Every year people want host the most outrageous Halloween party ever. They want to scare their guests with gruesome noises, squishy foods and bloody stumps. They try to find interesting locations with a spooky nature. But it’s hard to come up with a more perfect location than the one in Night of the Demons. Not only did the party take place in an old funeral home, but the previous owners were victims of a mass murder. Plus the land might be cursed. The hosts might not have to worry about how to top the party since odds are high that none of the guests will survive the night. Night of the Demons: Collector’s Edition covers the party of a lifetime.
Before Goth kids were cool, Angela (Road House‘s Amelia Kinkade) and Suzanne (The Return of the Living Dead‘s Linnea Quigley), were grooving to Bauhaus in the middle of Iowa. They knew that Halloween was their ultimate holiday celebration. No need for them to play it safe by bobbing for apples in a corn field. They drag their friends out to Hull House, the notorious former funeral home that had hosted a family massacre. It was a killing so brutal that the cops couldn’t figure out which family member was the psycho murderer. That’s how mess the crime scene was in blood and body parts. The cursed land business is icing on the gruesome cake. The duo invite all their friends out for the ultimate Halloween party. Judy (Dallas‘ Cathy Podewell), preppy Jay (Heathers‘ Lance Fenton), wise guy Sal (Pretty Woman‘s Billy Gallo), slob Stooge (Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-0-Rama‘s Hal Havins), Rodger (The Brother from Another Planet‘s Alvin Alexis), Helen (Beverly Hills Bodysnatcher)’s Allison Barron, BEVERLY HILLS BODYSNATCHERS), Max (General Hospital‘s Philip Tanzini) and Frannie (Sleepaway Camp III‘s Jill Terashita). Once the party gets started, the girls amp up the spooky nature with a seance. What could go wrong? Everything. The Demons want to party too. Except instead of wearing costumes, they’re going to slide inside the souls of certain partygoers. They’ll be talking about this wingding for decades.
Night of the Demons smartly sacrifices plot for grotesque effects. The audience just wants to see kids and demons. There’s one sequence that will cause queasiness when a possessed character distorts her body. There’s also quite a few fun yet creepy times including Angela shacking it to a classic Bauhaus tune while the smoke machine and strobe lights are in overdrive. This comes off really sweet in 1080p. Director Kevin Tenney had upped his visual game from Witchboard. There’s a reason why this movie was always checked out from the Horror shelf at the Video Bar. Night of the Demons is a fantastical delivery of a haunted house party gone bad.
The video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. The 1080p transfer is an invitation to join in on the party. The ’80s fashions look so tempting in HD. The audio is DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo. The audio is mixed just right. Although you might crank up the speakers for the Bauhaus fun. The DVD features a 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround and 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo. The movie is subtitled so you can hear dialogue over the screams.
DVD has all the elements of the Blu-ray.
Audio Commentaries have two tracks featuring the key players. The first track has Director Kevin Tenney chatting with actors Cathy Popewell, BillY Gallo, Hal Havins and make-up effects creator Steve Johnson. The other track is Tenney with producers Jeff Geoffrey and Walter Josten. It’s a master class of making a horror film. The later commentary was recorded for a previous DVD edition.
You’re Invited: The Making of Night of the Demons (71:27) is a feature length documentary. The success of Witchboard let Kevin S. Tenney to take on the film. The movie was called “Halloween Party” until the makers of Halloween threatened them. There’s an interesting tale of how they had to change the title. The cast and crew have plenty of tales to share.
Interview with Amelia Kinkade (22:30) places her next to the pool with her fond memories of scream queen days. She was a background dancer for Cher and Donna Summer. Her aunt was one of the Golden Girls.
Allison Barron’s Demon Memories (3:55) lets her talk about her photos from the time. She has the poster for Halloween Party.
Theatrical Trailer (1:28) is the red band!
Video Trailer (1:55) is how most people found out about the film.
TV Spots (1:16) tones down the shock, but promises the frights.
Radio Spot (0:35) reminds people to bring friends. They tease with the lipstick scene.
Promo Reel (4:11) is an extended trailer. Special Effects wizard Steve Johnson gets a major plug.
Behind the Scenes Gallery, Special Effects and Make Up and Photo Gallery gives views of how things went together to create the haunted house scares.
Posters and Storyboards lets viewers know how much prep went into the film.
Night of the Demons: Collector’s Edition brings all the fun and chills to Blu-ray. This is a perfect party out of bounds movie. The bonus features add so much to appreciating this low budget effort that had such a loyal following in the VHS era. No one can top this ultimate Halloween party.
Scream Factory presents Night of the Demons: Collector’s Edition. Directed by: Kevin S. Tunney. Written by: Joe Augustyn. Starring: Amelia Kinkade, Linnea Quigley, Cathy Podewell, Lance Fenton, Billy Gallo and Hal Havins. Running Time: 90 minutes. Rating: R. Released: February 4, 2014.
