Rare Flix: Night of the Demon (1980)

Just for the record: it is a coincidence that I'm doing two Bigfoot Films in a row.  Today's Film- Night of the Demon (1980) was in my sights for a while, but I hadn't gotten around to it.  When I discovered that a few similarly-titled Films were also available, I decided to finally see this one.  It...is a bit misleading.  Demons is about weird, demon-like monsters.  Night of the Demons is about weird, demon-like monsters.  This Film is about, well, Bigfoot.  I suppose that there is a sort of Satanic tinge to the Film, but not so much that this Title makes alot of sense.  The lone survivor of a large group that went to the Woods tells his Story and it is up to you to believe it.  Okay, that last part is a lie.  If you don't believe it, the Movie still ends the same way.  I'm not sure why I said that.  Anyhow, this is a Video Nasty as well, which is pretty apparent right from the Opening Kill (was it a cliche in 1980?) and this Title Card...

This man is in the Hospital.  He is questioned about why all of his friends are dead.  He has a Story...

His Story is a bit complicated, however, since he first has to tell how he went to a Class where the Teacher played some Bigfoot footage.  Wait- is this Found Footage...in 1980?  Wow.

A woman shows up and she's the young girl from the footage.  She wants the truth.

With a small group in tow, our hero and his lady go out in the Woods.  They find their source, but he's not exactly friendly.  Plus, he's clearly hiding something.

Further confusing the narrative, our hero tells the other people on the trip about some recent attacks.

So he's telling the Police that he went to the Woods and then told other people a Story about a guy he never met?  Alright.

This especially-goofy kill- he's tossed into a sharp tree branch and dies- is not presented as a Story being told to the group, so...how does our hero know about this?  Did this happen?

Eventually, the group finds Crazy Wanda, a woman who's been living in a Cabin in the Woods (sorry, Joss Whedon).  What's her secret?

Well, as a young lady, she had 'relations' with Bigfoot and gave birth to its child.  However, the Farmer Dad killed it, so she killed him and has been living alone ever since.

Oh and they stop a random Satanic Cult in the Woods.  That amounts to...well, nothing.

Eventually, the Bigfoot shows up and assaults the House they are in Precinct 13-style!  He looks kind of goofy right.

In spite of how silly he looks, he unleashes a bad-ass, slow-motion killing spree on them.  He kills all but our hero (naturally).

In the aftermath, nobody believes the Story(ies), so...that was pointless.  The End.

Easily the most bloody Bigfoot Movie I've seen.  Yea?  This Video Nasty has certainly earned its reputation- for better or for worse.  The Film has a small, Cult fanbase it seems.  Some people love it as a bizarre trainwreck, while others just find it to be so odd that it is great.  It sure is goofy at times.  A man swung and thrown into a pointy tree branch?  Admittedly, a similar bit was done in Prophecy (about the only good part, really), but the sheer random chance of the throw's end elevates this a bit.  You get to see a lady stabbed with a pitchfork by a Bigfoot.  You get to see Bigfoot use an Axe on some dude's head!  You get to see some dude shoved into a giant saw, which is stored blade-upright for some reason!  The Ending is ridiculous and the random kills are bizarre.  Where else do you get to see Adult Girl Scouts stabbed by Bigfoot?  Aside from that, this is a Horror cheapie and isn't that well-Acted.  It is not unwatchable in these times, but it also not for everyone.  If you make it past the first 10 minutes of this Film, you'll probably stay to the End.  I won't say that this is a great Film (by any stretch of the imagination), but it is so odd that Horror Buffs need to see it (or again if they already have).  If I haven't sold you, here's a VHS Cover for it...

Up next, a Film with the same Title (sometimes) from over twenty-years earlier!  Will Bigfoot strike again or will it be something sillier?  Stay tuned...