Six years have passed since the horrific massacre at Hull House that left multiple partying teenagers dead, and save for initial organizer Angela Franklin, authorities have recovered all of the bodies. Still, the rumor persists that Angela inhabits the abode, her soul having descended to hell and returned as a demonic entity. On the other end of town, the youngest of the Franklin children, Melissa, is staying at a Catholic boarding school, having been orphaned following her parents' suicide after her sister's disappearance. Despite having multiple nightmares about her sibling, Melissa is coerced by her more vibrant, and occasionally mean schoolmates into sneaking out and attending a Halloween party at the abandoned residence. Before long, the servant of satan resurfaces, expressing her intentions to leave and rejoin the land of the living, no matter what.
Two years ago, I was lucky enough to watch the beloved 1988 horror-comedy classic Night Of The Demons. In fact, should you have some extra free time, you can read my thoughts here. Without spoiling too much, I can safely say that it still stands as one of my favorite discoveries from doing this yearly tradition, and my gorgeous t-shirt from horror apparel fanatics Fright-Rags should be proof of that. Truth be told, had I gone back on my plan to watch the entire Leprechaun franchise (which indeed seems to be a reality), both sequels were on board as alternate picks for 1994 and 1997. Well, seeing as how I can only stand Warwick Davis spouting morbid limericks for so long, the final decision to take a look at the hideous demon Angela's return from hades was made.
And oh Angela, Angela, Angela. I could go on for days about much I love Amelia Kinkade as an actress, though it would most likely bore every single person who isn't well-versed in the field of scary movies. You can tell that she just relishes playing the antagonist of this series, combining camp, seductiveness, and idiosyncrasy better than most people would give her credit for. Heck, she even makes it a habit to dance to an obscure song choice for no reason other than to captivate you and get you spreading the gospel of Night Of The Demons (for #1, it was Bauhaus. For #2, it's Morbid Angel). It is a bit depressing to hear that she's distanced herself from these pictures over the years (mostly due to thinking that there's too much negativity in the world as it is), but at least she didn't go too crazy and become a pet psychic or something.
.......I have to learn to keep my mouth shut.
Anyways, despite being the face of this franchise, Kinkade isn't the main focus of any installment. Unfortunately, I believe that this is what sinks this particular sequel, leaving you wondering as to who was who (save for a younger Christine Taylor of Dodgeball and Zoolander fame), even when the body count starts to rise. Yes, most of the female cast sheds articles of clothing at a shockingly high rate, and Jennifer Rhodes portrays possibly the coolest nun in the history of horror cinema, but the rest of the cast is just so unbelievably bland (and look far older than any teenager you'll ever see), it makes the occasionally one-dimensional cast of the original flick look fleshed out in comparison. When they finally get a time to shine, attempting to show some personality, sixty minutes have passed, and they require the assistance of tools such as water balloons filled with holy water (something reused for From Dusk Till Dawn) in order to get over with the audience. Don't get me wrong, it leads to some funny moments and fun kills, but it felt a little cheap.
I could have predicted this even before writing anything down, but once I left the 1980s portion of Unseen Terror's "Dirty Thirty" iteration, the thought entered my mind that my choice in horror films this year was going to eventually hit a large, noticeable snag. Thankfully, Night Of The Demons 2 just barely scrapes by as a good enough time for when you have some spare time to kill. Had it not been for the niece of Rue McClanahan-turned-crazy animal lady and the final third of the motion picture, I don't know if I would have been so kind to this sequel. Still, if you have some extra cash lying around, it is available to rent on Amazon Prime for about $2.99, and can be purchased online from select retailers for assorted prices, though the Blu-Ray may be harder to obtain these days that it should be.
Tomorrow, good ol' Clint Howard makes a return to Unseen Terror, and it may be his most infamous appearance to date...
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