What with nearly all the big classic horror fanchises being snapped up and remade (mostly by Platinum Dunes it would seem) it is great to see some of the more obscure movies being remade. Adam Gierasch's Night of the Demons is a remake of a fondly remembered but cheap and campy 1988 movie which, unlike some of its more ilustrious cousins, actually benefits from this update.

The story is textbook '80s stuff, a bunch of young partygoers find themselves trapped in a spooky old house where they are picked off one by one by hideous demonic beings. Adam Gierasch and Jace Anderson's script never loses sight of the inherent silliness of the premise and in fact embraces that very quality. There is a tone of knowing wit present thoughout which balances the more unbelievable aspects of the story but never descends into outright parody.

The direction is from the start, slick and entertaining as we are given a short and bloody history of the Broussard Mansion (replacing the original's Hull House only in name)and its ill-fated former occupants. The sequence ends in a gruesome decapitation which sets the tone for the oncoming film.

Moving forwards to present day the main chaarcters are introduced, who are the expected bunch of beautiful young people with their ample (or in the case of Bobbi Sue Luther - extremely ample) assets on show. The script gives them some great dialogue however and its natural and humorously dirty spin sets it apart not only from the original film but also the majority of its fun but forgettable stablemates. The cast also do a great job and have alot of fun with their characters with Shannon Elizabeth's Angela, the gothy party-host who becomes the demon head honcho, having the hardest job as she does her best to fill the inimitable Amelia Kinkade's black wedding dress. Edward Furlong is also a welcome addition to the cast as a slightly crap drug dealer and plays his character with game gusto and perhaps just a trace of personal experience.

Unlike in the original, the party in this film actually looks like the sort of party you might want to go to. The booze is flowing, the people are hot and the music is rocking. Attentive viewers will notice that even Victor Crowley takes a night off from sanding off young women's faces to put in an appearance. Of course it isn't long before the party is raided and all the revellers sent away except for our trusty group of demon-fodder who somehow end up locked inside. It isn't long before they have inadvertently set the ancient evil force that resides in the house free and the fun begins.

Adam Gierasch peppers the subsequent carange with enough references and replays of key scenes form the original to keep purists happy whilst adding plenty of new gory set pieces of his own. The 'lipstick scene' made infamous by Linnea Quigley (who incidentally turns up in a cheeky cameo) makes a welcome return with a significantly more extreme upgrade. Angela's famous dance scene also enjoys a (slightly less succesful) update. These are also joined by such wonderfully unpleasant things as demonic anal rape and faces being completely torn off which is all much more fun than it sounds.

The soundtrack is an incredibly important part of this movie and it works for it magnificently. Joe Bishara's original score works to bombastic effect alongside tracks from the likes of Type O Negative and Goat Whore. This film is by Gierasch's own admission intended as a "punk rock horror movie" and on that basis it certainly doesn't disappoint.

It doesn't fare quite so well in other areas unfortunately, there is an over-reliance on a 'protected room' the survivors find in the house and the intentional daftness of the script doesn't always quite walk the line between horror and pastiche. An explanation given for why the demons are vulnerable to rust (?!) of all things does veer perilously close to outright piss-take but whenever these moments occur they are very quickly redeemed by a topless demon woman crawling on the ceiling or a multitude of demon arms bursting through the walls.

This movie has zero pretensions of grandeur and makes no attempt to be a 'serious' movie of any kind. It is meant to be exactly what it is - a loud, coarse, silly film about big breasted women being chased around by slavering demons set to a hard rock soundtrack. Best seen at a late night showing with a bunch of horror fans, Night of the Demons knows its audience and those are the guys who will truly love this film.

Rating: 7/10

For more on Angela, the demon leader, see her entry on The Total Bastard Database