Black Demons

Title: Black Demons (1991)
Rating: 2/5
Genre: Horror
Starring: Keith Van Hoven, Joe Balogh, Sonia Curtis
Director: Umberto Lenzi
Duration: 88 mins

“You were invoking evil spirits. Don’t try to deny it!”

Jessica, her brother Dick, and her boyfriend Kevin are travelers collecting regional music in Brazil. Dick is the troubled third-wheel of the party with a deep interest in voodoo. He takes part in a hidden voodoo ritual in Rio where he records the ceremonial music and is given a magic amulet. On their way to Bela Horizonte, the three break down in the jungle and run into a young couple who live in a nearby mansion that used to be home to a vile plantation slave owner. One night under possession, Dick summons the souls of 6 black slaves who were tortured and hanged by the slave owner a century ago who are hell-bent on revenge. Jessica and Kevin must deal not only with the “black demons” but with their unpredictable companion as well.

A late entry in the wave of Italian gore movies of the 80’s, Black Demons presents us with one of my favorite horror plots that combines elements of supernatural horror, slasher horror, and zombie horror while circling around the theme of revenge. This unique combination of these genres first appeared in John Carpenter’s The Fog in 1980, then caught the attention of Italians in 1987 with Killing Birds (aka Zombie 5), and finally reached the direct-to-video market with Route 666 (starring Lou Diamond Philips). This film was headed by veteran horror maestro Umberto Lenzi who is most known for starting the trend of Italian cannibal films of the 70’s with Man from Deep River. What fans know of Lenzi’s work is that the films are visually captivating but are often senseless and shallow in the substance department. Another Lenzi trademark is the onscreen violence; Black Demons provides some nasty slayings and a cringe-inducing moment or two (including a regrettable scene of animal cruelty, yet another one of Lenzi’s trademarks).

Lenzi’s 1991 film is, by this point in time, standard Italian splatter fare, the kind of stuff viewers have come to expect from this country, so it shouldn’t surprise us if the film seems “by the numbers.” And like any slasher-oriented movie, there are a handful of clichés to be seen, but I doubt anyone would complain about a nubile young lady walking around by herself in her panties, right? The only real sequence that is directly lifted from another film is the last one of Dick’s possession scenes that harkens the famous “here’s Johnny” scene from Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. The musical score is rather average as well, mostly synthesizers over exotic dance beats and eerie string drones. However, this is not to say that the music is ineffective throughout the picture, in fact it compliments the action quite well.

The acting is generally bad, with the exception of Keith Van Hoven’s role. Most of the dialog is awkwardly played, with the actors stuttering their lines every now and then. Also, and excluding Van Hoven, the acting is either exaggerated or restrained, giving us scenes where one character may be freaking out and another who may appear expressionless and unconcerned, despite their lines. The “black demons” are no exception, performance-wise. They shuffle around the creepy property in their pajamas and pose in menacing ways when the camera is upon them. I will say that the make-up effects are top notch, exactly what I would imagine reanimated demonic slave corpses would look like. The pyrotechnic effects are completely and ridiculously gratuitous, but fun to watch. I didn’t know such an explosion was possible simply by throwing a kerosene lamp! Which brings us to our last stop: lighting. The picture quality is excellent due to every set being lighted just the right amount… well, most of the time. I always have to laugh when a single candle can light up an entire dining room while a flashlight can barely light up a tool shed.

Black Demons is a fun, but conventional, spaghetti horror feature that would fit in nicely alongside others from the late 80’s/early 90’s if you want to make a night of it (might I recommend Killing Birds, Witchery, or Demons III The Ogre?). Lenzi will always be known for his cannibal epics, but if you want something of his that’s less exploitive, this one is a pretty good choice.