Night of the Demons 2 (1994)

DIRECTED BY
Brian Trenchard-Smith

STARRING
Amelia Kinkaid - Angela
Jennifer Rhodes - Sister Gloria
Christine Taylor - Terri
Merle Kennedy - Melissa
Bobby Jacoby - Perry
Zoe Trilling - Shirley
Christi Harris - BB
Johnny Moran - Johnny
Rod McCary - Father Bob

Genre - Horror/Demons/Possession

Running Time - 96 Minutes

Score - 3.5 Howls Outta 4


I'm so glad I did not end up in Catholic School. If you think I'm bad now, could you just imagine how I would have turned out being under the tutelege of nuns? I probably would have become an abusive bastard after getting whipped by wooden rulers by disgruntled sisters. I probably would have starred on Dateline's To Catch A Predator due to after-school lessons with Father Ikindaliketopokeya. And I probably would have conjured up demonic spirits after being told getting to First Base with a girl is a sin before marriage. Look at the existence of Ann Coulter. Do you think she was born naturally? Nah...some pissed off Catholic School dropout created her to torture us all. Damn you!!

I guess it's not all bad though. At least we have NIGHT OF THE DEMONS 2 to watch because of these hijinks. While not as fun as the original 1988 cult horror flick, NIGHT OF THE DEMONS 2 still fits the bill almost as much as the first part. A 1990's horror sequel that actually rocks? Yep, this is the work of Hell alright.

PLOT
A few Catholic High School students become disgruntled before their annual Halloween dance because they're forbidden to fornicate in a house of God. I don't remember that being a Commandment, so I don't see the big deal. Anyway, Sister Gloria (Jennifer Rhodes) bans these students from the party after catching some of them getting a bit too frisky with each other. Bitter, the teens sneak out and decide to have a party at Hull House, where a bunch of stupid teens died in 1988 [watch NIGHT OF THE DEMONS for that].

Anyway once they arrive there, they all split up to pull some pranks and find some privacy - ya know, for "prayer"? However, they just end up conjuring up our beloved Angela (Amelia Kinkade), who returns to reunite with her scared sister (Merle Kennedy) and bring her over to the dark side. As these teens get butchered and possessed by Angela's evil magic, it'll take a badass nun, a demonology expert, and a couple of fearless teens to stop Angela's tricks once and for all.

REVIEW
NIGHT OF THE DEMONS really didn't need a sequel, as that film was great on its own merit. But the sequel is no slouch - while it's not as fun as the original film, the acting and special effects are better. NIGHT OF THE DEMONS 2 shows us what a great sequel is - keeping the quality consistent that the film before it left behind by changing it up a bit. I can definitely respect that.

The story is pretty strong in NIGHT OF THE DEMONS 2. The whole Catholic High School situation is a great set up for these kids to rebel against authority and mess with things they have no business messing with. These teens are horny as hell and want to get laid. It's human nature. Yet they're told that it's wrong and have to wait until marriage. I'd break out of there and dabble in some dark magic myself. The characters are pretty developed because of the Catholic School scenes as we see who's the bitch, the cool dudes who act like jackasses but are alright on the inside, the girl who has history with the demons, the demonology expert, and the nice slutty girls who enjoy wearing clothes that display their nice ample bosoms. These characters are nothing new in the genre but they all work really well due to nice dialogue and good acting. So instead of wanting most of these teens dead, you actually can relate to them somewhat and root for them to survive this thing. I think the best character is actually Sister Gloria, who has a lot of spunk, has great dialogue, and can kick some demon ass with just her ruler and Holy Water. Her and that priest from DEAD ALIVE would make a formidable team as they kick ass for the Lord.

I also liked the humorous aspects to NIGHT OF THE DEMONS 2. The first one was pretty silly, so why not keep it going in the second? Sure, it's not as funny or as entertaining as the original but the whole experience of the film is pretty goofy regardless. And some of the exchanges between characters will definitely make you chuckle more than once. For a horror sequel, the script is pretty smart and written well.

I think the best parts of NIGHT OF THE DEMONS 2 are the special effects and the gore. I thought the demon makeup looked pretty good and the actors did a great job pulling it off. I also thought the deaths were pretty insane in this film. I loved that kill involving a pair of demonic breasts that pretty much burnt some dude alive. It has to be seen to be appreciated really. It stands out completely as an original. I also loved the decapitation scene that leads to the dead guy [now a demon] using his head as a basketball and as a weapon. Of course we get that demonic lipstick again, but this time it turns into some kind of eel creature and crawls up inside some chick's vagina. That was probably the best sex she ever had. There's a lot of blood going on here, as well as some nice boobies being shown [when they're fake, they're considered special effects]. I think the gore here was a lot better than in the original [besides the lipstick through the breast trick from the original].

The direction by Brian Trenchard-Smith is pretty similar to Kevin Tenney's work on the original. There's great pacing, great editing, decent suspense, and nice work of that Sam Raimi EVIL DEAD P.O.V. subjective shot where the demons are released and quickly travel through the house. It's not the visually most stunning horror flick out there, but it does the job very well. No complaints.

The acting is actually better here than in the original, but I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing. I guess it depends on your tastes. The most famous person in the film would probably be Christine Taylor, who's now married to Ben Stiller. I always found her to be pretty smokin' and talented and she doesn't disappoint here. Taylor doesn't do much in the film but she didn't bother me one bit. Amelia Kinkade returns as Angela and she's great here as well. She seems to be enjoying herself playing an evil demon here. I think she's pretty cool. Billy Jayne was cool as the demonology expert. I was on his side the whole time because I believe in that stuff but no one would listen. That truth vs. authority set up always gets at me. The best actor here though was Jennifer Rhodes as Sister Gloria. She knew this wasn't a serious film but she took charge of it anyway, outclassing all the other actors around here. From her disciplinarian dialogue, to her caring for the missing teens, and to her kicking demon ass - I bought it all. Who knew rulers could be so dangerous?

THINGS I'VE LEARNED WHILE SAVING ROOM FOR THE HOLY GHOST

- If you're spreading the word of God from door-to-door, don't enter a house whose door opens by itself. The Bible won't save you from a foreclosure on your life.

- Three girls talked about Angela, joking that she's riding Satan's spike in Hell. That's not funny. Satan only saves his spike for Saddam Hussein. Don't these babes watch South Park?

- "Kissing is a sin when it's an upper persuasion for a lower invasion." If that's the case, then I know why my body temperature seems to be higher than most. I'm burning with sin...WHOOO!!

- Mr. "King Snake" really has an "inch worm". That explains why Cobra Commander wears a mask. Poor guy.

- Out of all the people he just met, Rich gave Christine Taylor's character the most attention inside of his car. Geez...why is it always "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!"?

- Some bitch made out with two guys at once. I don't think she's a virgin - in the front or in the back. Not sure if I find that arousing or not...

- There was a demonic head peeking out of the toilet bowl. Damn, what did the last person to take a dump eat!?

- Don't ever use lipstick you find in a haunted house. If you were a virgin, you won't be after applying that color. And you won't be straight anymore either.

You know what? All the ladies can use any type of lipstick they want. The men can leave the stuff alone though.

- Don't touch a she-demon's breasts. They'll burn your hands during your "exam". I heard breast implants could be dangerous but that's just ridiculous.

- Demons like to make out, give handjobs, get screwed, and perform lesbian activities. I'm convinced Jenna Jameson was possessed by a demon during her years as a porn star.

- Someone died from a sharp baseball bat to the head. I don't understand how that happened. Paris Hilton gets hit with bats to the face all the time and she still lives. Weird.

- Angela exploded after getting burned by the sun. Next time, use sunblock.

THE FINAL HOWL
One of the few horror sequels that actually matches the quality of the original, NIGHT OF THE DEMONS 2 is a fun flick if you're looking for your demon fix. It's gory. It's funny. And it's good for a late night horror movie party with your friends over some popcorn and beer.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to finish my pentagram with a tube of haunted lipstick. I'm in the mood for a handjob. Hey, I don't care what she looks like. A man's got to sin!