Make a checklist for 80’s horror films. First, get an eerie setting that preferably has either a history of haunting or some connection to Native American lore. Second, create characters who you can believe lack consistent logical thought, possibly because of hormonal influence (aka teenagers). Third, construct an antagonist that does not require motivation beyond being inherently evil, though we will allow revenge. Fourth, the protagonist must be pure, skeptical, and have a degree of courage – they should not be brave, however, as being the hero in horror does not equal survival. Fifth and final, make sure to use practical effects and make them gooey. Now, I give you Night of the Demons, a 1988 film that checks all those boxes multiple times. The caveat with these checkboxes, however, is that while ticking them all off gives you a recipe for a digestible horror film, it may not actually be that good, or any good, going down.

I think it was around the time one of the possessed characters took her lipstick and shoved it into her body via a nipple that I had to say aloud, “What the f***?!” I had accepted the existence of a character named “Stooge”, the classic Halloween party at the abandoned funeral home that also happened to be located on cursed ground, and the fact each character seemed to have working knowledge of the area’s lore and demonic possession, but during the minute-long (could be longer, I don’t know…my mind was being blown trying to interpret what was actually occurring) sequence where a possessed ‘Suzanne’ pulls out and admires her lipstick before using it to trace a line down her chest and around her breast before shoving the lipstick and most of her index finger into said breast through the nipple, well, it left my brain in such a fevered state the rest of the movie is essentially a blur. I mean, did poor Linnea Quigley even understand why her Suzanne was acting this way, or was she just given direction to draw on herself with lipstick and then shove it through a synthetic boob?

Hours after watching Night of the Demons to its outlandish end, the genius of the moment hit me. The movie had spelled it out perfectly several scenes earlier. Suzanne was possessed, and because one of the partygoers was an expert in demonic presence and possession, she could share with the group that whatever evil had been released had never before been in human form. Yes, it all made sense now! The demon possessed Suzanne and now had this body to play with and lipstick, which would be such an amazing new ‘thing’; it was simply experimenting! What else happens in the movie? Who cares!

So, I sit unsure of how to grade Night of the Demons. It is either low-grade pulp consisting of nudity, sex, and stereotypes, or it is subtle storytelling, a tale of clues and warnings woven amongst violence and suspense. There is a lot to unpack even beyond the possession that I do not have time, or patience, to commit words to. Anyway, two sequels and a remake (starring Edward Furlong and Shannon Elizabeth) were made, and I feel compelled to watch them. We are nearing anthology territory at this point: The Demons Saga…I would like to thank Amazon Prime for suggesting this title and bringing it into my life; I can never unsee the lip-nip stick.