Night of the Demons 2 (1994)

Right, well I must start out with saying that I wasn't particularly impressed with "Night of the Demons 2", just as I wasn't overly impressed with the first movie. In fact, I feel that these American versions of the Italian "Demons" movies were just unnecessary movies. Why not just watch the originals?The storyline in "Night of the Demons 2" is every bit as simplistic and easy to follow as it was in the first movie. An ancient demon is woken from its slumber and it starts to prey on unwary people, turning them into ferocious demons in the process.Indeed a very simple storyline and an equally simple movie to keep up with. You just simply switch into auto-pilot mode and just lean back and watch the events on the screen. "Night of the Demons 2" does not challenge the intellect of the audience in any way.As for the acting in the movie, well let's just say that it was adequate. In fact, I don't really think that anyone stood out as being particularly memorable. Mind you, it was not really the acting that was to blame here, but the fact that the actors and actresses had so very little to work with in terms of script and character development.It was, however, somewhat of a surprise to see actress Christine Taylor in a movie such as this.The effects in "Night of the Demons 2" were adequate, taking into consideration that this movie is from 1994. Don't get your hopes up for anything grand or overly memorable though.All in all, "Night of the Demons 2" is a fairly standard - and I dare say generic - horror movie from the mid-1990's.On a plus side, I just found out that there is a third movie to this movie series. I didn't know that, and just found out when I searched for "Night of the Demons 2" here on IMDb. However, given the track history of the previous two movies, I doubt that I will chase after the third movie. Perhaps if I happen to come across it by some sheer random luck or cosmic fate.Back on track. I can't really say that I find the American version more enjoyable than the Italian versions. But hey, we all have different individual likes and dislikes."Night of the Demons 2" scores a mediocre five out of ten stars from me. It didn't bring anything new or exciting to the horror movie. But it still turned out to be entertaining enough for what it turned out to be.

Angela returns, and this time, she has a sister, Mouse, who is taken by her bullying Catholic school classmates to a party at Angela's favourite haunt.It's not long before everybody's being turned into demons and only a nun, who wields her ruler like a mighty sword of steel, can save the day.....The first movie was a bit of exploitative fun, but what made it that more interesting was the fact that the film was original, and featured a wonderful villain in Angela.As with all sequels, especially horror, they have tried to recreate the magic of the first one. But here, they have basically remade the original, but added a sibling to the villain. And it's pretty lazy of the makers for doing this.So for the first two acts, we have the boys flirting with the girls and vice versa, and there is nudity aplenty for the boys (in the film) to drool over. So far, so bland.But it's also a negative for the film also, as we get to know the characters, and mouse aside, all the characters are of the dislikable kind, so when it comes to the third act carnage, you couldn't care less about them.The effects are good though, and there are a few tense moments, but it's a lazy sequel.Even the boring remake is better.

An ambitious sequel, NIGHT 2 shifts back and forth from a Halloween dance at a Catholic school to further antics at Hull House. Several students decide to ditch the school party and raise the roof at Hull House instead. Big mistake. Angela is back, and performs yet another slithery dance (remember that the actress was a ballet dancer). This time around, we have a nun and a priest to add to the merriment, and in fact the nun steals almost every scene she is in. The special effects are still pretty dreadful, but the filmmakers have upped the gore quotient as well as the laughs, which were pretty much nonexistent in the original. The big battle with Angela at the end is the movie's one clever bit of special effects, and well worth the wait. There was a huge lag between the original and this first sequel, and one can see the influence of several bigger-budget horror flicks on NIGHT 2, most notably FRIGHT NIGHT.

Angela's(Amelia Kinkade) demonic spirit still lives within the dilapidated walls of Hull House waiting for someone to release her. Thanks to Shirl(Zoe Trilling, quite the naughty, sexy raven-headed bad girl)and her thuggish pranksters trick her Catholic school friends into going to a party at Hull House. Bibi(the strawberry-blond bombshell Cristi Harris)makes the mistake of lifting a tube of lipstick which she'll take on her person across the underground stream which forbids the demonic spirit to flee her "spiritual circle". The lipstick opened by Shirl unleashes a snake-like crawler which enters her vagina while also releasing a "spiritual smoke" with Angela now free to roam. Perry(Robert Jayne), a Catholic student whose passionate belief that demonic spirits still exist despite his feelings falling on deaf ears(..and annoying newly established priest, Father Bob(Rod McCary)), will find, through a type of ceremonial ritual, that Angela is alive and well. Melissa(Merle Kennedy), a shy, sweet-hearted wallflower, an object of scorn by those who share sleeping quarters with her, is Angela's sister, an orphan terrified by dreams of her sister in demonic form. Angela desires to use her as a sacrifice for Satan within the hellish confines of Hull House. Those who entered Hull House on Halloween will face certain peril as Angela sets her sights on gaining the souls of each individual and it'll be up to yard-stick-toting nun, Sister Gloria(Jennifer Rhodes)and Perry, carrying holy-water-powered toy shooters and bombs, with the reluctant approval of a non-believing cynical Father Bob, to stop her before the unholy sacrifice is offered to Satan.The plot, as crazy as it is, services only as a means for incredible special effects. Director Brian Trenchard-Smith(Dead-End Drive-in)lets it all hang out with heads decapitated, holy water working as acid(often melting those possessed into a goo-puddle of bubbling flesh and blood), the infamous lip stick tube releasing a computerized viper head, Angela's emerging as a demonic snake(..a fantastic creation whose fate regarding a cross baked to her chest as the sun rays shine through an image kicked away by Johnny from a boarded window, seems inspired by Hammer studios' Dracula films), faces melting and steaming, boobs reaching to grab a victim's hand whose grasp burns, and ugly demonic make-up with those possessed attaining sickening, sharp teeth. Bare breasts are paraded for horror fans craving such images, and the cast Trenchard-Smith has available are beautiful/handsome. The Catholic church is skewered as Sister Gloria is lampooned thanks to her yard-stick which is always with her, almost an appendage, that third arm she needs as a moral crusader to keep the kids under her watch from sinning and partaking in lascivious acts. Her "preparation scene" resembles Rambo getting his gear and weapons together as he awaits battle with the enemy. There are even lip-locks between women, a very nice one between a possessed Sheril and Terri..Terri, horrified at just seeing her potential boyfriend being beheaded, at first resists, only to slowly succumb to desire. And, Sheril, after the snake "enters" her, shares a kiss with Angela, who lifts her up in embrace. There are obvious homages to the first film like the lipstick's appearance, and another "dance of death" as Angela provocatively performs for the Catholic kids who were dancing away to rock music shortly after their stern disciplinarian, Sister Gloria stepped away for a moment. We even have a beheaded victim using his head as a basketball, dribbling and shooting hoops! While attaining the same cheesy, gory, zany, sleazy spirit of the original, Trenchard-Smith has a far better cast of young adults, who aren't so annoying, with far superior special effects. And, the film isn't completely confined to Hull House, which separates it from being just a clone of the original. If you can accept this insane film's tone and aren't offended by the joyous swipes at Catholicism, then there might be some fun to be had here.