The 80s Horror Classic Beloved By Diehard Fans, Stream Now Without Netflix

Night of the Demons brings together so many of the elements necessary for a great horror film. Cursed land, an old mortuary, and demonic possession are all set against a raucous high school party with plenty of co-eds doing what they do best–getting naughty and then dying horrible deaths. It’s not an entirely original concept, but the way this film plays out certainly makes it stand out.

The teens in Night of the Demons are headed for a Halloween party held at a remote property called Hull House. It’s a former mortuary, surrounded by a massive stone wall that was rumored to be built atop an underground spring. The indigenous peoples of the area long believed that all land inside the spring was cursed ground, and gave it a wide berth in the years before the wall and the mortuary were constructed.

Despite the murderous and haunted reputation of the grounds and Hull House, the teens decide to make this their party spot for the night. The typical horror film trope of a scene gone wrong is employed almost right away, in this case sending an invisible demonic force from the bowels of the mortuary into one of the party guests, Suzanne. Things get wild in Night of the Demons when Suzanne plants a kiss on party host Angela and transfers the malevolent force into her, too.

The rest of the evening sees couples pair off while the two ladies infected by the demon transform into hideous she-creatures that use their great looks to lure any of the wayward male party people to violent deaths. Night of the Demons has tongues getting bitten off, eyes gouged out by clawed hands, and more until there are two survivors that fight for their lives to escape.

Night of the Demons uses great cinematography to capture some pretty chilling scenes of possessed Angela floating down the hallways. Coupled with the eerie score and the monster make up, the film makes up in fear what it lacks in dialogue.

While the acting is on par with a low-budget horror film, the added bonus of scream queen Linnea Quigley (Suzanne) ratchets the rating up a bit.

Quigley, who earned her “scream queen” reputation from her roles in such films as Return of the Living Dead, Silent Night Deadly Night, and Graduation Day, is the one shining light among an otherwise dim cast of characters. She delivers Suzanne’s one-liners with the skill and precision that only a veteran horror actress could, and masterfully transforms her demeanor from sexy and inviting to demonic in an instant.

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Night of the Demons might not rate as high as Halloween or A Nightmare on Elm Street on listicles that highlight the “best” horror films, but for anyone who truly loves the genre, it’s a must see.

You can stream Night of the Demons free with Roku, Tubi, Freevee, and Pluto.