This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Warts and all, I have great fondness for this insane '80s splatterfest about demons running amok in a movie theatre, and I think a lot of its appeal is due to the setting, and the stylish gothic cinema where all the violent action takes place in this has a lot of cool retro visual flair to it, and it made for an inspired arena for horror once the fun really begins! I love the way it plays up to the movie-within-a-movie theme, I think it's done a lot more cleverly than the movie is given credit for, most of all in the excellent early sequence where the girl is screaming her head off behind the cinema curtain as the camera pans back and forth between her and the shocked audience, and the screaming character in the movie that they were watching! That tense hectic scene was brilliantly put together and was probably the most memorable one in the movie. This picture and its lesser but still fun sequel have a trashy, campy vibe which is something you can't really miss, but I wonder how much of that is down to the monstrous voice-dubbing job that made everyone sound like complete idiots, it's probably a quite different viewing experience in its original language.. For how over the top and cheesy a lot of it is, to me there's also something genuinely nightmarish in its atmosphere that gets to me a little, although none of them look quite as terrifying as Rosemary, the vicious crazed demons and all the frantic terror they bring is scary and the flick does have some genuine frights in its favor amid all the cheese. One of my favourite scenes is when the guy and his girlfriend are crawling through the spooky vent and they can hear the claws of a demon somewhere close by scraping against the metal but they can't tell where until it's suddenly revealed that it's actually his girlfriend who's been infected and has transformed right in front of him! it's a very eerie and effective little scene. Once the demonic chaos is really unleashed it all feels pretty hopeless and the patrons are completely doomed...unless of course there happens to be a spare katana and a working motorcycle handy! The famous motorbike demon slaughtering scene alone gives the rest of the movie a free pass, it's one of the most draw-dropping what-the-heck-am-I-watching sequences to be found in all of '80 horror and is both epically ridiculous and ridiculously epic!!! Effects-wise I love what they did with the mysterious and creepily alluring man who works as the herald of the demons and hands out the free cinema tickets of certain doom! His design is very striking, the metallic chrome half of his face looks like something that's grafted into his flesh rather than appearing like something that's just stuck on him, he looks amazing. And out of all the many and varied poor unfortunates who meet their demise down at the Metropol, my favourite is the big bald and black 70s disco pimp complete with hookers, he's so hilarious and entertaining to watch in action, and I really think they missed out by not having him be the film's main hero! The only thing I really do dislike is the everything with the completely unnecessary grimy gang of no good crackhead street punks who unwittingly let loose the plague of the demons upon the rest of the world in what must have been one very rapid apocalypse! A lot of the Italian dubbed horror flicks of yesteryear like most giallos that I've ever seen are so trippy and vague that they're kinda beyond me, but there ain't nothing deep about Demons, as a movie it demands nothing more from its audience other than that they hopefully have a fun macabre blast with it, and for me it's always worked just fine on that level. So while it isn't perfect by any means it is consistently entertaining, a little scary at points, and just so much fun that is earns itself a special place in my heart. Gotta love Demons, it's a classic x.

Great Italian horror doesn't have always have to be a slow-burning giallo, which relies on storytelling and drawing out scenes to build the film's intensity. No, proof of that is Exhibit A, the film Demons. Lamberto Bava's Demons is one of the corkiest but thrilling movies to watch out there. The film is chock full with gore, which looks truly disgusting on screen. The most remarkable aspect of the film is the demons' makeup effects that are painfully ugly to look at, and pretty frightening too. There is also a good line up of characters all having your traditional silly one-liners in a film that has no ambition to take itself seriously. Highly recommend this high-octane action, demon fest to anyone that is looking for a fun, gross flick.

Another one of those so bad they're great old gore attempts. What cracks me up about these Itai jobbies is the fact they dub over everything when it was spoken in English in the first place so they have to try to get the words synched exactly with the mouth movements...which as we know always fails megaways.The script is seriously bad, again so bad it's hyperventilatingly funny, along with the general acting, terrible gore (bright orange blood, the norm)), I spent 90% of the time watching in absolute fits. At least a 4/10 for the entertainment factor anyways.Hope you found this review highly detailed with lots of massive complicated words etc.

To enjoy this film, one must throw aside any preconceptions you may have about it. Ignore the fact that Argento produced it (except for one claustrophobic tracking shot around a brick wall, there is no evidence of Argento's presence), and ignore the fact that the director is the son of Mario Bava, the son of a man who helmed some of the best, most stylish movies of the Italian Gothic era. DEMONS is an all-out visceral assault on the senses, packed with frenetic action, all manner of slop and gore, and not an ounce of realism anywhere.Thank god for the Italians and their willingness to push the boundaries of convention and good taste. These guys dwell on the violence, enjoying every bit, using every opportunity to disgust and offend the viewer. Throughout the film we're treated to eyeballs being torn out, necks ripped asunder, stabbings, decapitations, and for the piece de resistance, a character getting his head impaled on a spike. What more could you possibly want? How about some amusing dubbing, bad acting and hilarious dialogue? Check. The fun factor is lifted about a hundred times by the presence of Bobby Rhodes' pimp, a heroic leader who spouts some of the most hilarious lines you'll ever have heard - all the more amusing as he was dubbed by some loud-mouthed American. Action man Rhodes is the real star of the two DEMONS films, although he only has a supporting role in them. Acting amid a cast of nondescript youngsters in DEMONS, he plays Tony, a pimp who has come to the cinema with his two prostitutes. When people start turning into demons, Rhodes immediately takes control of the survivors.Personally, I love films set in just one location, and this one doesn't fail to create a claustrophobic feel, as well as a spooky atmosphere. It's also frequently scary, partly due to some effective slow-motion scenes of demons walking towards the camera, backlit, with shining blank eyes (so good they used it for the video cover). The low budget is fairly obvious, but gives the film a gritty, dirty feel adding to the horror. If you're expecting this film to make sense, then don't bother watching it. Minor characters frequently disappear and no more is heard of them, some sub-plots are added in just to further the plot.The most obvious one of these is the arrival of a group of drug-snorting cokeheads in their car, their presence merely allowing a demon to escape into the streets and make way for the "shock ending". One of these guys is a dead ringer for Sylvestor Stallone, and this pointless plot makes little sense or reason. A good example of this film's contrivances appears when a helicopter crashes through the roof towards the finale, merely allowing for an escape route for our heroes. What gets me is that a lot of people criticise this for not being realistic, but is the whole premise of people turning into drooling monsters realistic? I think not.The fast pacing means that there's plenty of opportunity for some quick, sticky shocks. This gore isn't disturbing - it's highly unrealistic - but merely adds to the fun. Goo flies everywhere at every opportunity as the cinema goers get slaughtered. The pounding score adds to the manic feel. Good use is made of the film-within-a-film factor, as events are played out in parallel in front of the big screen (a good example is when a knife rips through a tent in the film-within-the-film, while at the same time a possessed victim rips through the screen material with her fingernails!). The makeup is actually very good, really disgusting and disturbing because of this. The demons overact wildly, but it works for me here, and comes nowhere near as embarrassing as the over the top actress in DEMONS 2. A highlight of the film comes when a wonderfully-scary looking demon climbs out of some poor soul's back (!) and runs off into the shadows. Would this have looked as good with CGI? I don't think so. It's animatronics and prosthetics all the way, and they've never looked so good.DEMONS isn't an intelligent film, but then again it doesn't claim to be so. The visceral excess sets it way above many other American dumb gorefests of the '80s, and it has a unique quality which makes it very worthwhile. It's not a brilliant film, but a greatly enjoyable one nonetheless. The sequel followed a year later but lacked both the imagination and the impact of this one, seeing as it was just a rerun set in a tower block instead of a cinema.