Demons 2 (1986)
★★½ — Demons 2 (1986)
Demons 2 arrived in 1986 as a direct follow-up to the previous year's Demons, with the same creative team reassembled almost immediately: Lamberto Bava directing again, Dario Argento back as producer and co-writer, and the heavy metal soundtrack approach retained wholesale. Bava was at this point working squarely within the Italian genre industry his father Mario had helped define, churning out polished horror product for international markets rather than pursuing any particular auteur ambition. The shift in setting from a cinema to a high-rise apartment block was a conscious attempt to ring changes on an identical formula, reportedly conceived and shot on a modest budget in Italy despite the nominal New York backdrop. The mid-1980s were something of a last productive gasp for Italian genre cinema before home video economics and dwindling theatrical interest began to erode the model entirely.
Dario Argento’s Demons 2 doesn’t so much continue the story of the first film as it does replay it, same premise, same panic, different location. This time, the demonic outbreak spreads not in a Berlin cinema, but during a live TV broadcast from a high-rise apartment block in New York. The possessed tear through families, friends turn on each other, and the infection spreads via bite, scratch, or just bad luck. It’s chaotic, occasionally gory, and undeniably silly but it lacks the grim novelty that made the original a cult hit. Argento isn’t directing this one (it’s helmed by Lamberto Bava, with Argento producing), and the difference in tone is clear. The stylish dread and synth-heavy atmosphere of the first film are gone, replaced by a glossy, almost cartoonish aesthetic. The set-pieces are loud and messy rather than tense or terrifying, more zombie home invasion than supernatural horror. The demonic makeup is still impressive in places, but the pacing drags, the characters are forgettable, and the whole thing feels like a by-the-numbers sequel made to cash in on the franchise name. That said, there’s something oddly entertaining about its over-the-top chaos especially the finale, which descends into full-blown apocalyptic madness. It’s not scary, not deep, and certainly not art but if you’re in the mood for a dumb, gory 80s horror romp with rubbery monsters and people screaming on live TV, it delivers. Just don’t expect the same sleazy magic as the original. A passable, if pointless, follow-up. 2.5 stars for effort and a few grim laughs.
Rating: ★★½ | Year: 1986 | Watched: 2025-08-17
Where to watch (UK)
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Related on Movies With Macca
More from Lamberto Bava: Demons (1985)
More from Italy: Nightmare City (1980) · Cemetery Man (1994) · One Way or Another (1975) · Chicken for Linda! (2023)
More from the 1980s: Nightmare City (1980) · A Better Tomorrow (1986) · Style Wars (1983) · Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers (1980)
More horror: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) · Viy (1967) · Nightmare City (1980) · Angst (1983)
