Main cast: Michael J Cutt (Professor Bill Nugent), Joy Allen (Female Student), Bob Collings (Roy), Jodi Lazarus (Linda), Richard Fields (Carla’s Father), Michael Lang (Pete), Melanie Graham (Wanda McGinty), Shannon Cooper (Carla Thomas), Paul Kelleher (The Sheriff), Ray Jarris (Gary), William F Nugent (Lou Carlson), and Lynn Eastman (Susan Nugent)
Director: James C Wasson
Night of the Demon is an elusive “video nasty” that horror aficionados chased for years, believing they were missing out on an ultimate gore-drenched, sleaze-fest. For a while, this film was hard to find, its reputation growing wilder with each whispered mention in cult movie circles. But, let’s be honest: once you actually manage to track it down, the mystique evaporates quickly. If you came looking for an unhinged horror masterpiece, you’re in for more of a plodding woods-bound misadventure.
The story pretends to follow Professor Bill Nugent, who recounts a traumatic trip into Bigfoot’s stomping grounds to skeptical cops. Yet, this movie’s commitment to the flashback format is loose at best, as it freely inserts scenes that poor Bill couldn’t possibly know about, like his wife’s nightmare, or even “flashbacks within flashbacks.” It’s as if the scriptwriter lost track of the premise mid-way and said, “Eh, who’s keeping tabs on continuity?”
From there, the plot trundles along, tossing in one bizarre encounter after another, with the occasional gore dialed up to eleven. The special effects make everything look like a cross between a low-budget splatter fest and a fever dream: we’re talking a motorcyclist who loses more than his pride during a pit stop, along with a climactic bloodbath that’ll keep gore fans entertained. There’s something unmistakably trashy about it, almost like the unhinged cousin of Bigfoot erotica lurking on the dark corners of the Kindle store. (You know the ones.)
And the Bigfoot! This costume is a marvel of… what, exactly? Unfathomable fuzziness, maybe? Every scene with Bigfoot leaves you wondering if the poor soul inside can even see, as he stumbles around with the glassy, bewildered look of a man trapped inside a molting gorilla suit. Whatever ferocity this creature is supposed to have just doesn’t translate through the “attic-found fur rug” costume.
The acting is about what you’d expect, if by “expect” you mean “cringe-worthy”. Early on, Bigfoot interrupts a steamy encounter in the woods, and the woman’s reaction sounds uncannily like she’s reading lines from a late-night adult film. And this pattern of awkward, stilted dialogue continues—everyone speaks like they’re in some botched theatrical reading of Deliverance. It doesn’t help that there are way too many characters, who spend most of the movie wandering around like they’re on the world’s most uneventful nature hike.
Rumor has it that the director initially aimed for an “artistic” angle, with minimal gore. However, after seeing the raw footage, the studio quickly ordered as much blood and guts as possible. A wise choice, since the actual “art” here is about as thrilling as watching paint dry. The result is two awkward films stitched together: one that’s a humdrum wilderness excursion, and one that’s a blood-splattered fever dream. The only parts worth watching are the studio’s mandated scenes, and they do manage to bring a unique, sleazy charm.
Ultimately, Night of the Demon may have a reputation for being “banned”, “violent”, and “shocking”, but the reality is it’s more goofy than anything. There’s a touch of violence, a splash of sleaze, and a whole lot of wasted potential. Watch it for the curiosity factor or for a laugh at the cast’s expense, but don’t expect much more than a bargain-bin Bigfoot on a messy rampage.
