Blockbuster was at its peak in popularity. I had a VIP card and horror movies from A-List to D List I had to watch them! My guilty pleasure was 1988’s Night of the Demons, and here’s why!

Night of the Demons Original Summary

The 1988 Night of the Demons summary by a viewer from IMDb!

On the night of Halloween, 10 teens decide to go to a party at an abandoned funeral parlor. “Hull House,” rumored to be built on an evil patch of land and underground stream.

While starting the party, the teens gather around a big mirror to perform a séance…Big mistake. They awaken some evil force and find themselves trapped and taken over one by one. Now it’s a battle for who can survive and cross over the stream before going to hell. — IMDb, Crystal

The 80s In All Its Glory

On October 14th of 1988, the 1.2 million dollar movie Night of the Demons hit the theatres in the United States and make a 3.1 million in return at the box office. The movie sets to spread the Halloween spirit does its job and brings a new meaning to mortuary homes and crematoriums.

The special-effect makeup and clothing are worthy of the 80s memories. I enjoy to this day the experience watching this movie. It reminds us of what is possible with makeup.

Angela is having a party, Jason and Freddy are too scared to come. But You’ll have a hell of a time.

Night of the Demons Official Tagline

Of course, we can clearly see some of the prosthetic not as sophisticated as today, but it is still quite impressive. The wardrobe is one of the 80s, and so is the makeup and hairdo.

The big hair, the over the top makeup, the boom box, and mid-twenties actors playing teenagers, are all ready for a horror night! But not to worry, it is worth the watch!

The Demonic Stereotypes

In the 80s, horror movies were basically either classic or not so much. Night of the Demons, however, is a love or hate situation. The reason why that movie stuck with me is because of the information given that is entirely accurate.

Angela is not the main character but one of significant importance, as she becomes the face of the franchise that followed. However, for this movie, she’s the “goth weirdo” that explains the difference between a haunting and possession.

A haunting occurs after the death of someone who’s business is either unfinished or isn’t ready to cross over. The haunting comes from someone or something that once lived.

However, a possession through a demonic entity happens with a soulless being. A demon was never alive, as we know. A demon is not human and doesn’t exist in this plane of existence. It is pure evil, according to many, and for the purpose of the movie.

The explanation is accurate, for the most part. Even the séance before the mirror when all teen gathers to focus on Angela to see her past life. It is a ritual that is part of prevalent witchcraft.

However, as seen in the movie, it can also invite unwanted guests. As Angela specifies in Night of the Demons, it is quite easy to summon spirits and demons on Halloween when all portals are open.

A Demon Or A Ghost?

The demonic entity awakened on Halloween but becomes more in control after the mirror séance. The face is quite impressive looking and is pure 80s prop! Love it! The party group didn’t see the face appearing in the mirror. Only one of them did and got quite scared following the Preacher’s kid outside the house to leave afterward.

What is different about that movie is that none of them are stupid. All friends all have a bit of knowledge either concerning the house or the spirit world. Angela might be the expert when it comes to the demonic subject.

“A haunted house is a house with ghosts in it, the spirits of people who’ve died, but the spirits living in a house possessed never existed in human form. They’ve only existed in spirit form. They’re pure evil. They’re demons!“

Night of the Demons, Angela

She explains that noises, foul smells, and freezing breeze are typical signs of possession. She also shares the information that demons don’t have to possess people. They can possess a land, an object, or in this case, a house.

Note here that demonic possessions are usually quite slow and take a lot of time. Also, a stomp or various noises don’t necessarily mean a possession.

The combination of the three could easily be a simple haunting. What actually makes the demonic possession plausible in this case is the story one of them said before the party.

A Little Backstory To The Hull House

The Hull House is where the Halloween party takes place organized by Angela and her sexually active friend, Suzanne. On their way to the house, Judy‘s friend and his girlfriend reveal the story of the Hull House.

The land suffered a curse even before the colonization when Native Americans wouldn’t also settle on the ground. The Hull House served as a mortuary mansion with a crematorium and a cemetery attached to the land.

A streak of water surrounds the property and is marked by a brick wall skirting the water—that is a proof of demonic activity. Water is the number one most forceful weapon against demons and can easily contain them, especially a streak of freshwater. It’s nature against a force from another plane of existence protecting itself.

The fact that the Hull House had many deaths within it didn’t help its cause. The family and workers became victims of the demonic possession of the land and died brutal deaths when one person turned against the entire family and crew.

Mass murder followed by suicide led the area deserted and appealing to Angela and Suzanne to host a Halloween party. The 1988 Night of the Demons is such a great experience if only for the look of the demons!

Spreading The Demonic Infestation!

The demonic entity multiplies throughout the movie by going from one host to the next, infecting each friend either through a kiss or sexual intercourse. Also, if you die, you come back as a demon if on the land on the inner side of the water streak.

Each party friend falls victim to the demon entity except for two who try desperately to survive the night. The energy the demon activates is often where Angela or Suzanne is in a different area of the mansion. It is in line with what would occur if a real demonic possession would take place.

The Cliches And Overacting

In this movie, as I mentioned earlier, it’s the 80s horror in all its glory! So, of course, the acting is not the best you get. However, there are next to no “classic” jump-scare.

The main question I had was, “Why on Earth would Judy—the main character, dressed as Alice and clearly not an easy girl to get, would remove her underwear when putting on her Alice costume?”

The next nude scene is with Suzanne, but the character is one of a girl who likes to party and have a good time, so it fits right.

We have two Suzanne boob-flashing scenes, two sex scenes, but the other couple making love in the coffin isn’t showing anything. So if you’re looking for lots of boobies and frontals, this isn’t the movie for you. It’s actually quite reasonable for nudity.

The main clichés are the screams by the main character and believe me, her catchphrase is, “I can’t!” What I deplore was the character Stooge, who show signs of abuse toward his friend Helen calling her a bitch and saying, “We can’t take that bitch anywhere!” after she sees the demonic face in the mirror and wants to leave the Hull House.

But, in the end, Stooge gets what he deserves.

Overall, I give Night of the Demons from 1988 a stable, 7.2/10.
It is the 80s in all its glory and worth it as a B Horror Movie.

The OCD Vampire,
Alexa Wayne