Like I did when I tried to explain the mess that was the Zombi series, see HERE, I’m going to try again with the less complicated Demon (Italian: Dèmoni) films.
Dèmoni\Demons 1985
- Demons (1985)
First off what is Demons? It is a 1985 Italian horror film directed by Lamberto Bava and produced by Dario Argento. Set in a Cinema in Berlin where student Natasha Hovey goes to a screening of a horror film during which the spectators become possessed by demons. It also stars Urbano Barberini, Fiore Argento with Bobby Rhodes and a cameo by Michele Soavi who we’ll get to a bit later on.
There was an official sequel Dèmoni 2 1986 (Demons 2) and Dario Argentos La Chiesa 1989 (The Church) was originally to be Demons 3 but was never released as a sequel. So lets continue…
Dèmoni 2\Demons 2 1986
- Demons 2 (1986)
Like Demons this is again directed by Lamberto Bava and produced\co-written by Dario Argento.
It stars David Edwin Knight, Nancy Brilli, Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni with Bobby Rhodes returning albeit in a different role and has the film debut of producer Dario’s daughter Asia when she was just 10 years old.
On a side note both Demons and Demons 2 have fantastic soundtracks featuring the likes of The Cure, Fields of the Nephilim, The Cult, Saxon and Billy Idol.
Demons 3
The Church (1989) was originally the official sequel to Demons 2 but director Michele Soavi (remember I said I’d get back to him) wanted it to be a standalone film.
- Demons 3 The Ogre VHS (1988) (Original Title: La casa dell’orco)
Lamberto Bava directed a TV film called La casa dell’orco (1988) House of the Ogre that was released on VHS in some places as Demons 3: The Ogre but Lamberto himself has said that Ogre was never meant to be part of the Argento-produced Demons series and that the real Demons 3 was always Soavi’s The Church.
- Demoni 3 Black Demons VHS (1991)
Black Demons is a 1991 Italian horror film directed by Umberto Lenzi and starring Keith Van Hoven Joe Balogh
IMDB list 1986 film L’Ogre directed by Simon Edelsteing as being sold on Video in the UK as Demons 3 but I haven’t been able to verify that.
Demons 4: The Sect\La setta\The Devil’s Daughter 1991
Co-written and produced by Dario Argento and directed by Michele Soavi this at least has some connections that could give it credibility as being another Demons film.
Demons 5: The Devil’s Veil\La Maschera Del Demonio\The Mask of the Demon 1990
La Maschera Del Demonio directed by Lamberto Bava is really a quasi-remake of the 1960 film with the same name directed by his father Mario Bava. The original known in English as Black Sunday, even though has a very similar mask torture sequence, features a completely different storyline. It was released in Japan as Demons 5 and in the U.S. as Demons 5: The Devil’s Veil, although there is no connection between this and the rest of the Demons series
Demons 6: De Profundis\From The Deep\Il gatto nero\The Black Cat 1989
Was originally proposed as an unofficial finale to Dario Argento’s then-incomplete Three Mothers trilogy. and a screenplay draft was written by his then wife Daria Nicolodi who then passed it on to Lucio Cozzi who then re-wrote it into what we have today.
Demons ’95\Dellamorte Dellamore\Cemetery Man 1994
Directed by Michele Soavi and starring Rupert Everett, François Hadji-Lazaro, and Anna Falchi. Soavi has said he wants to do a sequel and says he wants the film to be a great, strong, shocking Italian horror film.
So there you have it. I hope you understand a little better or go away with a bigger headache, either way I’m happy. Below are various VHS covers and posters from around the world.
Next I’ll cover the Evil Dead series. You’ll be shocked.
