Horror Movie Review: Demonwarp (1988)

Few films embody the golden era of horror that was the 80s then a film like Demonwarp. A film that perfectly captures how adventurous studios were. How any idea could be given credence, and often, it would result in something quite mad. It is my favourite era of horror, even if the home direct-to-video market meant a lot of rubbish was churned out.

Demonwarp is rubbish, but it’s so mental, it doesn’t matter. It is, quite possibly, a ‘so bad, it’s good’ kind of film, but you could also call it a ‘kitchen sink’ kind of film.

Directed by Emmett Alston, Demonwarp seems to take some of its prompts from the 1980 gorefest, Night of the Demon. In that something big, hairy, and horrible is a threat to a group of young adults in the woods somewhere. In fact, for a while, Demonwarp seems quite pedestrian.

David Michael O’Neill stars as Jack, who goes to his uncle’s cabin in the woods with his friends for some partying. At least that is what Carrie (Pamela Gilbert), Cindy (Colleen McDermott), Tom (Billy Jayne) and Fred (Hank Stratton) think they are doing. You see Jack has an ulterior motive, and it involves hunting a beast. One suspected of murdering a woman and dragging his uncle off, never to be seen again.

They meet Bill (George Kennedy), who is all too aware of the monster’s existence, as his daughter also fell victim to it. However, rather than work together, they end up at loggerheads.

It’s all so simple, right? Well hold on to your George Kennedy comb-over because once night falls, and following some gratuitous nudity, the beast attacks and it is game on. Several characters are killed, and the Bigfoot-looking monster destroys their car. The next day, hunting season officially starts. Except here are two random girls looking for a marijuana field. One which is played by George’s daughter Shannon Kennedy. Which is apparently one of the reasons he agreed to do the film.

Cue more toplessness, more attacks, and just as most will be starting to lose hope, Demonwarp takes a big old dose of acid, and introduces a plethora of new ideas. Most of which make no sense but turn this into something quite special. Aliens, zombies, wizards… oh my! It’s madness, bloody madness, as the gore is upped significantly too, but it’s so much fun. Or at least I thought it was. I completely understand how this kind of nonsense would be off-putting to others, but this kind of weird creativity appeals to me.

I’m not going to tell you Demonwarp is a good film though, because that is a lie. The pacing is rough, the characters are basic and bland, the performances are lifeless, and it stops making sense once the aliens are introduced. All reasons to avoid this mess. However, if you can switch off your brain, you’ll find tons of blood, boobs, and bizarre antics to keep you entertained for a little while. I’m confident that this one can rightfully be called a bit of a hidden gem.