Cast

 

Larry Day ... Larry

 

Amelia Kinkade ... Angela

 

Kris Holden-Ried ... Vince

 

Gregory Calpakis ... Nick

 

Tara Slone ... Lois

 

Christian Tessier ... Orson

 

Joel Gordon ... Reggie

 

Patricia Rodriguez ... Abbie

 

Stephanie Bauder ... Holly

 

Ian McDonald ... Clerk

 

Richard Jutras ... Rookie Cop

 

Minor Mustain ... Veteran Cop

 

Vlasta Vrana ... Dewhurst

 

Richard Zeman ... Macho Cop

 

Sirod ... Voice of Ida

TMP RATING: 2.5/5

When a beer run goes bad for a group of pesky teens, they go completely apeshit on the convenience store clerk and end up having a shootout with a couple of police officers right there in the aisles.

 

After fleeing the scene of the crime, they decide to take refuge in the infamous Hull House, disregarding its troubled past and repeated warnings of demonic activity. But hey, it's Halloween night and they're hip 90s ruffians, so why not?

 

Being a big fan of the original Night of the Demons and Night of the Demons 2, I was very weary about checking out Angela's third outing, for fear that she may have finally lost her touch. Because once you start reaching three in sequels it can start getting a little iffy.

 

With a tagline that reads "Angela is up to her old tricks again," it'll come as no surprise that, unfortunately, she surely has.

 

Angela doesn’t really up her game in this film, but delivers the goodness that faithful fans have become accustomed to.

 

Sure, the cast of actors isn’t up to par with the last two films, and the budget on this film was far far lower than the previous two entries…it still delivers something that pulls at my horror fanatic heart strings.

 

To say Night of the Demons 3 is a little on the messy side, is probably a fair statement. After the ridiculous shootout at the start of the film, a detective, only hours away from official retirement, decides to take on the crime as his last case. He investigates with the air of a hardboiled detective from a 1940s serial, and constantly attempts to relate crime scenes to Las Vegas magic shows. I guess he doesn't really take up too much screen time, but it certainly felt like he did, and he was just plain embarrassing to watch.

 

I felt bad for him as an actor. Not at his skills, but that as fans like me watch this performance, we are going to be ripping it apart until the end of time.

 

Surrounded by utter goofiness, this character takes things just a bit too seriously and feels part of a subplot lifted from a completely different film. And as it turns out, he literally was lifted from a completely different film; the writer's previous and far superior film, Witchboard.

 

I admit it's somewhat of a cool idea to bring back a character in an unrelated story, but I think it's safe to say no one gives a shit about this detective, so what was the point in bringing him into my world of Night of the Demons.

 

I have to admit, though, that some of the things they get very wrong make for great entertainment due to the unintentionally funny side effects.

 

There's the token black guy with an affinity for "Yo Mama" jokes, a paranoid girl dressed in what appears to be a toddler's cat costume, a nerdy ginger who tries to be tough and sexy...and then there's Holly. She's clearly meant to be a badass bitch, and yet spends the entire film with a sock puppet in the shape of a snake on her arm.

 

Seriously. A SOCK PUPPET.

 

Of course the sock eventually becomes a real snake and seduces her. Because reasons. I mean, I understand that all of the characters had their gimmicks that would later come into play after their inevitable possession (the cat costume, a devil mask, etc), but this wasn't enough to make them interesting, and I think a sock puppet may have been taking things just a bit too far, don't ya say? Written by Kevin S. Tenney, director of the original Night of the Demons, as well as the writer/director of the wonderful Witchboard, it's rather surprising that this film turned out to be the mild disappointment it was compared to the rest.

 

He may not be the greatest writer around, but I'd think he'd know better than this. Night of the Demons 3 certainly gives us plenty of reasons to stay far, far away, and yet I can't help but have a bit of sympathy for it, as well as that I actually do somewhat enjoy this film.

 

Angela and her crazy demonic ass will always have a special place in my heart, and with lots of unintentional humor and demonic possession, it's hard to call this film boring or brush it off as a complete waste. It's undoubtedly a big step down from the previous installments, and as a sendoff for such a well loved horror movie villain, it's unfortunately a complete failure.

 

As a quirky low-budget hodgepodge from the 90s, however, it's entertaining enough to warrant a single viewing, and belongs in a true collectors collection. So check it out if you haven't already seen it, which I understand if you haven't. Even the most hardcore of horror fans somehow let this film slip past them upon its secretive releasing.

 

Till Next Time Kiddies…

 

-RJ