Demoni
Encyclopedia
Dèmoni is a 1985 Italian horror film
directed by Lamberto Bava
and produced by Dario Argento
. The screenplay was written by Bava, Argento, Franco Ferrini
, and Dardano Sacchetti
, from a story by Sacchetti. Filming took place in Berlin
, Germany
and Rome
, Italy.
The group of uninfected race to any exit they can find, only to find that they have all been bricked up. Although they attempt to barricade themselves in the balcony, many of them are attacked and infected by the demons. One of the demons escapes into the city when four punk
s break in to the building through a back entrance. The punks are soon transformed into demons as well.
In the cinema, only George and Cheryl remain uninfected. Using a motorcycle and sword props from the lobby, they ride through the auditorium slicing down many demons. Suddenly, a helicopter crashes through the roof. George and Cheryl use its winch to climb to the roof. There they are attacked by the mysterious man from the subway but are able to kill him by impaling his head on an exposed bit of rebar
. The two climb down onto the streets and discover the demonic infection has spread throughout the city. They are picked up by well-armed survivors in a jeep. As they drive to safety, Cheryl transforms into a demon. She is killed by one of the other passengers, leaving George as the only survivor from the cinema.
rock
and Heavy Metal
themes, while the sequel was pop
and new wave
oriented.
soundtrack. It currently holds a 6.4 rating on IMDb
, and a 56% on Rotten Tomatoes
.
had an important influence on Dèmoni. In addition to co-writing the script, he also produced the film. Argento's daughter, Fiore, plays the character of Hannah. Michele Soavi
, a devotee of Argento's work and his assistant director on several films, also served as an assistant director on Dèmoni and has two starring roles, as the man wearing the silver mask and as Jerry, one of the characters in the film playing at the Metropol. Nicoletta Elmi, who plays the usherette, appeared in Argento's 1975 classic giallo
Deep Red
, and she also had a small role in the 1971 horror film Twitch of the Death Nerve
(directed by Mario Bava
, the father of Dèmoni director Lamberto Bava).
Most of the interior cinema scenes were shot in an actual closed down movie theatre. The building still exists but is now a bank. At the same time, the building used for the exterior shots of the movie theatre still exists; it's a club called "Goya", whose appearance in the film has brought it fame and now regularly hosts horror conventions today. Filming took place in Germany and Italy, and as a reference to these countries' cinema, posters for Werner Herzog
's Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht
and Argento's Four Flies on Grey Velvet
can be seen hanging in the Metropol's lobby. The music chosen for the film features several Heavy metal classics, and there is also an AC/DC
poster in one scene.
No gore was cut from the original script.
until the following year by the film distributor, Ascot Films, (an American small independent company that only released two films, Dèmoni and The Check Is in the Mail..., and is no longer in existence today) which released the film unrated to theaters and drive-ins across the U.S. on May 30 1986. Months later that year, Dèmoni was released on vhs by New World Home Video. In 1999, the film saw a dvd release along with Demons 2 by Anchor Bay
, also re-released on vhs. Two years later, Dèmoni Was released in a double pack limited edition called the Dario Argento Collection. In 2007, Dèmoni was once again released by Anchor Bay in a new edition and fully widescreen transfer.
Arrow Video
are to release the first two films on DVD again. A 2-part comic will be included, entitled Demons 3. Part 1 will come with Demons and the last part with Demons 2. Both DVDs are expected to be released December 5, 2011. They are also working on Blu-ray releases of Demons and Demons 2 to be released in 2012.
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
directed by Lamberto Bava
Lamberto Bava
Lamberto Bava is an Italian film director, specializing in horror and fantasy films.Bava was born in Rome, Italy, the son of cinematographer/director Mario Bava, and grandson of cameraman Eugenio Bava...
and produced by Dario Argento
Dario Argento
Dario Argento is an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work in the horror film genre, particularly in the subgenre known as giallo, and for his influence on modern horror and slasher movies....
. The screenplay was written by Bava, Argento, Franco Ferrini
Franco Ferrini
Franco Ferrini is an Italian screenwriter born on the 5 January 1944 in La Spezia. His works often fall into the genres of horror or thriller. He was one of the interviewees represented in the book Spaghetti Nightmares. He has frequently collaborated with Dario Argento...
, and Dardano Sacchetti
Dardano Sacchetti
Dardano Sacchetti, born in Rome, Italy in 1944, is an Italian screenwriter best-known for his work in the horror genre.At an early age, he became hooked on films from watching the American science fiction classic Them!...
, from a story by Sacchetti. Filming took place in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy.
Plot
On the Berlin subway, university student Cheryl is pursued by a mysterious, masked man. However, rather than attack her he offers her tickets to a free screening at a local, recently renovated cinema. She talks her friend, Kathy, into going with her. At the crowded theater, they meet two young gentleman, George and Ken, and sit with them. Before the film begins, a woman named Rosemary scratches her face with a bizarre mask in the lobby. The film is a violent, disturbing horror film that features the mask from the lobby. Feeling ill, Rosemary goes to the bathroom. The scratch on her face bursts open, spewing out a foul pus. She is soon transformed into a bloodthirsty, fanged demon. Rosemary attacks her friend, Carmen. Carmen rips through the screen and transforms into a demon in front of the rest of the cinema goers.The group of uninfected race to any exit they can find, only to find that they have all been bricked up. Although they attempt to barricade themselves in the balcony, many of them are attacked and infected by the demons. One of the demons escapes into the city when four punk
Punk subculture
The punk subculture includes a diverse array of ideologies, and forms of expression, including fashion, visual art, dance, literature, and film, which grew out of punk rock.-History:...
s break in to the building through a back entrance. The punks are soon transformed into demons as well.
In the cinema, only George and Cheryl remain uninfected. Using a motorcycle and sword props from the lobby, they ride through the auditorium slicing down many demons. Suddenly, a helicopter crashes through the roof. George and Cheryl use its winch to climb to the roof. There they are attacked by the mysterious man from the subway but are able to kill him by impaling his head on an exposed bit of rebar
Rebar
A rebar , also known as reinforcing steel, reinforcement steel, rerod, or a deformed bar, is a common steel bar, and is commonly used as a tensioning device in reinforced concrete and reinforced masonry structures holding the concrete in compression...
. The two climb down onto the streets and discover the demonic infection has spread throughout the city. They are picked up by well-armed survivors in a jeep. As they drive to safety, Cheryl transforms into a demon. She is killed by one of the other passengers, leaving George as the only survivor from the cinema.
Cast
- Urbano BarberiniUrbano BarberiniUrbano Barberini is an Italian actor fluent in Italian and French. His most recognized role in the English-speaking countries was in his work in Dario Argento's film Opera though in the English dubbing, his voice was replaced with a more masculine actor's voice...
as George - Natasha Hovey as Cheryl
- Paola Cozzo as Kathy
- Karl Zinny as Ken
- Geretta GerettaGeretta GerettaGeretta Geretta is an African-American actress, director, screenwriter and producer, who has worked in Ireland, South Africa, Italy, Switzerland and the United States.She has directed the 2001 Swiss film Sweetiecakes, starring Stephanie Berger and Urs Althaus, and the...
as Rosemary as Geretta Giancarlo - Fiore ArgentoFiore Argento- Biography :Eldest daughter of the famous director Dario Argento and Marisa Casale, restorer, a stained glass art as well as "master glassmaker"....
as Hannah - Bobby Rhodes as Tony
- Nicoletta Elmi as Ingrid the usherette
- Michele SoaviMichele SoaviMichele Soavi, sometimes known as Michael Soavi is an Italian filmmaker.-Career:Michele Soavi was born in Milan. As a teenager, Soavi enrolled in creative arts classes and developed into a talented actor. He took acting lessons at Milan's Fersen Studios, but his greatest talent was working behind...
as Man in Mask - Fabiola Toledo as Carmen
- Stelio Candelli as Frank
- Nicole Tessier as Ruth
- Guido Baldi as Tommy
- Bettina Ciampolini as Liz
- Giuseppe Mauro Cruciano as Hot Dog
- Sally Day as Carla
- Eliana Miglio as Edith
- Jasmine Maimone as Nancy
- Marcello Modugno as Bob
- Peter Pitsch as Baby Pig
- Lino Salemme as Ripper
- Enrica Maria Scrivano as Nina
- Alex Serra as Werner
- Claudio Spadaro as Liz's lover
- Giovanni FrezzaGiovanni FrezzaGiovanni Frezza is an Italian former child actor who appeared in a number of horror films throughout the 1980s.-Career:He made his film debut with a minor role the 1980 Marco Bellocchio-directed comedy-drama Salto nel vuoto . Frezza then went on to play a variety of juvenile roles, most often in...
as Kirk, boy in jeep - Lamberto BavaLamberto BavaLamberto Bava is an Italian film director, specializing in horror and fantasy films.Bava was born in Rome, Italy, the son of cinematographer/director Mario Bava, and grandson of cameraman Eugenio Bava...
as Extra in Subway - Sami Habib Ahmed as Kathy's baby demon
- Sergio Stivaletti as A victim
- Goffredo Unger as Jeep Driver
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was released on LP. It has 1980s1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and Heavy Metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
themes, while the sequel was pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
oriented.
- Billy IdolBilly IdolWilliam Michael Albert Broad , better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X...
- White WeddingWhite Wedding (song)"White Wedding" is a song by Billy Idol that appeared on his album Billy Idol . Although "the Big 80's: Episode I" of VH1's Pop-up Video trivia show claims Idol wrote the song to voice his displeasure with his sister's fiance , on an episode of VH1 Storytellers, Idol claimed that there was never... - AcceptAcceptAccept is a German heavy metal band from the town of Solingen, originally assembled by former vocalist Udo Dirkschneider, guitarist Wolf Hoffmann and bassist Peter Baltes. Their beginnings can be traced back to the late 1960s...
- Fast as a SharkFast as a Shark"Fast as a Shark" is a well-known song by the German heavy metal band Accept from their 1982 album Restless and Wild.Its blazingly fast double bass drumming is recognized today as reaching a new level in the development of the subgenre of speed and thrash metal... - Mötley CrüeMötley CrüeMötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
- Save Our Souls - Claudio SimonettiClaudio SimonettiClaudio Simonetti is an Italian composer who has specialized in the scores for Italian and American horror films since the 1970s.- Biography :...
- Demon - Claudio SimonettiClaudio SimonettiClaudio Simonetti is an Italian composer who has specialized in the scores for Italian and American horror films since the 1970s.- Biography :...
- Killing - Claudio SimonettiClaudio SimonettiClaudio Simonetti is an Italian composer who has specialized in the scores for Italian and American horror films since the 1970s.- Biography :...
- Out of Time - Rick SpringfieldRick SpringfieldRick Springfield is an Australian-born singer-songwriter, musician, and actor. He was a member of pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971 and then started his solo career with his début single "Speak to the Sky" reaching the top 10 in Australia. In mid-1972, he relocated to the United States...
- Walking on the Edge - Pretty MaidsPretty MaidsPretty Maids are a Danish heavy metal band from Horsens, Denmark. Formed in 1981 by Ronnie Atkins and Ken Hammer. Their sound and music can be described as classic guitar-laden heavy rock with a strong emphasis on melodic elements like vocals and keyboards....
- Night Danger - Go WestGo West (band)Go West is an English pop duo, formed in 1982 by lead vocalist and drummer Peter Cox ; and guitarist and vocalist Richard Drummie...
- We Close Our EyesWe Close Our Eyes"We Close Our Eyes" is a song by British pop band Go West, composed by both members Peter Cox and Richard Drummie. It was the first single from their debut album Go West... - The AdventuresThe AdventuresThe Adventures are a Northern Irish Rock group, formed in Belfast in 1984.The band later moved to London where they signed to Chrysalis Records and released their first single in 1984. Following their debut album release a year later the group moved to Elektra Records and scored their biggest hit,...
- Send My Heart - SaxonSaxon (band)Saxon are an English heavy metal band, formed in 1976 in Barnsley, Yorkshire. As front-runners of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, they had 8 UK Top 40 albums in the 1980s including 4 UK Top 10 albums. Saxon also had numerous singles in the Top 20 singles chart...
- Everybody Up
Reception
Dèmoni is generally held in high regards by horror fans due to its simple plot, high gore content, and classic heavy metalHeavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
soundtrack. It currently holds a 6.4 rating on IMDb
Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
, and a 56% on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
.
Sequels
Some of the films mentioned below are not official sequels, and are related in title only as a marketing strategy to gain popularity.| Original title | Title in English | Release year | Alternate title(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dèmoni 2 Demoni 2 Dèmoni 2 is a 1986 Italian horror film directed by Lamberto Bava and co-written and produced by Dario Argento. It is a sequel to Bava's 1985 film Dèmoni and stars David Edwin Knight, Nancy Brilli, Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni, as well as Argento's youngest daughter Asia Argento in her debut film... |
Demons 2 | 1986 | |
| La casa dell'orco | The Ogre House | 1988 | Demons III: The Ogre |
| La Chiesa | The Church | 1989 | Demons 3 |
| Dèmoni 3 Demoni 3 Demoni 3 is a 1991 Italian horror film directed by Umberto Lenzi.Lamberto Bava also directed a film entitled The Ogre which is known as Demons III: The Ogre in the USA... |
Demons 3 | 1991 | Black Demons |
| La Setta The Devil's Daughter (1991 film) The Devil's Daughter also known as The Sect and Demons 4 is a 1991 Italian horror film co-written and produced by Dario Argento and directed by Michele Soavi. The film stars Kelly Curtis and Herbert Lom.-Plot:Following a 70s set prologue, the film takes place in present day Frankfurt, Germany... |
The Schism | 1991 | Demons 4, The Devil's Daughter |
| La Maschera del demonio La maschera del demonio Black Sunday , also known as The Mask of Satan, is a 1960 Italian horror film directed by Mario Bava, from a screenplay by Ennio de Concini and Mario Serandrei. The film stars Barbara Steele, John Richardson, Arturo Dominici, and Ivo Garrani. It was Bava's directorial debut, although he had... |
The Mask of the Demon | 1989 | Demons 5: The Devil's Veil |
| Il Gatto nero | The Black Cat | 1989 | Demons 6: De Profundis / From The Deep |
Production
Dario ArgentoDario Argento
Dario Argento is an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work in the horror film genre, particularly in the subgenre known as giallo, and for his influence on modern horror and slasher movies....
had an important influence on Dèmoni. In addition to co-writing the script, he also produced the film. Argento's daughter, Fiore, plays the character of Hannah. Michele Soavi
Michele Soavi
Michele Soavi, sometimes known as Michael Soavi is an Italian filmmaker.-Career:Michele Soavi was born in Milan. As a teenager, Soavi enrolled in creative arts classes and developed into a talented actor. He took acting lessons at Milan's Fersen Studios, but his greatest talent was working behind...
, a devotee of Argento's work and his assistant director on several films, also served as an assistant director on Dèmoni and has two starring roles, as the man wearing the silver mask and as Jerry, one of the characters in the film playing at the Metropol. Nicoletta Elmi, who plays the usherette, appeared in Argento's 1975 classic giallo
Giallo
Giallo is an Italian 20th century genre of literature and film, which in Italian indicates crime fiction and mystery. In the English language it refers to a genre similar to the French fantastique genre and includes elements of horror fiction and eroticism...
Deep Red
Deep Red
Profondo Rosso is a 1975 giallo film directed and written by Dario Argento and co-written by Bernardino Zapponi. It was released on March 7, 1975 in Italy and June 11, 1976 in the United States. The film's score was composed and performed by Goblin...
, and she also had a small role in the 1971 horror film Twitch of the Death Nerve
Twitch of the Death Nerve
Twitch of the Death Nerve is a 1971 Italian horror film directed by Mario Bava. Bava cowrote the screenplay with Giuseppe Zaccariello, Filippo Ottoni and Sergio Canevari, with story credit given to Dardano Sacchetti and Franco Barberi. The film stars Claudine Auger, Luigi Pistilli, and Laura...
(directed by Mario Bava
Mario Bava
Mario Bava was an Italian director, screenwriter, and cinematographer remembered as one of the greatest names from the "golden age" of Italian horror films.-Biography:Mario Bava was born in San Remo, Liguria, Italy...
, the father of Dèmoni director Lamberto Bava).
Most of the interior cinema scenes were shot in an actual closed down movie theatre. The building still exists but is now a bank. At the same time, the building used for the exterior shots of the movie theatre still exists; it's a club called "Goya", whose appearance in the film has brought it fame and now regularly hosts horror conventions today. Filming took place in Germany and Italy, and as a reference to these countries' cinema, posters for Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog Stipetić , known as Werner Herzog, is a German film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and opera director.He is often considered as one of the greatest figures of the New German Cinema, along with Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Margarethe von Trotta, Volker Schlöndorff, Werner...
's Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht
Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht
Nosferatu the Vampyre is a 1979 West German vampire horror film written and directed by Werner Herzog. Its original German title is Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht...
and Argento's Four Flies on Grey Velvet
Four Flies on Grey Velvet
Four Flies on Grey Velvet is a 1971 Italian mystery thriller film, directed by Dario Argento. The screenplay is also by Argento, from a story by him, Luigi Cozzi, Mario Foglietti and Bryan Edgar Wallace .-Plot:...
can be seen hanging in the Metropol's lobby. The music chosen for the film features several Heavy metal classics, and there is also an AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
poster in one scene.
No gore was cut from the original script.
Release
According to IMDB, Dèmoni was released to screens on October 4 1985 in Italy and didn't see a release in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
until the following year by the film distributor, Ascot Films, (an American small independent company that only released two films, Dèmoni and The Check Is in the Mail..., and is no longer in existence today) which released the film unrated to theaters and drive-ins across the U.S. on May 30 1986. Months later that year, Dèmoni was released on vhs by New World Home Video. In 1999, the film saw a dvd release along with Demons 2 by Anchor Bay
Anchor Bay
Anchor Bay may refer to:* Anchor Bay, California, a small coastal community in northern California* Anchor Bay, is a bay in Malta, also known as Prajjiet or Popeye Village Bay* Anchor Bay Entertainment, a home video company...
, also re-released on vhs. Two years later, Dèmoni Was released in a double pack limited edition called the Dario Argento Collection. In 2007, Dèmoni was once again released by Anchor Bay in a new edition and fully widescreen transfer.
Arrow Video
Arrow Films
Arrow Films is a UK distributor of classic, horror, and cult films on Blu-ray and DVD.-Arrow Films:Arrow Films is one of the UK's leading independent distributors of world cinema, arthouse, horror and classic films...
are to release the first two films on DVD again. A 2-part comic will be included, entitled Demons 3. Part 1 will come with Demons and the last part with Demons 2. Both DVDs are expected to be released December 5, 2011. They are also working on Blu-ray releases of Demons and Demons 2 to be released in 2012.
Influence
- This film was #53 on Bravo's The 100 Scariest Movie Moments.
- In the PlayStationPlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
video game, Silent HillSilent Hillis a survival horror video game series consisting of seven installments published by Konami and its subsidiary Konami Digital Entertainment. The first four games in the series, Silent Hill, Silent Hill 2, 3 and 4, have been developed by an internal factor, Team Silent...
(1999), there is also a theater named the "Metropol". The theater also has posters on the outside walls advertising for the film "Demons", which is a reference.