The DemonStarring: Jennifer Holmes, Cameron Mitchell, Craig Gardner, Zoli Markey, Peter J. Elliott, and Moira Winslow.Written and Directed by Percival Rubens.Rated R (for violence/loud noises, sexuality/nudity and some language).Running time approximately 1 hour 34 minutes. [center][/center][center]Yeah, he be
creepin', but nobody be scared.[/center] It's sort of a Halloween lite. Well, no. That's what He Knows You're Alone was, and that was much better than this nonsense. I mean, that one had Tom Hanks'first film role in it! Now, I have a very interesting story about The Demon, a film with a very similar title to the "a.k.a." title of Larry Cohen film called God Told Me To from 1977. That film's alternate title is Demon. This one is called THE Demon. The DVD releasing company, Treeline Films, apparently got a bit lost with the word "the" and packaged the dreadful Percival Rubens film in a case donning Cohen's name and the cast of his film. How did this happen? Why did this happen? So, in turn, I paid $5 for a film that was not the film advertised on the DVD artwork. I was pissed. It was fun to watch - the filmmakers took the liberty of shocking me once with the death of a main character - but not worthwhile in the least. 1/2* (out of ****) D- He Knows You're AloneStarring: Don Scardino, Caitlin O'Heaney, Elizabeth Kemp, Tom Rolfing, Lewis Arlt, Patsy Pease, James Rebhorn, Dana Barron, and Tom Hanks.Directed by Armand Mastroianni.Written by Scott Parker.Rated R (for violence/terror, sexuality and language).Running time approximately 1 hour 34 minutes. [center][/center][center]Aw, cute little Tommy Hanks! Yay![/center] This is Halloween lite. Armand Mastroianni's He Knows You're Alone has a gloriously cheesy title, a small group of pretty young women who like to joke and giggle and treat sex as comedy, a freak-ass killer the audience knows nothing about and the detective who's chasing him. In this case, we are given a bit more information - the killer likes to murder brides-to-be on the night before their wedding...and the occasional wedding dress maker. It's fun, it's scary enough and Hanks' performance is actually quite good. I liked it. *** (out of ****) B HorrorStarring: The Amazing Kreskin, Lizzy Mahon, Danny Lopes, Vincent Lamberti, Christie Sanford, and Felissa Rose.Written and Directed by Dante Tomaselli.No MPAA rating (contains horror violence/gore, language and drug use).Running time approximately 1 hour 17 minutes. [center][/center][center]Apparently, overacting and underacting, along with general ineptitude, are the new "thing."[/center] Dante Tomaselli's Horror was a surefire hit for me before I saw it. The DVD art was horrifying to me, what with a painting of a priest with a goat's head and all, and the story sounded interestingly original. I even popped it in to watch a few minutes, and it seemed decent enough. I was excited. My hoped were crushed and mutilated beyond all reason when Alex and I watched it late last evening. The film is a disaster. Dante Tomaselli, while he has a very wild imagination, has not the slightest sense of cohesive storytelling. If it was indeed his intention to create a confusing film that can be decoded in some way, he has failed. The film makes no sense and it jumps from place to place at random. These actors...oh, goodness, these actors - they are so completely horrid that I feel if the film were given better actors it would have been at least a 7 or even an eight. Surprised at that statement? Well, the visuals here are truly wonderful, and they are the only reason for the 2/10 rating I have awarded it. This is a film by a man who apparently understands the technicality of a David Lynch film, but he does not quite grasp the twisted logic or the artistry. It's horrid, but curiously interesting as well. I own it now, so I guess I'll keep it. * (out of ****) D
November 5, 2007
