Night of the Demons 3

Night of the Demons 3, the final film in the original trilogy, continues the Halloween tradition of demonic possession and teenage delinquency.  The demon Angela, the only character to appear in all three films, is once again portrayed by Amelia Kinkade, who has since moved on to a career as a pet psychic.

In many ways, Night of the Demons 3 feels like a slightly modified remake of the first film in the series. Like the original, it features a diverse group of teens making their way to Hull House on Halloween night, only to fall pray to demonic possession.

Nice girl Holly and shy girl Abbie are on their way to the school’s Halloween dance when their car breaks down; luckily, a van full of their less-reputable classmates happens along to give them a lift.

In the van are Nick, the guy that seems like a jerk but is actually nice; Vince, the bad boy; Orson, the over-compensating wannabe bad boy; Lois, the slutty girl, and Reggie, the black guy.

They pull into a convenience store, where Reggie tries to illicitly acquire beer (not unlike Angela’s beer heist in the first film).  Actually, a number of notable scenes from the first movie are re-imagined for this one.  Abbie is changing in her bedroom when her little brothers burst in, which is similar to the scene with Judy and her brother in the original, though with less creepy incestuous undertones.  Also, Angela once again does her ‘seductive’ dance, though it’s more effective this time around.

Anyways, the store clerk pulls a gun on Reggie, but Vince takes it from him.  The situation spirals out of control when two cops walk in, and Vince shoots one of them.  The kids speed off.  Vince is in a panic, telling the others that they’re all accessories, while Nick and Holly try to tend to Reggie, who was shot in the crossfire.  The eventually find their way to Hull House, which Vince deems to be the perfect hiding spot, despite Abbie’s warnings of its demonic past.

Abbie’s supposed to be the shy girl, but she’s actually pretty mouthy.  Maybe she’s not shy, maybe it’s just that no one wants to talk to her.

After their arrival, the film plays out pretty much like the first, as Angela shows up and possesses them one by one.  There’s a few differences, like the concept that Angela has to ‘seduce’ them to her side before she can make them demons, and their demonic forms tend to incorporate their Halloween costumes (when they have them).

The acting is fine.  There are no standouts like Linnea Quigley from the first film, but no one holds it back, either.  Amelia Kinkade (32 at the time of this film’s release) no longer looks like a teenager, but has appropriately adapted the role to that of the evil older woman.  The special effects and makeup are okay, but have a thin veneer of cheapness over them.  They has that ‘direct to video’ look.

The third Night of the Demons makes an admirable attempt to recapture the wild fun of the first.  It doesn’t quite achieve it, but the resulting film is  reasonably entertaining in its own right.