Some quick thoughts on Demon Wind (1990)

96 Minutes / Pegasus Entertainment U.K. DVD / Cropped from 1.85:1 to full screen

Been very early '90s around here lately. A guy with friends in toe travels to his grandfather's home in the countryside to figure out why he hasn't heard from him. Upon arriving, they discover the cottage obliterated with bones scattered about. The odd thing is when crossing the front door's threshold that's only a barely standing facade; they enter the abandoned home as it once was. The group find their cars dead and a strange roaming fog transports them back to the ruins if they try to stray too far on foot. As night approaches they're attacked and possessed by demons one-by-one with only an incantation able to save those remaining.

Demon Wind is best described as sharing general plot similarity with The Evil Dead smashed into the shitty nature of Evil Clutch set against lush Welsh green hills with the protagonist morphing into George Francisco without the spots from Alien Nation during the climax. There's a real lack of zest to the cavorting demonic shenanigans in this flick, so it's nowhere near as fun as either of the two Evils mentioned above, despite a few really ripe lines. The wet 'n gooey demon make-up isn't bad, but don't expect too much arterial spray. Bonus three-quarters of a point for the lingering shot of a topless seductress MILF.

There's also an odd sense of the threadbare European artsy vibe experienced in films like Jack Be Nimble and Paperhouse. Though existential smatterings are not in this demon's wind, so we're left with a middle-of-the-road outing never terribly amusing and not concerned with atmospheric mindgames. Shame really, a little more push either way could have made Demon Wind a minor chestnut gem instead of a crap timewaster.