Celebrating its 35th anniversary, 1988’s Night of the Demons is a perfect Halloween party movie; not merely because the plot involves a Halloween party, but it embodies the spirit of the holiday.
Director Kevin Tenney (Witchboard) and writer Joe Augustyn veer between creepy and campy throughout the 90-minute runtime. A playfully spooky atmosphere is immediately established by the Scooby Doo-esque animated credit sequence set to a bombastic synth theme by the director’s brother, Dennis Michael Tenney.
The plot follows a group of rowdy high schoolers to a deadly party at the infamous Hull House. As goth hostess Angela Franklin (Amelia Kinkade) explains, the abandoned abode is possessed rather than haunted: “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.” A seance awakens the spirits, who start turning the partygoers into savage demons.
Director Kevin Tenney (Witchboard) and writer Joe Augustyn veer between creepy and campy throughout the 90-minute runtime. A playfully spooky atmosphere is immediately established by the Scooby Doo-esque animated credit sequence set to a bombastic synth theme by the director’s brother, Dennis Michael Tenney.
The plot follows a group of rowdy high schoolers to a deadly party at the infamous Hull House. As goth hostess Angela Franklin (Amelia Kinkade) explains, the abandoned abode is possessed rather than haunted: “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.” A seance awakens the spirits, who start turning the partygoers into savage demons.
- 10/11/2023
- by Alex DiVincenzo
- bloody-disgusting.com
It may not be the best horror movie of the ’80s, but movies like Night of the Demons are the reason we love ’80s horror. Gory, funny, sexy, scary, and silly, it’s the total package of a certain type of horror film that made so many of us fall for the genre in the first place. It’s like mainlining 88 minutes of monstrous fun directly into our horror-loving hearts.
The story is a simple one: goth girl Angela (Amelia Kinkade) is having a Halloween party at an abandoned mortuary that’s supposedly been haunted since a series of grisly murders were committed years earlier. She gathers a group of friends, some booze, and some music, but things don’t go exactly as planned and before you know it, Angela is conducting a séance to pass the time. Unfortunately, she conjures up a long-dormant demonic spirit in the process, which...
The story is a simple one: goth girl Angela (Amelia Kinkade) is having a Halloween party at an abandoned mortuary that’s supposedly been haunted since a series of grisly murders were committed years earlier. She gathers a group of friends, some booze, and some music, but things don’t go exactly as planned and before you know it, Angela is conducting a séance to pass the time. Unfortunately, she conjures up a long-dormant demonic spirit in the process, which...
- 7/18/2018
- by Patrick Bromley
- DailyDead
So many of our favorite horror films are turning 30 this year! We are going to need a lot of pearls! Taking place in late July, Hollywood Horrorfest will include a Night of the Demons 30th anniversary fundraising screening and celebration to benefit the Vincent Price Art Museum in Los Angeles. Director Kevin Tenney and members of the cast and crew will take the stage for a Q&A after the screening, which will also be followed by an ’80s-themed after-party:
Press Release: -- Cult film and ‘80s fan favorite Night Of The Demons is celebrating its 30th birthday at Hollywood Horrorfest Saturday, July 28 with the colorful fundraising event benefiting the Vincent Price Art Museum in East Los Angeles.
Director Kevin Tenney and his film’s cast and crew, including Philip Tanzini, Cathy Podewell, Kevin Kutchaver, Kathy Zielinski, Steve Johnson, Lance Fenton, Billy Gallo, and Hal Havins (more names Tba) will...
Press Release: -- Cult film and ‘80s fan favorite Night Of The Demons is celebrating its 30th birthday at Hollywood Horrorfest Saturday, July 28 with the colorful fundraising event benefiting the Vincent Price Art Museum in East Los Angeles.
Director Kevin Tenney and his film’s cast and crew, including Philip Tanzini, Cathy Podewell, Kevin Kutchaver, Kathy Zielinski, Steve Johnson, Lance Fenton, Billy Gallo, and Hal Havins (more names Tba) will...
- 7/17/2018
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
On this week’s episode: Andy Triefenbach, Mike Hassler and Jeremy Jones take in a double feature on a witchy, magical double feature on Amazon Prime Video with 1982’s The Killing of Satan and 1975’s Black Magic! We also have our final three years of Horrorlimination and what we’ve been watching between the recording of this episode and last episode. Strap in!
As always, we invite you to join our Facebook Group, where we have discussions concerning the episodes and other fiendishly good stuff.
Show Notes:
00:02:25 – What We’ve Been Watching
Jeremy – The Lords of Salem / Let Us Pray / My Bloody Valentine 3D / Valentine / “Channel Zero: Butcher’s Block” / The Ritual
Mike – The Core (Shudder) / Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl / My Friend Dahmer / Tragedy Girls / Annihilation / The Ritual
Andy – Never Hike Alone (view film here) / Heavy Metal / Messiah of Evil / Tremors
00:39:39 – #GetUpInDemGuts: The Killing of Satan...
As always, we invite you to join our Facebook Group, where we have discussions concerning the episodes and other fiendishly good stuff.
Show Notes:
00:02:25 – What We’ve Been Watching
Jeremy – The Lords of Salem / Let Us Pray / My Bloody Valentine 3D / Valentine / “Channel Zero: Butcher’s Block” / The Ritual
Mike – The Core (Shudder) / Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl / My Friend Dahmer / Tragedy Girls / Annihilation / The Ritual
Andy – Never Hike Alone (view film here) / Heavy Metal / Messiah of Evil / Tremors
00:39:39 – #GetUpInDemGuts: The Killing of Satan...
- 3/2/2018
- by Andy Triefenbach
- Destroy the Brain
In a decade overrun with sequels, Kevin Tenney’s Night of the Demons stood out above the competition with its perfect mixture of shock and schlock. A staple for Halloween parties and sleepovers, this darkly comedic, satanic-tinged slasher rattled the eyes with its gory corn syrupy kills and startled the ears with its Carpenter-esque score supplied by Dennis Michael Tenney.
With Lunaris Records dusting off the master tapes for the vinyl release of Tenney’s score, the label had the foresight to summon for the cover art HorrorHound artist Devon Whitehead, whose possessed penmanship expelled the razor-sharp imagery that will help bring Night of the Demons into the minds of a new generation.
Describing how he got involved with the project, Whitehead says, “Chris MacGibbon, a diehard Night of the Demons fan was familiar with my work and recommended me to Lunaris, and they emailed me. [I was a] huge fan myself.
With Lunaris Records dusting off the master tapes for the vinyl release of Tenney’s score, the label had the foresight to summon for the cover art HorrorHound artist Devon Whitehead, whose possessed penmanship expelled the razor-sharp imagery that will help bring Night of the Demons into the minds of a new generation.
Describing how he got involved with the project, Whitehead says, “Chris MacGibbon, a diehard Night of the Demons fan was familiar with my work and recommended me to Lunaris, and they emailed me. [I was a] huge fan myself.
- 4/17/2017
- by Sam Hart
- DailyDead
Well, March is definitely “going out like a lamb” (as the old saying goes) when it comes to horror and sci-fi home entertainment releases, as there are only several different titles coming home this Tuesday.
Universal Studios is releasing J.A. Bayona’s heartbreaking modern fable, A Monster Calls, to both Blu-ray and DVD this week, and if you're a cult film fan, then you have a few fun movies to look forward to adding to your home collections: Witchtrap, Venom, and the four-film collection for Wishmaster, a new addition to the Vestron Video Collector’s Series.
Other notable releases for March 28th include Mortuary Massacre, The Abduction of Jennifer Grayson, Park Chan-Wook's The Handmaiden (which finally gets the Blu-ray treatment), and for the little monster fans, Monster High: Electrified.
A Monster Calls (Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Blu/DVD/Digital HD & DVD)
Liam Neeson, Felicity Jones, and Sigourney Weaver...
Universal Studios is releasing J.A. Bayona’s heartbreaking modern fable, A Monster Calls, to both Blu-ray and DVD this week, and if you're a cult film fan, then you have a few fun movies to look forward to adding to your home collections: Witchtrap, Venom, and the four-film collection for Wishmaster, a new addition to the Vestron Video Collector’s Series.
Other notable releases for March 28th include Mortuary Massacre, The Abduction of Jennifer Grayson, Park Chan-Wook's The Handmaiden (which finally gets the Blu-ray treatment), and for the little monster fans, Monster High: Electrified.
A Monster Calls (Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Blu/DVD/Digital HD & DVD)
Liam Neeson, Felicity Jones, and Sigourney Weaver...
- 3/28/2017
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Witness the evil in the Lauder House in Kevin Tenney's supernatural horror film Witchtrap (1989), starring James Quinn and Linnea Quigley, and coming out on Blu-ray / DVD courtesy of Vinegar Syndrome this March.
Witchtrap Blu-ray / DVD: "This item will be released on March 28, 2017.
For years, the Lauder House has been plagued by strange and violent occurrences. Unexplained deaths and seemingly supernatural activities have scared away all prospective tenants and buyers, but now its owners have decided to turn the old mansion into a bed and breakfast. Follow a team of paranormal experts as they attempt to remove the demonic forces and cleanse the property of all evil, through the use of a special device designed to lure in and trap evil spirits. But as soon as they arrive the violence begins again, as members of the team begin to meet increasingly bloody fates…
Director Kevin Tenney’s (Night Of The Demons...
Witchtrap Blu-ray / DVD: "This item will be released on March 28, 2017.
For years, the Lauder House has been plagued by strange and violent occurrences. Unexplained deaths and seemingly supernatural activities have scared away all prospective tenants and buyers, but now its owners have decided to turn the old mansion into a bed and breakfast. Follow a team of paranormal experts as they attempt to remove the demonic forces and cleanse the property of all evil, through the use of a special device designed to lure in and trap evil spirits. But as soon as they arrive the violence begins again, as members of the team begin to meet increasingly bloody fates…
Director Kevin Tenney’s (Night Of The Demons...
- 2/10/2017
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
Hey everyone! Jeff here with a very special post… This one isn’t a movie review (at least not in the classic sense), nor is it in any way related to a podcast or a film festival… Nope, this post is my contribution to the Liberal Dead Staff’s “Movies To Watch Around Halloween” series.
If you can’t tell, October is my favorite month of the year; not just because it is when the Toronto After Dark Film Festival takes place, but because it’s home to my favorite holiday – Halloween – and it’s the one month out of the year where “normal” society seems to be okay with all things horror-related. But, then again, I’m sure you all understand that sentiment, so I’m likely preaching to the choir here… As such, I won’t waste any time explaining my reason for jumping in on the fun of list-making.
If you can’t tell, October is my favorite month of the year; not just because it is when the Toronto After Dark Film Festival takes place, but because it’s home to my favorite holiday – Halloween – and it’s the one month out of the year where “normal” society seems to be okay with all things horror-related. But, then again, I’m sure you all understand that sentiment, so I’m likely preaching to the choir here… As such, I won’t waste any time explaining my reason for jumping in on the fun of list-making.
- 10/31/2012
- by Jeff Konopka
- The Liberal Dead
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