cast, there's not much to say. Furlong looks worn out, the blokes are forgettable and the women are very pretty although only Feld registers as a genuine character.

The film plays well with the notion that sexual intimacy is the manner in which the demons populate their hosts (read whatever subtext you will into that ...), with kisses, lesbian seduction and even anal sex becoming causes of 'infection'.

But, beyond so-so performances and mildly interesting social commentary, the film serves us best as a trashy slice of FX-heavy entertainment. It's not scary, just pulpy - and I imagine the filmmakers are happy for DEMONS to be that way. The gore is good, mostly of the fake blood and prosthetics variety, and the tone is consistent with its source material.

Some modern attributes may alienate fans of the original - specifically Gierasch's tendency to slip into MTV-style editing techniques on occasion - but, by and large, this is an enjoyable proposition that stays true to the spirit and content of the original while retaining a visual identity and a few ideas of its own.

Yes, Linnea Quigley appears in a brief cameo (how could she not?). And yes, the infamous 'lipstick' scene is recreated. Only, this being 2010, it is pushed several (grosser) stages further ...

The screener disc provided was very rudimentary. The film was the only thing on the disc, presented uncut in a non-anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer. Colours and blacks were both solid, images were sharp and overall the presentation was great.

English 2.0 audio was also well-balanced and impressive.

I have no idea about final disc specifications, such as extras etc.

Personally I prefer this to the original (heresy, I know). It's fun, and possibly the only recent remake to mind alongside THE CRAZIES that more than matches its progenitor.

This review was based on the DVD version of the film. Kaleidoscope are also releasing the film on blu-ray.

Review by Stuart Willis