Demons 2

1986, Italy

Director: Lamberto Bava

Writers: Dario Argento, Lamberto Bava, Franco Ferrini, Dardano Sacchetti

Produced by: Dario Argento

Starring: David Edwin Knight, Nancy Brilli, Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni, Bobby Rhodes

Genre: Horror

Rating: R

Running Time: 91 minutes

DVD Distributor: Anchor Bay/Starz Entertainment

Website: Buy it here.

There is a joy in Demons 2, an enthusiasm, which is rarely seen in films today. Horror movies in the eighties were not, for the most part, known for their intricate plots, but the sheer delight Demons 2 takes in abandoning itself to nonsense is unequivocally thrilling. How it took four people to write this screenplay when the simple sentence fragment "demons in a high-rise' seems to be the totality of the plot is beyond me, but perhaps they worked together to chisel away any semblance of narrative structure. It might not have been deliberate, but the filmmakers have succeeded in creating a purely Dada-ist mix of surrealism and ultraviolence that makes Demons 2 a must-have DVD for fans of Italian horror, splatter films, and gibberish.

The film quite possibly takes place after the events of the first film. Or perhaps not. There’s a strong chance that, in the world of Demons 2, the first movie exists only as a horror film, the sequel to which a young woman celebrating her birthday party is watching on television while the rest of her guests dance awkwardly in the living room. Further confusion stems from the fact that several cast members from the first film appear in Demons 2, but as different characters. All this becomes moot however, when a televised demon pushes through the screen and possesses the birthday girl. The sequence is actually quite effective, as is the transformation scene the follows, and afterwards, director Lamberto Bava unleashes a fury of gore as the demons tear through the apartment building.

The special effects are, on the whole, an improvement on the previous film. Numerous scenes, including those featuring a possessed child and a demonic dog, are tense and impressive. Bava’s cinematography, while not on the same level as his father’s, is also more accomplished, giving us creative framing and blocking in several key sequences that are highlighted by the DVD’s crisp transfer.

The performances are par for the course for this type of film, with a lot of shrieking, yelling, and expository screaming. However, David Edwin Knight is surprisingly muted in the lead role, which is a welcome change from the hyperbolic hysteria of the rest of the cast. Ironically, in the DVD’s commentary track, Bava frequently complains about Knight’s lack of conviction in the role. And a young Asia Argento, in her first screen role, shows us that at least at one point in her career, she was aware that you can act with your shirt on. The main misstep in the film, in comparison to the original, is Bava's selection of British New Wave bands for the soundtrack, rather than the hair metal of the first film. Granted, there are a lot of things that strike terror into the heart more than Scorpions songs, but one of them isn't the sound of Morrisey whining. Regardless, the film is a leaner, bloodier version of the original, more fun, and with less narrative baggage.

Demons 2: Special Edition features a commentary track by Lamberto Bava, Special Effects artist Sergio Stivaletti, and journalist Loris Curci, as well as a trailer for the film. The commentary track is livelier here than in Demons, likely due to the presence of Roy Bava, Lamberto’s son, who helps out when language barriers become an issue.

Rating: 8 on 10

alkratina@comicbookbin.com