‘The screams you hear may be your own!’
The Demon is a 1981 slasher film about a malevolent man wearing a black leather glove with razor-fingers, who brings his vicims’ worst fears to life.
It was co-produced, written and directed by Percival Rubens (Survival Zone; Sweet Murder).
The movie stars Cameron Mitchell, Jennifer Holmes (Raw Force), Craig Gardner and Zoli Marki.
Plot:
Fourteen-year-old Emily Parker (Ashleigh Sendin) is kidnapped from her rural home and murdered by a faceless, heavy-breathing maniac. Later, the maniac hitchhikes to the city with a gregarious truck driver (John Parsonson). The maniac kills the truck driver, steals his cash, and takes up residence at a hotel in Johannesburg’s Doornfontein neighbourhood.
Two months later, Emily’s parents — frustrated by the failure of law enforcement officials to locate Emily — enlist in the help of Bill Carson (Cameron Mitchell), a retired Colonel in the U.S. Marines who now works as a freelance psychic detective. Joan Parker (Moira Winslow), the distraught mother, needs to know whether Emily is alive or dead — but the angry Mr Parker (Peter J. Elliot) is preoccupied with bloody revenge, and aggressively implores Col. Carson to find the man responsible.
Carson gravely intones that the entity they seek is “an aberration of the species. Something hallucinating evil” — and warns the Parkers that it would be best if they didn’t find him!
Meanwhile — for reasons left unclear — the maniac decides to fixate on a young, American pre-school teacher named Mary Jones (Jennifer Holmes), who shares a bungalow in Johannesburg’s Saxonwold neighbourhood with her eighteen-year-old cousin, Jo (Zoli Marki). Mary first sees the elusive maniac lurking outside her classroom — disappearing and re-appearing in the fog — and later, spying on her at the mall.
When not stalking Mary, the maniac holes up in his hotel room — doing push-ups, growling, and tearing up girly magazines. He also prowls Johannesburg’s Hillbrow district at night, attacking various women…
Buy The Demon on DVD from Amazon.com
Main cast and characters:
Jennifer Holmes … Mary
Cameron Mitchell … Col. Bill Carson
Craig Gardner … Dean Turner
Zoli Marki … Jo (as Zoli Markey)
Peter J. Elliott … Mr Parker
Moira Winslow … Joan Parker
Mark Tanous … Bobby
Diane Burmeister
George Korelin … Doctor Stuart
Vera Blacker … Mrs Janet Stuart
John Parsonson … The Truck Driver
Ashleigh Sendin … Emily Parker
Graham Kennard … The Demon
April Galetti … Girl in alley
Jannie Wienand … Punk in Knife Fight
Amanda Wildman
Filming:
Although the film bears a 1981 copyright there is visual evidence that it was filmed in 1979. At around 45 minutes a movie marquee shows The Amityville Horror which was showing theatrically in South Africa.
Release:
The Demon was released direct-to-video in the USA on March 1st 1981 by Thorn EMI. On April 28, 1983, the film made its US television debut through Gold Key Entertainment. It was released in the USA by S.J. International Pictures in 1985 under the title Midnight Caller. The film has since become public domain and has been released on DVD several times.
Trailer:
Free to watch online on YouTube:
Discover more from MOVIES & MANIA
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
