There are "one hit wonders" not only in pop and rock music, but also in cinema. Lamberto Bava, son of the more famous director Mario Bava, seems to be such a one hit wonder. He has directed one very good, action packed horror film called Demoni, and to the best of my knowledge, nothing else worth mentioning.
I have no exact idea of how successful Demoni was commercially, but obviously it was successful enough to spin off sequels. Sadly, I must confess that I have wasted my money and actually watched them through. It was a painful experience that I want to share, so first a few comments about the sequels.
I made the mistake of seeing them in the late 1980s when there was no real information available on these movies. At present there is plenty of information floating around, and hence you have no excuses for being ignorant. Now listen very carefully or you could be doomed to repeat my horrendous mistakes.
All right. I feel I have now fulfilled my duty of warning you of the sequels. If you decide to watch them anyway, just blame yourself for your disappointments. I know I had to use Fast Forward button quite a few times so as not to fall asleep, so why don't we forget the shitty sequels and focus on the first Demoni from now on.
The good news is that the original Demoni is a very entertaining, fast-paced and even stylish horror film. Plot-wise, this is a very simple and comic book like movie. A bunch of people find themselves trapped in a strange movie theater, and soon they must fight for their lives against nasty creatures called demons. There is plenty of action and graphic violence, and the camerawork is very good. The soundtrack is quite exceptional. In addition to a nice, upbeat, very 1980s score by Claudio Simonetti, we get to hear music by Billy Idol, Saxon, Accept, Mötley Crüe and Go West. This is really fantastic stuff.
I also like the fact that in this movie the people who are trapped act pretty rationally. In most horror movies we see folks wandering around aimlessly under all kinds of threatening circumstances, practically begging to be attacked. In Demoni we see some of that, but we also see a group that tries to organize itself, and individuals fiercely fight against the demons in order to save themselves.
Some reviewers have called Demoni a rollercoaster ride and that is a pretty good description. I heartily recommend Demoni to all horror and action movie fans. Actually, I do not have anything negative to say about this fantastic film. So do yourself a favour, get the uncensored version and enjoy. And once more, remember my warnings about the sequels.