Demon Wind is an American horror movie from filmmaker, Charles Philip Moore. Starring Eric Larson, Francine Lapensée, Rufus Norris, Jack Forcinito, and Stephen Quadros. The film was released Straight to Video on July 20, 1990. I am watching this on The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs on the Shudder streaming network. It’s a fantastic transfer that has some bonus banter added in from the iconic Joe Bob Briggs.

Synopsis

Ignoring warnings of a strange old man, young Cory takes a group of his friends out into the middle of nowhere to visit a broken down old shack where his family had once lived. While there Cory finds out that his grandparents had died after dabbling in black magic. After a very dense fog settles in demons and undead are unleashed to take down Cory's friends one by one.

Analysis

Very cheaply made. The special effects are practical and gory, I appreciate that. But they just aren’t very impressive. Poor makeup and bad editing turn the terror into comedy. The demon makeup is lazy but gets the job done in a very DIY way.

The acting is stiff and the direction is poor. It feels like a chore to get through with such a huge cast. Although, their lack of experience shows through the unintentional comedy.

The story feels like it’s being made up as the movie progresses. The demons, evil tome, and grotesquely possessed friends poorly parallel with Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead. A kung-fu magician is kicking a beer can scene that doesn’t make sense, but still found its way into the picture.

Overall

Fairly entertaining. The tone is all over the place. It’s trying to be serious but keeps lapsing into ironic hilarity. There are way too many characters to keep up with. It’s too convoluted to be scary. I could barely understand what was happening. On that basis, I can only recommend Demon Wind due to the unintentional humor.