Lamberto Bava stepped out of the director’s chair for Michele Soavi, but remained heavily involved in the production alongside Dario Argento. It was originally supposed to be a third entry in the Demons series, but Soavi wanted to make a slightly more elevated picture, and Demons 3 was forgotten to tell a different kind of demonic tale.

It’s still a gorefest, and the story isn’t super involved. We see a mass murder by the church of possibly demonically marked people at the beginning of the film, and a church is built on the grounds of the subsequent mass grave. Flash forward to the 80s, and a group of people find themselves trapped in the same church with the ghosts of the slaughtered people who are attempting to resurrect a demon!

There’s some music by Philip Glass and Goblin which sounds pretty cool, Soavi captures some creepy images.

The church is overseen by some recognizable faces including The Bishop, played by Feodor Chaliapin Jr. and Father Gus played by Hugh Quarshie, and young Asia Argento plays Lotte. We are also introduced to Evan (Tomas Arana) who is the new librarian for the church’s expansive collection, and Lisa (Barbara Cupisti) who is overseeing the restoration of the church and its frescoes.

Evan and Lisa fall into a relationship together and share information about transcripts, and secrets, and soon learn that there may be something hidden in the church. But you know that’s not going too well when Evan is the first to be infected with a nightmarish sequence and some fun practical effects.

Ghosts, strange demonic creatures, and odd dreamlike images proliferate the film as the trapped, unsuspecting people begin to fall victim to the vengeful spirits and their ultimate plan.

It’s a much better-looking film than either of the Demons films and there is a creep factor that is missing from the splatter-fest that is the previous movies. Sure some of the characters are a little stereotypical, some are little more than sketches, and the narrative isn’t very tight, but it works for what it is.

I quite like the climax and the mass of bodies writhing together to bring about the resurrection, and becoming the demon. It’s something to see. This one was an interesting ride, but I think maybe I just want something that has a sense of fun to it.

I’m always on the lookout for classic horror films that I haven’t seen and I always enjoy international horror and part of me is thinking I may have to go farther east for a while. But there are still some classic Italian giallo and horrors that I have to explore as well.