Urban sophisticates visit a small town and are met with suspicious, evasive locals. That is the plot of about, oh, 1,000 horror films at last count – and in particular, Demons 3.
Demons 3 gifts us a prologue, which every horror film in the 80s was required by have by law, featuring a young mom Cheryl’s terrifying childhood visions.
Cheryl, her husband and kid are travelling around Southern Italy. And mom, a Portland horror novelist can’t seem to escape childhood dreams/traumas that befell her in Oregon and these aren’t providing much in the way of inspiration as she looks for a place to get some writing done, a la The Shining.
The fam arrives at what will be their home for several months, and wow the local barista with their Italian language abilities. But café denizens give them the stink eye when the question of the family’s holiday destination comes up – turns out they’re staying in a dusty castle rather than a charming air b’n’b.
And before you can say, The Shining, but also Sinister, House, or Burnt Offerings, the writer is going mad in the confines of their accommodations. And it certainly doesn’t help matters that she’s skulking around the cobweb-ridden basement with a flashlight instead of pecking away at a keyboard.
Made-for-TV Demons 3 is a tame affair. But it has some flare associated with Fulci productions, probably because the co-writer Dardano Sachetti was a longtime Lucio collaborator. Actually, this one carries a whiff of the lesser known, Demonia.
Also known as Demons III: The Ogre, it’s worth noting for all you title purists out there, that there are no actual demons in this kinda-sequel to Lamberto Bava’s first two gore-fests, the iconic Demons and less iconic Demons 2.
When the demons-displacing title Ogre makes an appearance, it’s hardly breathtaking – but this one’s still fun.
*** (out of 5)
Check out the Demons 3 discussion on the Really Awful Movies Podcast!
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