I didn't want September to slip away without acknowledging a certain anniversary...
Eleven years ago, in September of 2004, in a little house in St. James, Long Island, Frank Cilla, Edward Wheeler and I had the pleasure of working with a talented group of young people in the production of the film, DEMON RESURRECTION.
For the members of the DEMON RESURRECTION cast and crew, I'm sure 2004 must seem like a very long time ago. And, as the years that have passed since have been filled with change and growth as families were raised and careers were pursued, those few days spent working on a little low-budget horror film in a house overlooking Long Island Sound are now probably little more than a distant memory. But distant though it may be, I hope it's also a pleasant memory. It is for me.
I wanted to take the opportunity to offer my sincere thanks to everyone who helped make the film what it is. I also want to thank the reviewers who had such kind words for the film and the many fans who offered their enthusiastic support.
For those interested in taking a trip down memory lane, the complete 2004 DEMON RESURRECTION Production Blog, which includes dozens of candid, behind the scenes photos and videos can be found here:
Christopher Zisi, who reviews horror and exploitation films on his "Emporium for B Movies" blog, was good enough to take a look at DEMON RESURRECTION recently and had some nice things to say about the film. Some excerpts:
An over-the-top, gory horror film... INSEMINOID meets THE DEVIL'S RAIN... Gore, nudity, disembowelment, a monster baby, and a neat Necronomicon-like book... a perfect movie for this blog....
William Hopkins' direction reminded me a bit of Lucio Fulci. In some ways, this film resembles that great Italian horror of the 70s and 80s... Not for the squeamish, DEMON RESURRECTION will deliver on scares, gore, and surprises. Ms. Golightly is terrific as a woman, seemingly defeated, who pulls it together to do anything she has to in order to save herself and her friends. Find this film and add it to your DVD collection.
Christopher's endorsement, coincidentally, comes just as DEMON RESURRECTION debuts on YouTube. After getting over TEN MILLION views of the various clips on the DEMON RESURRECTION YouTube channel, the full film has now been made available for rental and purchase on the site. Also, we're now able to accept FAN SUPPORT on the DEMON RESURRECTION channel. For those of you who have already paid to see the film or buy the DVD but who still want to make some contribution to our efforts, you can now throw a little something into our tip jar. Just look for the blue SUPPORT button on the DEMON RESURRECTION YouTube channel home page: https://www.youtube.com/demonresurrection Every dime received will be put toward future productions like DEMON RESURRECTION. Thanks!
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UPDATE 11/18/2017:The newly remastered version of DEMON RESURRECTION in 1080 HD & Widescreen is now available at http://dresurrection.vhx.tv
Just around this time last year, writer Stuart Willis had some kind words for DEMON RESURRECTION in his review of the film on the Sex Gore Mutants website. Now Stuart has published a 450-page book of his reviews of "post-millennial horror films" and among the 300 reviews in the book, he's been good enough to include a newly-written one of DEMON RESURRECTION.
The book, The New Flesh: 21st Century Horror Films A-Z, Vol 1, is available now in ebook and paperback form on Amazon, and given its comprehensiveness, its very reasonable price and the excellence of Stuart's writing, it looks to be a very smart buy for any horror film fan.
My thanks to Stuart for remembering DEMON RESURRECTION. I wish him great success with The New Flesh.
How Does It Work? Head over to dresurrection.vhx.tv and click on the BUY MOVIE button at the bottom of the page to purchase the DEMON RESURRECTION Special Edition Package.
Once you make your purchase, you'll see an alert in the receipt that you have received 3 free rentals to share with friends. It will also be noted in your email receipt. Click that link in the receipts to go to the free-gifts page of your VHX account. You can share the free rentals right from there! Just copy and paste one of the redeem URLs from that page to a friend, or share it on Facebook, Twitter, or via email. Once your friends click the redeem link and start watching, they will have 3 days until the rental expires. You will also receive an email alerting you that the gift was redeemed. The DEMON RESURRECTION Special Edition Package includes:
– the full-length, unrated, uncut, uncensored version of DEMON RESURRECTION
– optional, downloadable SPANISH and ENGLISH subtitles
– an audio commentary track with the film's director and co-producer
– a 30-minute "Behind the Scenes" featurette
– over 30 minutes of interviews with cast and crew.
Watch online in your browser or download the high-quality MPEG-4 files and watch on the computer or device of your choice. Files are DRM-free. DEMON RESURRECTION is unrated and contains scenes of gory violence and nudity. Intended for adult audiences.
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UPDATE 11/18/2017:The newly remastered version of DEMON RESURRECTION in 1080 HD & Widescreen is now available at http://dresurrection.vhx.tv
Back in 1988, while I was working as an assistant manager at the Gramercy Theatre in Manhattan, I purchased my first camcorder. It was a General Electric CG 9911, a big, shoulder mount VHS model. Eager to test it out, I brought this marvel of technology to the theater and spent the day torturing my fellow employees with it.
The resulting footage has somehow survived the passage of almost thirty years and exists in my collection of VHS tapes in the form of this rather poor quality copy, which I recently rediscovered. It's several generations removed from an original recording which wasn't all that good to begin with, so it's pretty grainy and glitchy. But as it's probably the only surviving video of the Gramercy from that time, it has some small value to me and will perhaps be of interest to those who worked there during those years.
I left the Gramercy not too long after this footage was shot and fell out of touch with the other staff members, so I can't say what became of most of them. Of those seen in this video, the names I still remember are: Maud St. Preux, the assistant manager in the red dress seen peering through the auditorium doors at Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the feature that was playing at the time, Morton Tankus, the bearded assistant manager who is seen conducting an inventory of concession stand supplies, Ruth Honor, the concession stand attendant, and Evelyn Perna, the cashier, who I believe passed away a year or so after this footage was shot. I'm afraid I've forgotten the last names of the other two employees in the video: Willie, the security guard, and Jose, the usher seen picking up his paycheck.
The appearance of Roger Rabbit in this footage should be enough to identify it as being of 1988 vintage, but if more evidence is needed, check out the promotional material on display in the lounge, including posters for Die Hard, Big and Cocktail. As for the arcade games, if memory serves, both had been in place in the Gramercy lounge for several years by this time. The Ms. Pacman game was just barely useable due to image burn-in on the monitor. The machine which is seen turned to the wall is an out-of-service Robotron game. I spent many hours on that one and probably bear some responsibility for wearing it out.
If I'm not mistaken, the Gramercy Theatre closed as a movie house in the early 90s. The theater itself still stands, but it's a music venue now and, judging from the photos I've seen of it online, much changed from the way it was back when this footage was shot.
Looking at the footage now, I wish I'd spent less time in the basement of the building, in the manager's office and employee's room, and had instead gotten some shots of the outside of the theater and of the auditorium with the lights up. But at the time I had no way of knowing that this would become my only record of the years I spent at the Gramercy Theatre, and no way of knowing that I would live long enough to become nostalgic for those days.
The resident critic at Beasts in Human Skin, a website devoted to grindhouse/exploitation fare, recently turned his attention to DEMON RESURRECTION and had some nice things to say about the film. Some excerpts:
Demon Resurrection is different. First of all, it’s not an ’80s slasher clone. It’s more like an Italian zombie flick from the 1970s with Satanic cults, supernatural forces and creeping undead….
It has a slower pace (in a good way) interlaced with frantic, chaotic moments of gratuitous gore. In some ways it reminds me of Lucio Fulci’s films. It’s like if Fulci was told to rewrite and direct Rosemary’s Baby and he was like, “Screw this exploration of the psychological torment and transformation of the demon-child’s mother crap. This shit needs zombies and titties and blood.” …and I would agree.
Demon Resurrection is a surprisingly solid supernatural horror. Director William Hopkins is to be commended for creating a true homage to the horror movies of the past instead of some shitty, campy retro-slasher. What he has managed to resurrect… is a good, old-fashioned horror movie full of gore and boobies, which are two things that I like very much. It’s an impressive piece of amateur film making. This is only Hopkins’ second film, and I sincerely hope we see more from him in the future.
According to the latest stats, there have been well over nine million views of the various video clips on the DEMON RESURRECTION YouTube channel.
To celebrate, we're now offering DEMON RESURRECTION, in its entirety, on YouTube for only $1.99!
My thanks to all those folks, all around the world, who have taken the time to check out our videos, and the thousands who have subscribed to the channel.
Here are two playlists of the channel's videos...
Trailer and clips from the film.
"Behind the Scenes" videos, interviews and commentary tracks.
For those who liked what they saw and want to see more, the full film – with optional English and Spanish subtitles and over an hour of supplementary material – can be purchased at a very reasonable price at http://www.dresurrection.vhx.tv
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UPDATE 11/18/2017:The newly remastered version of DEMON RESURRECTION in 1080 HD & Widescreen is now available at http://dresurrection.vhx.tv
For the first time online, DEMON RESURRECTION is now available worldwide in a deluxe streaming package that includes the film and over an hour of supplementary features.
The full-length unrated, uncut, uncensored version of DEMON RESURRECTION, which you can watch online in your browser or download as a high-quality MPEG-4 file for viewing on your computer or device of your choice.
Optional and downloadable Spanish and English subtitles.
Feature-length audio commentary track with director William Hopkins and co-producer Edward Wheeler.
30 minute "Behind the Scenes" featurette.
35 minute collection of cast and crew interviews.
All files are DRM-free, so you can download and keep the film and all the supplementary features for viewing on your computer or favorite device anytime you like. •••••••••••
UPDATE 11/18/2017:The newly remastered version of DEMON RESURRECTION in 1080 HD & Widescreen is now available at http://dresurrection.vhx.tv
Continuing our series of posts marking the tenth anniversary of the
production of DEMON RESURRECTION, here's actor and stuntwoman, Laurie
Miller, who plays Kate in the film, in an interview conducted in the
summer of 2007.
Bits of this interview can be seen in the "Making
of" documentary that appears on the DEMON RESURRECTION Special Edition
DVD, but the full interview has not been seen till now.
Much has transpired in the years since this interview was done, and it's probably
safe to say that Laurie, who is now married with children, is in a much
different place in 2014 than she was when she was on-set in 2004 or
doing this sit-down in 2007. But Laurie was a key person in the film's
cast and crew and her talent and energy were vital to its success, so I
felt this longer interview would be of interest to the film's fans and
should be seen.
My thanks to Laurie for her great work on the film. I hope this interview brings back good memories.
On his "Movies at Dog Farm" website, writer
Brandon Early covers horror, sci-fi, cult and exploitation films of
decades past but usually doesn't review new releases. He made an
exception for DEMON RESURRECTION and I'm glad he did. Some excerpts from
his review:
"Demon Resurrection ultimately delivers on the promise of the set-up.
Once it finally gets rolling, it's a non-stop gallop to the end. The
gory set pieces and choreographed action never lets up...
It made me feel like a kid again, a horror loving kid still
unsophisticated enough to look past the shortcomings as long as the
movie ultimately delivers the goods. Demon Resurrection delivers. I felt
as though I'd happened upon a particularly good late night horror flick
on TNT MonsterVision. I didn't keep track of the numbers for the
obligatory Drive-In Totals, but I'll guarantee Demon Resurrection has
enough general Horror Fu on display to make it a worthy addition to your
watch list."
Ryan
Carey, whose reviews appear on his Trash Film Guru blog and on the
Daily Grindhouse website, had a look at our film recently and had some
nice things to say. Some excerpts:
"The practical FX work is
solid... the sets are cool, the storyline remains reasonably involving
throughout, and there’s plenty of blood, guts, and sleaze, which are
three things that never go out of style....
There’s plenty here to be proud of... a solid effort
made by people who know what they’re doing and understand how to
construct a competently-executed film with limited resources...Plenty of
bang for your buck to be had here....
A fairly fun, gory,
gripping little ride that will leave you thinking “hey, these guys get
it.” That’s more than you can say for a lot of things coming down the
indie pipeline these days, and more than enough for me to advise any
interested parties out there to give it a go."
"Demon Resurrection is just plain great. Extremely well constructed,
beautifully paced, superbly acted and hugely entertaining." – David Louden, KnifedinVenice.com
"Oozing with dark passion, with a unique personality all its own… a
confident and self-assured film, remaining intense and serious despite
playing with the most far-fetched edges of the Cthulhu mythos… A full-on
return to past zombie craziness with carnage, death, boobies and brutal bloody gore, it's a triumph and a zombie film made for zombie film fans… 8/10." – Steven Shaw, WatchingTheDead.co.uk
"H.P. Lovecraft meets Night of the Living Dead… Recommended." – Kevin Lindenmuth, Buried.com
"Demon Resurrection is a reminder of how great simple indie horror
flicks used to be — and still can be… I really felt like I was watching a
ghoulish 70s flick on an 80's VHS tape… This is a perfect one to pop in
on Halloween night." – Daniel W. Kelly, danielwkelly.com
"A beautiful homage to horror both from the seventies and eighties,
filled with nudity, blood, gore, voodoo and zombies… for something with a
very small budget, something very good has come out of it… This is
indie horror at it's finest." – Dani Carnage, DoctorCarnage.blogspot.co.uk
"It's got some twists that even took a jaded old cinephile like me by
surprise… The zombies are some of my favorites of recent years… An
ambitious film that shoots for the moon in a way that too many indie
productions don't nowadays… it held my attention a lot tighter then many
big-budget Hollywood productions have recently." – Bill Adcock, RadiationScarredReviews.com
"A horror film that I truly have fallen in love with… zombies,
witchcraft, skeletons, cults, boobs… amazing makeup and special effects…
pure candy to the film buff and horror lover… a wild, trippy, B-movie,
low-budget, cheesy wonderment…" – Abraham Phillips, aBucketofCorn.com
"A satisfying viewing experience… Feels like an unsung gem of an earlier era of shot-on-video horror." – Eric Cotenas, DVDBeaver.com
"Fast 'n fun amalgamation of The Big Chill… Tombs of the Blind Dead and
Rosemary's Baby… contains lots of sputtering blood, the ravenously
undead, a slithery birth plus a little bit o' nudity… vibrantly filmed…"
– Brian Kirst, HorrorSociety.com
"A properly scary
supernatural shocker very much in the tradition of Lucio Fulci's best
zombie/demon-movies… backed by a decent cast and nice practical effects
work… genre fans with a touch of nostalgia will surely appreciate it." – Mike Haberfelner, [Re]searchMyTrash.com
"Does what it sets out to do and does it well... A great throwback to
when horror films were more about being a thrill ride rather than just
trying to be mean, dark and depressing." – Daniel Simmonds, therottingzombie.blogspot.uk
"A fun movie… harkens back to the era of 1970's and early 80's horror… honest, entertaining, and worthwhile." – Ben Daniels, Terrorphoria.com
"A pleasant surprise, with zombies, gore, nudity and witchcraft mixed in a pleasant grue stew that is well acted." – Kevin G. Shinnick, publisher, Scarlet The Film Magazine
"An indie achievement… gives the genre a big high five… a low-budget B-movie that doesn't let up." – Drew Van Ess, grimmreviewz.blogspot.com
"Plenty of eviscerations, lacerations, and latex creations on hand for
the film's target audience… In these end times of undead fatigue, it's a
bona-fide treat to see something other than regular ol' grue-slathered
humans shambling after their prey. Rubber monster lovers, this is your
kinda poison." – Arron Christensen, horror101withdrac.blogspot.com
"A carefully paced, impressively escalated journey into gory zombie
mayhem… [with] some keen forays into worlds of the supernatural and
inner-group paranoia." – Stuart Willis, SexGoreMutants.co.uk
"I enjoyed this a lot… well made and entertaining… a nice blend of
zombies and occult horror. Highly recommended so make sure to check this
one out!" – Jörgen Lundin, Independent Flicks
"A great exploitation flick… Recommended for all gore and zombie fans." – Jocke Andersson, RubberMonsterFetishism.blogspot.com
"An entertaining film which pays open homage to some horror classics… well-acted..." – Keri O'Shea, BrutalAsHell.com
"Low-budget horror fans will be gratified… as disgusting and perverse
as you can get… lots of blood, disembowelment… classic exploitation
stuff." – Billy Gil, Home Media Magazine
"Demon Resurrection was a fascinating sight for my sore eyes… I enjoyed this one thoroughly!" – Kris Theckston, AngryPrincessSlashes.blogspot.com
"The zombies… have a really unique look to them, a look that adds to
the retro-style feel of the film… Practical effects are plentiful and
pretty darn well done for an independent film… An above-average film
that combines a unique story with a nostalgic feel of a film-making era
long gone by." – Tony Schaab, thegorescore.com
"There
is a lot to like about… Demon Resurrection. The production values are
high… the practical effects work incredibly well, the music is effective
and the direction is accomplished… Hopkins makes several wise choices
in assembling his movie, and I found myself really enjoying what he
brought to the screen… There are zombies and they look great… What the
filmmakers have done here is create a feature-length mood piece… a
fulfilling near-siege movie that delivers exactly what the back of the
DVD promises, Night of the Living Dead meets H.P. Lovecraft… It has so
much going for it, we here at Mail Order Zombie have to give the movie
four head shots out of five." – Derek M. Koch, MailOrderZombie.com
Steven Shaw, resident critic at the horror
film review site, Watching The Dead, recently watched DEMON RESURRECTION
and found much to praise. Some excerpts:
"Demon Resurrection
is a triumph of amateur horror film making. Oozing with dark passion
with a self-assured unique personality all of its own one has to applaud
what has been achieved. Demon Resurrection is a confident and
self-assured film remaining intense and serious despite playing with the
most far-fetched edges of the Cthulhu
mythos. It has its faults; mainly born from its shoestring budget and
perhaps trying too hard, but it's a film that ultimately prevails in
many ways because of them. A full on return to the past zombie craziness
with carnage, death, boobies and brutal bloody gore, it's a triumph and
a zombie film made for zombie film fans, 8/10."
Steven is
obviously quite a zombie film fan himself, which makes his incisive
critique and the high rating he gives DEMON RESURRECTION all the more
gratifying. For myself and everyone who worked on the film, our sincere
thanks to Steven for all his kind words.
Another excellent review for DEMON RESURRECTION. This one from horror aficionado Doctor Dani Carnage on his World of Horror website. Some excerpts:
"Demon Resurrection is a beautiful homage to horror both from the seventies and eighties, filled with nudity, blood, gore, voodoo and zombies, for something with a very small budget, something very good has come out of it....
Because the film is so ambitious, it works wonders that other indie films simply can't compete with. I never failed to be amazed just what this movie had to offer it's viewers....
Being a horror fan for such a long time, I tend to think I have seen it all, and nothing can take me by surprise anymore, but movies such as Demon Resurrection prove me wrong and make me sit up and take note. This is indie horror at it's finest. Who needs a big budget when a film is this good? This really does put ninety-nine percent of Hollywood horror releases to shame with it's involving story, exploitation elements and downright creepy atmosphere. This really does deserve to be seen."
Dani's great knowledge of and enthusiasm for the horror genre is evident in all of his writing. He's definitely someone who knows what he's talking about when it comes to horror, so it's tremendously gratifying to receive such an extraordinarily thoughtful and generous review from him. For all his kind words, he has my sincere thanks.
