Demons (1985)
Dèmoni (original title)

A group of people are trapped in a large movie theater in West Berlin that is infected by ravenous demons who proceed to kill and posses the humans one-by-one, thereby multiplying their numbers.

Director:

Lamberto Bava

Writers:

Dardano Sacchetti (original story), Dario Argento (screenplay),

Stars:

Urbano Barberini, Natasha Hovey, Karl Zinny

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Urbano Barberini	...	George
Natasha Hovey	...	Cheryl
Karl Zinny	...	Ken
Fiore Argento	...	Hannah
Paola Cozzo	...	Kathy
Fabiola Toledo	...	Carmen
Nicoletta Elmi	...	Ingrid, the usherette
Stelio Candelli	...	Frank
Nicole Tessier	...	Ruth
Geretta Geretta	...	Rosemary (as Geretta Giancarlo)
Bobby Rhodes	...	Tony
Guido Baldi	...	Tommy
Bettina Ciampolini	...	Nina
Giuseppe Mauro Cruciano	...	Hot Dog (as Giuseppe Cruciano)
Sally Day	...	Liz

Storyline

Art imitating art is the basis of this demonic tale of a group of invited guests who are granted a free lunch in the form of a screening of a horror film that brings naturalism to life. Baited and penned in, this walled-in feeling quickly turns to screams and fear as those who are dead lust after the flesh of those living. The free lunch has turned full circle in the cinema of hell and it is only a question of time before the demons from the abyss are asking for second portions.

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Plot Keywords:

Demon | Mask | Friend | Lobby | Ticket | 

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Taglines:

They will make cemeteries their cathedrals and the cities will be your tombs.

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

30 May 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Demons

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

$1,800,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

DACFILM Rome

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo (Europe) Mono (US version)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Playstation video game 'Silent Hill' pays homage to this film as a theater called 'Metropol' can be seen in the game, along with posters advertising this film at the box office.

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Goofs

The blades of the helicopter couldn't cut the demon's stomach because propeller was disposited too high, as we could see in the previous shots.

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Quotes

Ripper: Shut up and get it all. Unless you want me to break your head.
Baby Pig: [sarcastic] Ooooh. That's big bad Ripper talk.
Hot Dog: Don't make me laugh, Baby Pig. This shit's concentrated.

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Connections

Edited into Cent une tueries de zombies (2012)

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Soundtracks

"The Thieving Magpie"
(uncredited)
Written by Gioachino Rossini

User Reviews

Great Demon movie

Most of the reviews say this is a Zombie flick. It isn't. It is a Demons movie. That is why it is called Demons. None of the Demons eat anyone. The green blood is a traditional mark of demons, goblins, leprechauns, and similar critters.

Demons is a great, fun movie. I saw it when it came out back in 1985. Watching it in a theatre, seeing real teenagers making out, talking, and having fun, this movie had a great effect. It was like being part of the movie. The movie takes place mostly in a theatre, where a youthful crowd is watching a movie about demons. When the demons in the movie come out, someone in the audience has a reaction to an infected demon mask and becomes a demon also. Hijinks ensue! The women in Demons are all very cute, and some of them are babes. Seeing most of them transform into grotesque demons is not just creepy, but it is a different slant on the typical horror movie where the babes are always saved. In Demons, the babes are ripping up the guys and each other.

The other great thing about Demons is that it had a lot of little stories. It focused on the relationships of various members of the audience. Everyone went to the movie with at least one friend, and through their conversations and arguments we got to know the audience. It was a pretty good way of making these characters into interesting people. Watching it the first time, it was surprising as to which characters survive. There were a few interesting twists.

There was also the cocaine and drugs angle, and the cheesy music. This music was cheesy back in 1985. I think that was part of the satire that was embedded into the horror story. The music was mocking the crowd that thought they were cool and sophisticated and were transformed into ugly monstrous demons. Take a look at the attitudes of the characters and there is definitely some statements being made when you see who lives and who dies. Like most good movies, Demons is open to a lot of interpretations.