March 21, 2007
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It's the pife of the larty!Being possessed by a minion of Lucifer has got to be a royal pain in the caboose. Don't you agree? Not only do leak sticky green fluid from multiple bodily openings and gesticulate in ways that would make your grandmother drop dead from embarrassment, but your teeth become hideously deformed and your friends stop coming around as much as they used to. And you can forget about trying to find decent health insurance anywhere; the deductible alone would make you use the Lord's name in vain at least three or four hundred times in a row. It's gotta be miserable way to live.
The demonic entities sprinkled throughout Brian Trenchard-Smith's enjoyable rehash Night of the Demons 2 seem to have it pretty good. They crack wise before they rip people asunder, get down and dirty with their more attractive victims, and pretty much spend their days partying without a single care in the entire world. If it weren't for the horrible complexion, bad teeth, and an aversion to both sunlight and holy water, demonic possession would be an awesome way to spend all of those vacation days you've got saved up at work. It's something to think about.
For those actually interested in the film, Night of the Demons 2 follows the sexual escapades of a group of horny teenagers at a co-ed Catholic school a few days before the annual Halloween shindig. Since this particular gaggle of raging hormones can't keep their icky little hands off one another for longer than a second or two, they've been unceremoniously banned from cutting a rug at the dance. Bummed, bitter, and extremely amorous, the teens decide to sneak off for an impromptu party at the legendary Hull House, where a group of moronic kids perished a few years back. You can experience their misery for yourself by renting Night of the Demons at your favorite locally-owned video store.
Once our victims arrive at the derelict house, they immediately split up, make-out, and fumble around with a few relics scattered around the premises, including a sinister tube of lipstick that may or may not contain something hideous inside. As the night wears on and the clothes fail to come off, the kids grow tired of their surroundings and head back to the school with the demonic make-up in tow. What happens next? Why, all Hell breaks loose, of course!
Haven't you played this game before? Sheesh.
As an impressionable teenager with more free time than I care to admit, Night of the Demons 2 instantly became one of my absolute all-time favorite horror movies upon its home video release. Even though I didn't care for the original at all, I pushed the sequel on anyone who would listen to me spout nonsense about how impossibly cool this flick was. Nobody believed me, of course, and even fewer took me up on the offer to bring it over to their house so they could behold its genius for themselves. It's a wonder I didn't get beat down on a regular basis. Oh, wait. I did.
As a 29 year-old movie geek with even more free time to toss around town, the magic of the film has tarnished somewhat. I still think it's far superior to the original, and Christine Taylor is still way too hot for someone as goofy as Ben Stiller, but it's not quite the masterpiece I claimed it to be over twelve years ago. The story is a bit simple, the gratuitous nudity gets old after the third set of random breasts, and the lazy sequel setup really leaves a lot to be desired. In other words, what in the world was I thinking? If I had access to a time machine, I would be inclined to travel back to my teenager years so I can kick my own ass.
What makes the film watchable beyond the year 2000 is its brisk pacing and the outrageous amount of violence packed into its slim 90-minute running time. For a flick made in a decade notorious for its conservative approach to on-screen gore , Night of the Demons 2 is quite nasty and more than a little icky. Decapitations, stabbings, melting demons, and exploding snake-things abound. Oh, and be sure to keep your eyes peeled for Zoe Trilling's disturbing sexual encounter with the aforementioned tube of lipstick. It remains a fine example of cheap mid-90's shock, even if it is a bit played out these days.
A dozen years and several hundred horror films later, Night of the Demons 2 is still a thoroughly enjoyable sequel, one I'm proud to have in my collection. Though it's not nearly as thrilling as it was when I was younger, the film's unapologeticly cheesy nature and its willingness to go completely over-the-top will surely bring in those who would appreciate its low-budget charm. Angela and Hull House never really received the appropriate vehicle for their unique brand of michevious horror, which is kind of sad given all the avenues filmmakers could have explored. Oh, well.
Maybe someone can talk Stiller's wife into doing a remake.
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