THE
DEMON (1979)
Directed by Percival Rubens
Diamond DVD
Reviewed 01.26.05
Review by Joseph A. Ziemba
THE FILM
It’s funny. Just when I think
I’m beyond getting creeped
out by a slasher, The Demon comes along and rocks my socks clear
off.
Part of it was the random, disjointed
weirdness of the plot. A lot of
it was the motive-less ferociousness
of the killer. Then we have Cameron
Mitchell, hamming it up like a junior
high drama club teacher, sweating
out every word as if air conditioners
were going out of style. Violent
(but not gory), sleazy, and dark,
“The Demon” caught me
way off guard and quenched my nostalgic
nibble for old school slasher spooks.
It’s true.
Now then, here’s a film that
really knows how to kick it off.
After a plastic bag strangulation
(or was it?), the “demon,”
a white-faced killer with tiny knives
on his black-fingered gloves, grabs
a young girl from her home and drags
her through the woods in the pitch
of night. Naturally, the girl’s
parents call on ex-marine and psychic
kook Cameron Mitchell to help weed-out
the killer. Bleeding Skull loves
psychics-as-heavies in trash films.
What can I say? After meeting with
the parents, Mr. Mitchell performs
some kinda crazed psychic bru-ha-ha
in the girl’s bedroom, gets
really sweaty, and subsequently
supplies awful drawings of what
the killer might be wearing. Cut
to soon-to-be-main-plot-focus Mary
and her 18 year old British cousin,
Jo. Jo is having an affair with
an older man in fantastic Travolta
rags and spouts off ridiculous dialogue
like “Drive me to the moon.”
Mary and Jo both work at a daycare
center, where Mr. Demon shows up
outside of windows and begins following
Mary.
Guess what? That’s all I’m
going to tell you. Needless to say,
pretty much everything that happens
next is a total surprise, from the
fate of our psychic to the copious
amounts of unnecessary nudity at
the film’s conclusion. So
why ruin it? Elements that would
normally be viewed as awful film
conventions (poor acting, major
plot points going unexplained) take
on a different role here. The “bad”
stuff elevates this odd film above
the slasher-norm, fully based on
weirdness alone. Care to join me
at the "Boobs Disco" later
on tonight?
AUDIO AND VIDEO
It's no secret: The Demon is available on DVD from several
budget companies. After comparisons,
Diamond's version edges out the
competition, just by a nose. The
print utilized here appears to be
the same full frame VHS port as
offered on other discs, but it's
not as washed out or artifact-riddled.
Granted, things are still dark,
but this transfer is entirely watchable
and way cheaper than tracking down
the original tape. That should give
you an idea of what to expect.
EXTRAS
The back of the case lists such
wonders as "Original Graphics"
and "Interactive Menus"
as supplements. What we really get
is a "Bio & Fun Facts"
section, which contains taglines
and brief notes for the film, as
well as sparse bios for Cameron
Mitchell and Jennifer Holmes. Fantastic.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Here’s the scoop: great film,
not so great presentation. For the
time being, Diamond's dirt cheap
disc is an affordable and easy way
to experience the insane wonders
of The Demon, but
let’s hold out hope for a
better version somewhere down the
line. |
Psychic sniffer
Your eyes do not deceive
Squint harder
Maybe she's born with it
|
