Director: Lamberto Bava
Year: 1986
Country: Italy
Alternate Titles: Dèmoni 2... l'incubo ritorna, Demons 2: The Nightmare Returns
Genre: Creature Feature
Plot:
Gathering together in an apartment building, guests are hypnotized watching a TV show about demons, and when the the demons come to life and slowly picking off the remaining humans inside, it becoming a fight for survival against the bloodthirsty creatures to get out of the building alive.
Review:
While the original was one of the best Italian horror films at the time, this one is just as good. A lot of what makes this one work is the same atmosphere that worked so well in the original. Of course, most of the suspense is derived from the building itself, a proved inescapable fortress that no one can get in or out of, which is perfect for trapping everyone inside. As well, the fact that the majority of the first half being the movie show on TV that sets this in motion by being a rather enjoyable start with the excavation at the crypt and the resurrection of the demon which is nicely echoed by the events out in the real world correlating in the release of the demon plague there.
Once the demons are out and killing due to this early setup, the pace picks up so considerably that three different plot-lines go on at the same time and allows for wall-to-wall action in here that is deftly executed. The attack on the party guests is an absolute blast with all sorts of stellar action as she rips them to pieces, the encounter between the lone woman and her transformed dog in her apartment is one of the best examples as it's a series of small sequences that is quite fun and the massacre in the parking lot is a perfect example as it occurs within a large amount of time and allows for several great sequences starting with them appearing in the weight room and chasing them down into the garage where the full extent of the fun takes place.
The other good part to this one is that, like with all Italian films of this style, the emphasis is on the gorgeous and gruesome make-up, and there is no shortage of that here. The style allows the film to wallow in the effects, making them an effective highlight whenever they are shown. The transformed demons look good, complete with fang-lined maws, inhuman facial features, long claws and those glowing eyes form one cool monster, one that is perfectly suited to deliver a series of continued shocks. Throwing in the transformation sequence as one visibly erupts out of a person's body in addition to a shocking TV gag early on that looks marvelous in this day and age, the effects here hold up nicely and give this one a lot to really hold itself up.
Even without these elements, there are a few minor flaws to be had here. It's biggest issue is that this is not exactly an original movie, as it basically takes the exact same plot as the first one and puts it into a new building. There's still a demon outbreak that results from watching a movie about the creatures, the disbelieving horde struggles to get a grasp on the creatures, there's a group of punks on the outside traveling to the location with the creatures and they even smash through a barricade setup to stop them which were all plot-points and ideas from the original. It's not that big of a deal, but it is there and somewhat noticeable. Some of the effects might also be seen as cheesy, but the main issue here is the rather overt familiarity to the original.
Overview: ***1/2/5
While not the classic the original is, this is a very worthy sequel. It goes more for action than anything else, and as such it allows for an easy view compared with the original. The TV sequence alone is enough to recommend it, and Italian fans will love this one in spite of it. The more adventurous will want to check it out, as it's a fairly good time.
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