NinetyForChill.com: The #Podcast
Episode 89: SkimbleSHANKS presents: Night of the Demons (1988) with Tim Bates.
SkimbleSHANKS presents ”Night of the Demons” with Tim Bates
October 11, 2022
1987 may have been the peak of eighties horror. The Tommy Jarvis trilogy had concluded and Freddy was not going to top his bout with Patricia Arquette. Few would argue that neither of those franchises had what it took to surpass "Evil Dead II". The wise thing to do would have been to ride on Sam Raimi's coattails. In steps Kevin Tenney with "Night of the Demons".
It is weird for I, Cool Movies Darth, to not actually refer to myself in my Podbean/iTunes podcast synopsis. This is what happens when things seem to go right when setting up a recording. All thanks should go to Evil Penguin Game's Tim Bates's flexible schedule. Well, my work schedule allowing me to watch a 90-minute movie, followed by two hours of wrestling before primetime concludes giving me two hours to record this show was nice, but we do not want to give the corporate world that much credit.
"NinetyForChill: The #Podcast" had spoken a big game when it has come to landing Tim as a guest. This is the guy who introduced Kodiak Thompson to "John Dies at the End" and more. We are coworkers, so we talk a lot of "schlocky" films if we are not dealing with customers.
He had kept me up to date on his Tubi binge of Jean-Claude Van Damme's filmography before the movies were pulled from the service. We keep returning to chats about Charles Band's "Arena". Discussions about what movies should get steelbook reissues have been had. In the end, this podcast recording may have been necessary since the holiday season will mean we just will not have the time to bullshit.
Hopefully, we will get to chat on the podcast again soon. Our taste is far more vast than horror, and when he mentions "Robot Jox" off the air, there is definitely more fun to be had. But, it is spooky month, and "Night of the Demons" is the appropriate conversation to be had.
Like "House" from last week, you get an "Evil Dead" vibe, but you do not get the charming characters. This is a checklist of stereotypes that you hope to see murdered in unique ways. There are not bucket of blood, but you get some great make up effects and some silly fates. Most importantly, Kevin Tenney's film is aware of what was expected from a horror trope standpoint during the decade, and decides to make some fun efforts to subvert them.
I found the soundtrack to be fun, and when the jokes are at their most blatant, they still work out great. There are some plot holes, but they serve to make those who enjoy the feature search for any Easter eggs that could be found. This is a fun slumber party movie which really makes me wish I did not grow up in a town of 37 churches for 15 thousand citizens. All the things I grew up missing will forever frustrate me.
And this flick also frustrates me because I was unaware of the director's influence on me. Kevin Tenney directed the first no budget movie I had "intentionally" seen, "Brain Dead". It took a few more "Drunken Zombie Double Features" before I had the guts to write "Main Event of the Dead", but this was the start. It is just sad that this is the second film of Tenney's that I have viewed.
Follow me on Twitter @catbusruss. If you want to be on the show, contact me on Twitter or send an email to russthebus07@gmail.com. All we need is a theme, movie, director, or actor and a focus on sub 100-minute material. As long as the credits start before the 1:39:59 mark on the runtime bar, the movie qualifies.
