Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight (1995) Review: Gleefully Gross
“Ready for your deadtime story?”Synopsis: A man on the run is hunted by a demon known as the Collector. | ![]() Watch now on Amazon |
Calamity Brains:
Though there’s a definite threshold on quality for movies based on TV like Tales from the Crypt, Demon Knight is pretty good. The plot is a nice level of ridiculous, and will feel familiar to fans of Buffy or Supernatural. There are some well-known faces in the cast, as well as behind the scenes (Danny Elfman provides the theme music). And while the special effects are laughably bad, the practical effects are grossly effective.
Demon Knight is basically a siege movie or bottle episode – a small group of tenants (Dick Miller, CCH Pounder, Thomas Haden Church) at a hotel are accidentally drawn into a cosmic battle of good vs. evil, and find themselves alternately hunted and tempted by demons. Billy Zane is the chief antagonist, and is WAY too good at being creepy (I mean that in a good way). He’s helped along by some ridiculous minions, but the movie is at its best when he’s alone in all his uncomfortably sexual, face-punching glory. Watching him and a young Jada Pinkett Smith have a showdown is pretty fantastic, not gonna lie.
But by far the best thing about the movie, even including the music, the laughable CGI, and the one-liners, is the practical effects. They are thoroughly disgusting and well done, reminiscent of those in The Evil Dead or Demons. Though I’d probably have enjoyed the movie without them, the practical effects definitely helped elevate Demon Knight from “watchable” to “worth watching.” If you liked Evil Dead or Dead Alive, this one’s worth adding to your queue.
Calamity Brains’ Rating: B
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