HS Movie Club: 'Night of the Demons 2' Discussion
03.01.10 By: Alison Nastasi
The Horror Squad Movie Club is a new weekly feature where we pick a film, watch it and then discuss it. Feel free to read our introduction for more info.
Judging from Saturday's Twitter exchange (thanks for using the #hsmovieclub hash tag!), I think it's safe to say that many of you felt that Night of the Demons 2 wasn't a perfect film, but it was a hell of a lot of fun. Most of you kept comparisons to the original at a minimum, and no one has changed my mind -- for me, Brian Trenchard-Smith's version of the Halloween party at Hull House is where it's at. Like Peter, I don't particularly have any discussion questions for the group, but I'll highlight some of the things I enjoy about the film, which if you didn't get a chance to watch over the weekend, just watch it when you can and come back here to leave a comment. The rest of you, speak up after the jump.
Beware of yonder spoilers!
Brian Trenchard-Smith
Most film nerds are familiar with the Aussie director's other titles like The Man from Hong Kong or BMX Bandits, but yes -- BTS did indeed direct Night of the Demons 2, which I would watch over his Leprechaun films any day. No disrespect to the Irish guy though, he's a late night favorite and the idea of a killer leprechaun is just so ridiculous I can't help but enjoy them. Trenchard-Smith (one of Quentin Tarantino's favorite directors) uses some of the plot devices from the first film but amps up the pace considerably, resulting in a spirited and over the top latter half. This man knows how to end a film, partly due to his experience as a seasoned television director, and the double fight with our villainess Angela (first in demoness form, second as a crazy snake lady) is total satisfaction. He keeps the gore and humor flowing, remedying one of my biggest complaints about the original film.
Gore & Gags
You know it's going to be a good time when two people get slaughtered in the first five (if it even took that long) minutes of the film. Lots of naked breasts, awkward homosexual tension/jokes (Perry's character is a great example of this alone), sexually aggressive female creatures & characters, a dose of blasphemy and gratuitous lesbian make out sessions all let you know that this is a movie not worried about being on its best behavior. This contributes to movie's 80's throwback appeal, along with the charming practical effects (let's just ignore that CGI at the end) where things like the "headless" basketball player who looks 10 feet tall and hiding under his shirt makes you smile because of how simple but effective they are. Bodies melting and exploding remind you of other low-budget, 80's favorites like Fright Night. Also, any movie that uses lipstick and turns it into pseudo tentacle porn that resembles animal genitalia has some cajones. Other favorite moments include the killer breasts, a demonic talking head in a toilet, the obscene black tongue that Angela and her victims seem to sprout and wag around lewdly and a disembodied hand giving a half-hearted hand job and a middle finger to one of the male leads. But my favorite gags of all are based around Jennifer Rhodes' character, Sister Gloria, which brings me to my next point...
Sister Gory Kicks Ass
Some of you already know about my nunsploitation fixation, which explains why Sister Gloria (better known as Sister Gory to her students) is one of my favorite characters in Night of the Demons 2. In one of her first scenes, we find her fencing with a yard stick -- and it only gets better from there. She also has the best lines in the film: "A kiss is a sin when it's an upper persuasion for a lower invasion," is just one of the gems to come out of her mouth. Yes, she can be a total bitch to her students (inverting a challenge to Shirley to define fellatio in class), but her snarky attitude is to be admired. Sister Gory gets the job done; when all hell breaks loose, she doesn't back down and arms herself with a slew of hilarious weapons including nunchucks and squirt guns & balloons filled with holy water. Even though she's a lean, mean, demon-fighting machine, Sister Gory roots for the underdog. She's one of the only people to listen to Perry's satanic ramblings and she's always looking out for Melissa aka Mouse (Merle Kennedy). In a group of fun characters (virgin, whore, best friend, delinquent, geek and jock tropes), Rhodes stands out as the one who's most fun to watch. You can also watch Rhodes in the Cinematical Movie Club's pick, Heathers. Go check it out!
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I could ramble on and on about my love for this film -- which I think is one of the best horror flicks of the 90's, but I'll spare all of you and instead ask that you comment below. Do you agree? Disagree? Is there something I forgot to mention that you have a burning need to discuss?
Filed under: Discussion Posts, Movies We Love
Reader Comments (1 of 1)
noahphexat 3-01-2010
While I don't have really anything to add, this was my first view of Night of the Demons 2 and I loved it. I had no idea it was a Brian Trenchard-Smith movie and he always delivers. From the Sister Gory stuff to the lipstick tentacle beast and all the demons themselves, the movie itself was a blast to watch!
Now I have to go back and watch the first one just to see how it compares.
Alison Nastasiat 3-01-2010
hope you like the first one. it's also fun but this one has my heart.
Mike Brackenat 3-01-2010
I hadn't seen Demons 2 since it hit VHS--which must have been back in like '94 or '95. Can't say I was a big fan of it back then, either. I liked the original a lot more, despite the fact that every character in the first film is basically either an unlikeable asshole or so stupid you want them to die.
NOTD2 certainly has better characters. I liked Sister Gloria a lot even back on that first viewing, and Father Bob is so lame he could have fit right in with the cast in the first flick. My problem with NOTD2 back then was it just never felt very inspired. For whatever reason, horror in the early part of the '90s was pretty painful. Slashers were sort of dead and it often felt like no one knew where to go next.
NOTD2 does deserve props for being slightly ahead of the curve on the whole "super soakers with holy water" thing (Bordello of Blood wouldn't use it til like 1996 and then From Dusk Till Dawn would get in on the act too--interesting aside here, Tarantino loves BTS, and wrote From Dusk Till Dawn...that's an homage that I never caught until just now. I'd bet money it was intentional. I'm slow sometimes.)
The funny thing is, looking at the film now--all these years later--is that I liked it more than I did back in the '90s. It's still corny as hell, but it was more fun than I remember--or maybe I'm just a lot less serious than I was back in my early 20s. Probably the latter.
I still prefer the original, but NOTD2 is a more worthy follow-up than I've been giving it credit for being. I'm willing to admit when I'm wrong, but there's no way anyone will convince me NOTD3 is good.
Creepat 3-01-2010
Cristi Harris, yes please.
Bobby Blessat 3-01-2010
I hadn't seen this movie in years, so I was stoked when Alison said she had selected it for HSMovieClub... and it was as awesome as I remembered! Sadly, because of my douche of a brother, I had to watch this on YouTube and one of the parts (part 7 to be precise) didn't have the audio, so I missed some great one liners... :(
Midnight13at 3-01-2010
This movie is definately a blast to watch. I too watched it on youtube. Not sure if I had seen this one or the first one prior. I've got a crush on Shirley Finnerty/Zoe Trilling now. Looking over her filmography she hasn't worked since 2006.She definately stood out and made for great B-horrer movie stardom.
Alison Nastasiat 3-01-2010
When I first saw Tiffany Shepis I kept mixing the two actresses up!
Midnight13at 3-01-2010
Meant to say she hasn't worked since 1996. Not 2006. Just wanted to clear that up.
James_FOTDat 3-02-2010
Despite the Catholic school girls, ninja nuns, and a priest who looked like The MILF Hunter's twin brother, I still prefer the first NOTD.
"Eat a bowl of fuck! I am here to PARTY!"
btsjunkieat 3-05-2010
Love me some NOTD2. And not just because I'm a pretty big (read: obsessive) fan of BTS. It was a breath of fresh 80s style air when the 90s started to go stale. It's a seriously fun ride from beginning to end. Plus I prefer the boob gag in part 2 over the one in part 1.