DEMON KNIGHT
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1995 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 2.8
Date Released: 1/13/95 Running Length: 1:31 Rated: R (Violence, language, nudity)
Starring: William Sadler, Billy Zane, Jada Pinkett, CCH Pounder, Dick Miller, the voice of John Kassir Director: Ernest Dickerson Producer: Gilbert Adler Screenplay: Ethan Reiff & Cyrus Voris & and Mark Bishop Cinematography: Rick Bota Music: Ed Shearmur and Danny Elfman Released by Universal Pictures
As a made-for-HBO television series based on a defunct 1950s comic book, TALES FROM THE CRYPT has had its share of witty, clever, and entertaining episodes. True, the segments invariably tend towards the macabre, but what else would you expect from something with that sort of title? Now, with DEMON KNIGHT, TALES FROM THE CRYPT makes the jump to the big screen (not that this has stopped its pay TV run). For those that don't subscribe to HBO, this may be their first exposure to the Crypt Keeper and his gallery of grotesque stories. Frankly, it's a terrible introduction.
Horror movies are supposed to be scary--or, at the very least, a little shocking. Unfortunately, the only frightening thing about DEMON KNIGHT is that Universal chose to release it. This film is bad. It's not funny, it's not intelligent, and it lacks just about every quality that makes the occasional episode of TALES FROM THE CRYPT worth sitting through.
There isn't much of a plot. At the outset, we're introduced to Brayker (William Sadler), a man on the run. Later, it's revealed that he's some sort of long-lived warrior who fights against the "demons in the darkness", and that his pursuer, an enigmatic entity known only as "the Collector" (Billy Zane), is an agent of evil. This sets up the latest battle in the never-ending spiritual struggle.
The setting is a gothic boarding house (or boring house, if you prefer). There, the few inhabitants become involved in the nightmarish turn of events. Present are the landlady, Irene (CCH Pounder); her work release assistant, Jeryline (Jada Pinkett); and a series of assorted losers and has-beens (most of whom don't survive the film). One way or another, these characters are sucked into the confrontation between Brayker and the Collector.
DEMON KNIGHT's special effects are passable, but the same can't be said of the work done by the makeup artists . Blood, gore, and various ghastly wounds all look especially cheesy, and the supposedly-horrifying demons are reminiscent of a cross between SPITTING IMAGE puppets and refugees from the ALIEN movies.
There are occasions when Pinkett and Zane almost make this film worth watching. These two appear to be enjoying themselves, and their sense of fun is infectious. It doesn't last long, though. Energy and enthusiasm can't sustain this sort of mess.
Since TALES FROM THE CRYPT is a half-hour program, it might have been reasonable to expect the motion picture version to string together three typical episodes. Instead, the producers opted to make a single- story feature. If nothing else, this choice emphasizes a lesson. Good entertainment stretched to three times its natural length is rarely three times better, but bad entertainment dragged out that long will typically be three times worse. In the case of DEMON KNIGHT--which probably doesn't have ten minutes of worthwhile material--such a statement could be regarded as infinitely kind.
- James Berardinelli (jberardinell@delphi.com)
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