MY CALL: I consider this sequel to be a far better film and far more fun than Night of the Demons (1988). Featuring everything you loved from before, but with more of it and more handsomely packaged. If you only see one of the four Night of the Demons movies, make it this one. MOVIES LIKE Night of the Demons 2: Night of the Demons (1988), Night of the Demons 3 (1997) and The Hazing (2004).
Director Brian Trenchard-Smith (Leprechaun 3, Leprechaun 4: In Space) picks up where Kevin Tenney (Night of the Demons, Witchboard 1-2) left off. We find the now permanently demonic and prettier Angela (Amelia Kinkade; Night of the Demons 1-3) residing in the same haunted house where we left her possessed by a demon in 1988.
And staying true to the somewhat raunchy path paved by Tenney, Trenchard-Smith doles out the nudity early and heavily by suggesting that bedtime in the Catholic school girls’ dormitory means “panties and topless time.”
“Is that really what you wear to bed?”
Creating a more formal continuity, the end of Night of the Demons (1988) is recounted as a dormitory ghost story noting that everyone was found mangled and dead except for Angela, who was missing and presumably remains a part of Hull House. This ghost story is particularly troubling to Mouse (Merle Kennedy; May, Dollman, Leprechaun 3).
The actors in this sequel glow compare to those who came before them. Both written and acted more convincingly, they include Z-Boy (Darin Heames; Dr. Giggles, Alien Nation: The Enemy Within), Rick (Rick Peters; Leprechaun 4: In Space), Terri (Christine Taylor; The Craft, Campfire Tales, Room 6) and Kurt (Ladd York; Leprechaun 4: In Space).
For his aptitude regarding the occult, Perry (Robert Jayne; Tremors 1 & 3 & TV series) seems to be modeled after Christian Slater’s role in Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990), and Shirley (Zoe Trilling; Night Terrors, Dr. Giggles, Leprechaun 3) appears to be assuming Linnea Quigley’s Night of the Demons (1988) role as the raunchy girl with the demonic lipstick-eating breasts.
Father Bob (Rod McCary; also Father Bob in Leprechaun 3, 976-Evil II, Komodo vs Cobra) and Sister Gloria (Jennifer Rhodes; Halloween, Slumber Party Massacre II, Charmed) run the Catholic school and both characters offer a lot of flavor and fun personality to this movie.
During preparations for the Halloween dance Perry’s interest in demonology inspires him to perform a summoning ritual using the dark tome called the Necronomicon (not sure where he got that exactly) and Shirley rounds everyone up for a Halloween party at Hull House. So what could possibly go wrong? How about demonic possession? Much as in the Evil Dead series (1981, 1987, 2013) and Demons 1-2 (1985, 1986), demonic possession is quite contagious.
Like its predecessor—but bigger and better—it has its raunchy moments, taking every opportunity to deliver boobs, bra and panty shots, more boobs, some sex scenes both demonic and human, and a LOT of sexy dancing. Sexy demon-possessed dancing actually turns out to be a theme in this franchise, and Angela has returned to defend her title!
The raunchiness is heavily complemented by the campy yet clearly deliberate cheese factor. For example, like in part 1 either injury or kissing transmits demonic possession like an STD… and more often than not, it’s girl-on-girl kissing or forced kissing. We also have demon heads in toilets, deliberately lame creepy shadow stalking and randomly “poof” appearing demons, a nun arming herself like she’s Rambo, filling water balloons and super soakers with holy water, sexually aggressive demon hands and infernal trouser snakes, multiple sports references involving a severed head, a ninja turtle head-poking nun, during the sacrifice finale Angela actually seems to use the Force to paralyze two teenagers, and at one point they play stock footage of part 1 Angela (with shorter non-permed hair) floating down the hall. It’s all quite delightful.
Note the hairstyle change.
This sequel is to Night of the Demons what Evil Dead 2 (1987) was to Evil Dead (1981); a remake masquerading as a sequel. Only in this case, it builds on the story much as The Thing (2011) was a prequel that replayed key scenes from the 1981 original as if it were a remake. And like The Thing (2011) and Evil Dead 2 (1987), it offers a lot “more” of everything. More boobs, more melty demons, more raunchiness, more cheesy ploys, more sexy dancing, more “lipstick scenes” and more gore.
The effects and gore include more demonic faces with mangled demon teeth, an infernal acidic handshake, bloody decapitation, a phallic lipstick demon parasite, holy water-soaked gore-slathered demons melting like Gremlins (1984), snake monster Angela and a deliciously chunky gory explosion. There is a solid range of horror effects entertainment.
Additionally, this sequel makes a great callback to the fan favorite Night of the Demons “lipstick scene.” The very lipstick Suzanne (Linnea Quigley) inserted into her breast is discovered again. After an attempted mouth-rape impregnation, the lipstick transforms into a fleshy tendril and crawls up into a girl like the Evil Dead (1987, 2013) tree rape—it was not consensual. It’s gross and quite provocative, and now it’s possessed this young lady and imbued her with demonic breasts which then literally attack someone!
In the end evil is vanquished and the demonic lipstick is found outside of the Catholic school to usher in another sequel…which does in fact come along in 1997 followed by a 2009 remake.
However campy this sequel may be, the writing is far more credible (i.e., less silly), the acting is superior, and there is actually some substance and reason to the story. Whether you love gore, boobs, or gore on boobs (yep, that happens), this movie is for you. Honestly, even if not a single breast populated this movie, it would still be a popcorn favorite of mine. It’s loads of fun, it’s never slow, and there is a broad range of gross effects waiting to entertain you.
Highly recommended for a laugh while unwinding after your Halloween party, or as an installment to mark on your 31 Streaming Films for 31 Days “Horror Calendar.”
