A luxury high-rise apartment complex gets overrun by deadly demonic subhuman monsters who embark on your usual vicious killing spree. That's about it for the skimpy plot, but what this uproariously idiotic cheesefest lacks in substance and tension (plenty, to be brutally honest) it more than compensates for in sheer jaw-dropping unintentional hilarity. Director/co-writer Lamberto Bava shows a winning dearth of competence throughout as the story becomes more increasingly inane and gut-busting as it unfolds, with such gloriously inane highlights as a birthday party which degenerates into a bloodbath, a woman attacked in her apartment by her savage possessed dog, a hokey demon puppet bursting out of a little boy's stomach, whiny party gal Sally (the pretty Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni) taking a massive licking, but keeps on ticking, a gaggle of dim-witted male and female body builders with an appalling lack of intelligence, an underground parking garage littered with axes and a shotgun, and pregnant damsel in distress Hannah (the fetching Nancy Brilli) going into labor at a most inopportune moment. A very young and cute Asia Argento makes her film debut as imperiled teen Ingrid while the almighty Bobby Rhodes cops the top acting honors as take-charge macho gym instructor Hank and David Knight contributes a likable turn as resourceful hero George. The inevitable cruddy dubbing, a ramshackle narrative that shamelessly rips off riffs from "Shivers," "Alien," "Gremlins," and "Videodrome," a thrashy'n'trashy blaring hard rock score, and the tacky make-up f/x further add to the considerable clunky charm of this absolute tacky hoot.

Take the first DEMONS film, re-locate it in a high-rise tower block and that's the basic premise of this little number. A few twists and turns are included to differentiate it from the original classic, but otherwise it follows the same kind of pattern. Dario Argento and Lamberto Bava team up again from the first film and deliver exactly the same kind of badly-dubbed formula that we know and love from DEMONS.

The acting is average but this time around the actors playing the demons are hugely over-acting - take for instance the main female demon, who contorts her face and pulls lots of stupid expressions in a vain attempt to be scary. The film is a success due to the return presence of Bobby Rhodes, from the first film, this time as a bodybuilder (instead of a pimp) who has to fend off the demons. He has great lines of dialogue again, for example, "Put that fire out - if not, we'll suffocate!" , "You've got more muscles than brain!", and the old favourite, "Get some weapons and defend yo' selves!".

As well as Rhodes, a lot of plot devices have been taken from DEMONS as well; the teenagers in a speeding car are an example of this, as well as the pounding soundtrack. Lots of people get bitten and scratched, for gore fans. Once again we have plot inconsistencies to add to the fun; why does the car speed throughout the film only to explode on arrival? In addition, there isn't as much gore in this as in the first film. Instead, we get demonic creatures - a demon dog and a baby demon which bursts out of a kid's chest (thanks to SFX maestro Sergio Stivaletti, but these aren't up to the original's standards, they look rushed). Sure, this isn't logical, it isn't believable either, but this is still a fun film to watch. If you're looking for quality, though, then the first film is the one to go for. The two would make a nice double bill, as they follow on nicely, but the first has the edge.

After the initial demon outbreak ("Demons"),the creatures are spreading. In this second installment, residents of a 10-story apartment complex are viciously attacked by demons after one of them comes from the television screen. What started as a somber birthday party has taken a turn for the worse.

What can I say about "Demons 2"? It's another Lamberto Bava picture with Argento's fingers caressing it. Simon Boswell is added as composer (who did work on Argento's "Phenomena") and another Argento daughter (this time, Asia) makes an appearance in the supporting cast. That's right, a young erection-inducing Asia Argento years before she was erection-inducing (unless you're a sex criminal). Bobby Rhodes also returns, but as a different character entirely (maybe Bava thinks we won't notice, but it's hard not to).

While "Demons 2" is a decent and enjoyable film, it pales in comparison to the first film in pretty much every way. Bobby Rhodes has a smaller role and a less interesting persona (you can't beat Tony the Pimp). The gore and splatter are reduced. The plot makes less sense, believe it or not. The suspense is reduced. And the memorable scenes from the first -- such as the samurai sword-wielding motorcyclist -- have no parallel here. It's basically a disposable Italian horror film (of which there are many).

Also interesting is the music change. Instead of heavy metal music (which was awkward but worked) we are given Dead Can Dance, the Smiths and Peter Murphy... which also works. I guess the feeling is supposed to be less action and more goth. But they only got it half right -- there was less action, but the Gothic themes were not stepped up. The only thing stepped up was the special effects (there's a part that anticipates "The Ring", for example).

I do own "Demons 2" and will not be selling it. But at the same time, the replay value is rather low. Even a double feature seems out of the question, as you need to increase the intensity of the second film during a double feature (this was a mistake "Grindhouse" made). Back to back, the sequel would make an audience fall asleep. If you want to see people holed up and getting attacked by demonic forces, watch "Dawn of the Dead" (original version).