I first saw this in the mid 90s on a vhs.
Revisited it yesterday.
The film has some very known faces.
It is about a 'chosen' man (William Sadler) who has stopped aging n is on the run for 90 years. He possesses an artefact n a demon (Billy Zane) wants to get hold of that artefact without touching it.
Sadler takes refuge in a hotel with a bunch of characters we dont care for while the demons r trying to get inside.
The film has lots of gore, some nudity but it is a bit slow n the tension is lacking.
The effects r cool though. Watch out for the girl's face transformation scene.
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bourenst11 July 2004Billy Zane raises what would be a decent horror/action movie to a higher plane. His deadpan delivery and funny quips are surprising in a character that is supposed to be the quintessential evil demon. If there was any justice in the world Zane would've been considered for an award. His performance is that good. The special effects look dated now, but that doesn't hurt the movie significantly. The characters are sufficiently fleshed out (pun intended) making them a little more than meat for the rampaging demons. The story, while interesting, doesn't make a lot of sense, at least not the back story. God created the Earth but the demons were already there and had 7 keys which gave them power over the cosmos? Huh? That aside, the movie is well done and Zane's performance is not to be missed.
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I was a big fan of the Tales from the Crypt TV show. Thus, I am a fan of this movie. It feels a lot like one of the Creepshow movies but has enough gore, humor and OTT carnage but it just doesn't have enough scope to brake away from the TV show and stand alone as a big screen movie.
Brayker (William Sadler) is a drifter who stumbles upon a lonely desert town after an explosive confrontation with The Collector (Billy Zane), a supremely evil being with Satanical powers who is desperate to get his hands on Brayker's mysterious talisman. Brayker spends the night in a shabby motel but The Collector soon turns up and unleashes hell upon the motel and it's inhabitants.
This is where the fun really kicks in. The Collector has fun enticing the residents (made up of Dick Miller, Charles Fleisher, Thomas Haden Church, Brenda Bakke, Jada Pinkett-Smith and CCH Pounder) to join him on his dark quest and steal the talisman from Brayker.
Director Ernest Dickerson (who also did Surviving the Game) does not hold back on the gore as he spoofs 1950's B-movies, honor's the TV show and pays brilliant homage to the Tales From The Crypt comic book legacy. It may be nothing more than a cheap, horror comedy with no artistic integrity but Dickerson still successfully pulls of a movie that will satisfy and entertain anyone who watches it.
Half of the movie's appeal lies with Billy Zane who acts out the role of The Collector with such wicked charm and delightful evil. You can tell he's having a great time and he makes a counterpoint villain for Sadler's dishevelled hero.
They could have made more Tales From The Crypt movies, but producers Robert Zemeckis, Gilbert Adler and Joel Silver (Walter Hill and David Giler ducked out) went on to found Dark Castle, the production company behind House on Haunted Hill, Thir13en Ghosts and Ghost Ship. -
Dellamorte_Dellamore0722 August 2004FREAKING LOVED IT!
This (to me) is a perfect flick for what it's aiming at. Seven people and a drifter named Braker are trapped inside a old church/ new motel while the super cool COLLECTER (Billy Zane, in a role that was meant for him) and his group of nipple pierced, glow in the dark green eyes, cloven hooved, goatee sporting, slimy demons trick and mangle the cast in order to get a "relic" key that hold the power of darkness from taking over the world.
Ernest Dickerson does well in the directing seat. The horror,comedy, and drama all combined nicely and never went over with the drama or comedy. None of it felt forced. As for the characters, I really warmed up to them (even the asshole Roach), all of the actors brought a little something special to their rather thin roles. I'll always remember the sad prostitute Cordelia, the no bulls*** Irene, or the funny "need a drink" hobo Uncle Willie. THE COLLECTOR is the main highlight of this movie. Excellent delivery by Zane. The man is too cool for TITANIC. I loved the way he persuaded some of the residents into selling there soul, it was more then just having the demons come in. The idea of the blood in the key and being able to make barriers of not letting in the demons was pretty slick too. William Sadler and Jada Pinkett brought a lot of drama and humanity to the movie, they served their characters well. The gore is also kick ass and works well (all about that arm getting ripped off, and hand punching through a face) and the demons looked pretty sick
My only complaint is the whole shooting the demons in the eyes to kill them was kinda blah, but Billy Zane has fun with even that ("I SHOULD KNOW, WHO MAKES UP ALL THESE RULES"). This is one cool movie, stands on its own two feet and pays respect to a lot of past horror movies, any true HORROR fan will appreciate THIS. ROCK ON CRYPT KEEPER!!!... thanx for all those hot babes that flash their stuff, it went well with the movie and never felt sleazy.
DEMON KNIGHT ***1/2 out of **** -
preppy-330 April 2001A man named Brayker (William Sandler) is being pursued by the evil Collector (Billy Zane). He holes up in an isolated hotel with typical stock characters and they all try to make it through the night against Zane and his demon army. The first theatrical off-shoot of HBO's excellent "Tales from the Crypt" series. The story is ridiculous, but the acting is good. Jada Pinkett is very good as one of the residents of the hotel and Billy Zane is excellent as the Collector. He's obviously enjoying himself, his character is constantly joking and it rubs off on the audience. Also the film has VERY extreme gore--I'm surprised it got an R rating. And there's the obligatory, gratuitous female nudity. Unfortunately, there's not enough plot for a 90 minute movie. There's lots of padding and it slows the movie down. Still, it's funny, has great gory moments and Zane's performance. Worth catching--especially for horror fans. Avoid at ALL costs, the second (and last) theatrical Tales movie "Bordello of Blood".
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This is one of my all time favorite movies, and it's the very first movie I saw more than twice while still in theaters. I was already a fan of Tales from the Crypt, and with this movie, there were constant thrills from beginning to end, and everyone was involved in causing those thrills. This was also the very first movie I ever saw Jada Pinkett in--I had never even heard of her before; I absolutely loved her part, and I was already a William Sadler fan from having seen him in Die Hard 2. From beginning to end, the action & suspense keeps you rolling right along on the edge of your seat! The bottom line is this is a movie that I absolutely love, & I have seen it more than 20 times already. The only thing that I did not like about this movie was that it took about 8-10 minutes or so for the actual movie to start.
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one of the best films of recent years... on a budget that is. yes the acting is happy at times (and brilliant in others, William Sadler really showing his skill as the old man tired of running) and the sets are filmsy, the special effects range from mediocre to terrible but the shining diamond here is the script and story. having studied both philosophy and theology i read so much more into this film and truly mark it out as one of the best horror films ever. depth, great concept, brilliant script, wonderful set pieces, and a film that sets up the rules and refuses to break them. if only it hadn't been made with that damn crypt keeper!!!
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The_Void13 March 2006I can't claim to have seen much of the TV show 'Tales from the Crypt', but I saw Bordello of Blood on TV a few years back and found it to be an enjoyably silly piece of camp. I was expecting similar from this film, and that's pretty much what I got - although Demon Knight is clearly better than Bordello of Blood. The film never takes itself too seriously, and that ensures that it is put across to the audience in the right way. Plots similar to the one featured in this film have been the basis for serious horror films in the past, but the fact that this film has a bit of fun with it is definitely in it's favour. The mythology behind the plot is actually quite good, and follows the idea of a 'collector' who is on the trail of a key bearer. The key he seeks contains the blood of Christ, and there are seven scattered across the globe. This is the last one, and if the collector gets his hands on it could spell the end of the world...the final battle is about to take place, only it happens to be in a motel with a motley crew of different characters.
One of the most surprising things about this film is the cast list! The film features performances from two stars who have received praise recently; Jada Pinkett Smith and Thomas Haiden Church. CCH Pounder, who starred in the critically-acclaimed Baghdad Cafe, appears also, while Dick Miller ensures that there's an ounce of cult status among the cast. The lead roles are taken by William Sadler and Billy Zane. Sadler is good enough, but it's Zane who really makes this film what it is. He gets to enjoy himself entertaining the audience as the lead villain, and ensures that every scene he's in is a lot of fun. For an inexpensive film, the effects are also rather good. They do look cheap, but the demons look more realistic than most computer generated effects. The way that the film pans out reminded me a lot of the Robert Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino flick, From Dusk Till Dawn in that we've got 'the good guys' trapped with some monsters, and we watch as they get picked off one by one. Overall, this isn't a great film; but its lots of fun, and anyone that enjoys silly horror comedies will be right at home with it. -
Gislef3 September 1998...because Demon Knight delivers as a theatrical release. Billy Zane gives an incredible performance, but so does practically everyone in this here. There seem to be few good supernatural horror movies out there in this, the mid-late 90's, but Demon Knight is one of the best. It presents an interesting mythology and setup, and you're left to wonder who will get out , and what will be left of them. There's some nice misleading, as we're not really sure what Zane's character's role is in the proceedings until...well , let's say he gives the Sheriff a hand. The framing device of Tales from the Crypt itself is mildly annoying, but it's pretty much gone and over with.
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torrascotia27 January 2020I never know where I am with these tales from the crypt movies. I see one is on the TV and I am never sure if it's one I've already seen. Until today I had never seen this one and it's one of the best in the series. The premise is quite simple. A man is on the run from someone who seems to have supernatural powers. The action transfers to a hotel and a siege style action movie ensues. Watching this in 2020 is a blast. For the reason that the special effects predate CGI. There's nothing wrong with well done CGI but nothing beats the gunk and slime of real life physical models. There's no time to be bored during this movie. The plot is all very standard 80s horror fare and at points reminded me of classics like the Evil Dead and Fright Night. It's that good. The cast is great and there's plenty of gore, twists and violence to keep any horror fan happy. If you enjoy 80s horror movies but somehow this one has passed you by you wont be disappointed if you choose this. It's head and shoulders above 90% of what's currently produced and it's simply a lot of fun.
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trashgang7 April 2009Well well, as I found the low rating for Bordello not right I now found the high rating for Demon Knight a bit exaggerated. first let me say that Billy Zane gave a big performance here but for me the movie is sometimes a bit boring. The first part is okay but when you start to know about the demons one after each other becomes a demon so you get used to it. it's part of the storyline because there is only one survivor of course. But it is a bit of the same whole the time. This film was never cut so you can buy it everywhere. Funny to see that people liked the nudity in this one, well there is less nudity here than in Bordello, I just can't understand people talking about it whole the time. The effects are well done as always with Tales From The Crypt especially when the youngster is reading a comic of Tales From the Crypt, what's in there happens, nicely done. Ther isn't any gore but no problem, the blood flows frequently but for me the film is missing something, sorry
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terrible22 June 2005During the opening credits, we see a low key car chase over the gloomy tones of "Filter's" "Hey Man Nice Shot", which sets the pace for the gore fest before us. Still clueless as to who's the bad guy, we find the guilty looking Brayker (William Sadler), stumble into a whore house in the middle of a desert, on a stormy night. Soon to follow, is The Collector (Billy Zane), with a kind hearted southern drawl, and his squeaky clean smile. Brayker is trying to hide something, and we don't know what it is, but The Collector want's it pretty bad. By the time The town sheriff arrives to sort things out, we're quite certain that Brayker is the villain. It's not until The Collector punches a hole through the sheriff's head that we begin to see what the film has to offer. The next hour and a half is filled with enough blood and gore to make even the pickiest horror fan stand and salute. Billy Zane is awesome as a mid level demon trying to move up (or down) the ladder and William Sadler, who normally plays smaller rolls, is a believable hero and carries the film to it's gruesome end. I am a horror fan, and this film has consistently remained in my top five since it's release.
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loewleon6 January 2019A fine addition to the great anthology series.
You see a group of people fighting against demons, just what the title lets you guess. Surprisingly good effects, fine acting and plenty of gore.
A good horrorfilm plus the Cryptkeeper, who could ask for more...
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wow.this movie started out better than i expected,and then went downhill quickly.the makeup effects in this woofer were pretty pathetic,intentionally,i think.the demons were downright repugnant,to say the least.there is virtually no discernible plot.there were some name actors,although why they would sink so low,i have no idea.can you say Hollywood squares?anyway the movie very quickly degenerates into an orgy(literally)of blood and gore.people die in all kinds of sick disgusting ways.demons die,also in all kinds of sick disgusting ways and of course there is the obligatory scene with naked chicks galore. naturally,the chief demon baddie dies near the end of the film.surprisingly his death is less disgusting than the rest.anyway,a Saviour arises from all this.(actually she just takes over from the previous one,who of course dies in front of her before passing on the legacy)and bla bla bla,everyone lives happily ever after.for now. i'm ashamed to admit i kind of enjoyed this bomb.it is totally forgettable and has no merit i can think.but,it did kill 2 hours of my time.luckily i saw it on cable.it's not worth renting,but if you see it sometime on cable,it s worth diverting your attention for a couple of hours if you want some good laughs and you have nothing else to do. 4* out of 10
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Dr. Gore28 July 2003*SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT*
The Collector, (Billy Zane), wants his key. William Sadler has it and won't give it back. Sadler escapes to a motel in the middle of nowhere. The main man Zane follows in hot pursuit. Soon the humans will have to do battle against Demon Knight Zane and his hordes of undead ghoulies. Blood, guts and green ooze spurt out in abundance.
Billy Zane is hilarious as the Collector. It is surely one of the finest portrayals ever of a demon from Hades. He is as cool as cool can get. He should consider playing a vampire in some future Zane adventure. Count Zane. I can see it. How the Academy overlooked this performance is a mystery.
"Demon Knight" is a great horror/action flick. The Crypt Keeper shows up to bookend the simple story of a motel overrun by green eyed demons. The gore is plentiful and gruesome. Every part of the human body is violated. Arms, eyes, hearts and other important organs are punctured with demonic glee. It's demons vs. humans with Zane trying to seduce everybody. Can anyone resist Zane's satanic power? Only the pure of heart will survive.
One last thing, keep an eye out for a familiar face among the party babes in Uncle Willy's seduction scene. Porno superstar Chasey Lain shows up to help push Uncle Willy over to the dark side. Her demonic topless power was too much for any mortal man to resist. -
radhrh20 May 2021Cartoonish comic book schlock horror fun and games with tons of gore and a generous side of bouncing boobs. What's not to like?
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claudio_carvalho1 September 2016A man called Frank Brayker (William Sadler) is driving a car through a desert road chased by another car. They crash and Brayker flees from the spot. He unsuccessfully tries to heist a car and stumbles upon the alcoholic Uncle Willy (Dick Miller). Then he asks for a place to stay and Willy indicates a nearby bed and breakfast in an abandoned church. Brayker goes with Willy to the inn where he checks in with the owner Irene (CCH Pounder). He is introduced to the guests: the whore Cordelia (Brenda Bakke); the postal clerk Wally Enfield (Charles Fleischer) and the maid Jeryline (Jada Pinkett Smith). Meanwhile, Sheriff Tupper (John Schuck) and Deputy Bob Martel (Gary Farmer) finds a man called The Collector (Billy Zane) near the accident that tells that Brayker is a thief that has stolen a key-like relic from him. When the crook Roach (Thomas Haden Church), he tells about the attempt of theft of a car, the suspicious Irene calls the Sheriff that comes with his Deputy and The Collector that tries to retrieve the relic. When the Sheriff decides to take Brayker and The Collector to the police station since both cars were stolen, The Collector kills him with a powerful punch. However Brayker uses the relic to expel The Collector to outside and he uses his blood on the soil to create demons. However Brayker uses blood from the relic to protect the inn. The Collector is unable to get in the place and uses his power to tempt each person inside the inn. Who will win the battle between good and evil?
"Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight" is a funny entertainment with a story of a fight between good and evil. Fans of the TV show will certainly enjoy the long episode. Billy Zane is hilarious in many moments and steals the show; William Sadler good as usual; the sexy Brenda Bakke performs Cordelia that seems to be a laboratory to Selena Coombs from "American Gothic"in the same year. Unfortunately for the fans only this film and "Bordello of Blood" (1996) have been made and this wonderful franchise is finished. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Os Demônios da Noite" ("The Demons of the Night")
Note: On 09 November 2020, I saw this film again. -
I'm gonna keep this short & simple,this film is grrrrreat FUN..from start to finish it has just the right mix of action,adventure,horror,suspense,some comedy,great gore etc. It was riveting & fast paced with ZERO boring moments & it's DEFINITELY going to keep you glued to the screen.The cast was perfect & every single person played their part well.I heard the budget wasn't a big one but you won't notice cause the special effects are pretty decent.The 6.3 rating on here doesn't do this kick @ss film justice at all! Buy it, rent it whatever but SEE it,it's an hour & a half well spent! 10 out of 10 stars!
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RElKO26 July 2000I've seen uncensored episodes of "Tales from the crypt", with well-known actors like Joe Pesci, Tom Hanks, Michael J. Fox and so on that were extremely gory. I wonder if these episodes were ever shown on American television in these uncut versions. But they were great. And this is one of those kind of episodes. After seeing some (censored) episodes that were no more scary than an average Twilight Zone episode, that's a relief.
A mysterious man is chased by demons into a house occupied with people and all hell breaks loose, literally. It's a slick version of Evil Dead with more advanced special effects and more professional acting, and everything is presented with tongue in cheek, especially the evil character played by Billy Zane, who looks like a cowboy drifter.
A lot of fun for horror fans, but a bit forgettable as well. -
Demon Knights-Jada Pinkett, William Sadler, Billy Zane, Thomas Haden Church, Dick Miller, CCH Pounder, Brenda Bakke, Gary Farmer, Charles Fleischer and John Kassir(voice).
This film is great. It opens and ends with the Cryptkeeper who is very amusing as always, but that's nothing. The film itself is great. Billy Zane is a demon who is trying to get his key back from William Sadler, who lives forever as long as he has that key, which stops hell from coming to Earth. Sadler meets Dick Miller who shows him a hotel, that ends where everyone is trapped in because of Zane and friends, but Zane cannot get in. He seduces the people with the thing they want the most (respect, naked women, beer etc.) It's great and a good use of 82 minutes of your life.
4/5 stars. rated R for some gory violence, brief language and two scenes of topless women. -
There's a type of horror film that doesn't really aim to scare you as much as it uses the horror platform for creative or (let's be honest) entertainment purposes. Call it an action-horror and you can get away with spending more on practical effects, supernatural mysticism, and yes, some unnecessary nudity. And yes, I have a soft spot for this sort of horror film.
Demon Knight is a ton of fun and is really elevated by its performances. William Sadler is the quintessential 90s action hero, the strong silent type, but with enough empathy and kindness to make him lovable. Billy Zane is having so much fun here and while I think a part of it is the peak Freddy Krueger influence and he does come off as goofy, you can't help but want to see him on screen. Thomas Hayden Church is unbelievably skeezy and a fantastic love-to-hate character, and Jada Pinkett...honestly, kinda rocks here. Her acting is super 90s, and I adore it.
I also really loved the mythology and the role of Christianity. Even if you're not Christian, there's something special about a movie about demons having strong ties to Christian mysticism. Oddly, it gives the film a sense of cultural identity that I find more compelling than some generic, post-modern demon types. Speaking of which, while I initially thought the demons looked a bit generic (i.e. Mini Pumpkinheads), the practical effects are really excellent here and they do some fun, creative stuff with them.
It's not perfect by any means; there's a bit of information that is deliberately hidden throughout the movie for NO REASON other than to generate conflict, which is frustrating. It's also not particularly original, but at the end of the day, everyone is having fun here, and you will too. -
Castor Troy28 December 1999This is one of the worst movies that I have ever seen. I am a HUGE horror film buff but this movie falls more under sci-fi than anything. Billy Zane is horrible as a leading man. Jada Pinkett is bad as usual. Church provides some decent comic relief but I really do not understand what Tales From the Crypt was thinking when they made this film.
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fullenw23 December 2006What made this so creepy was that the scenario was in the bad guys favor.Demons have been trying to recover 7 keys for evil intentions. They've already found 6 keys and now they're after the last one.
Billy Zane played the collector demon in perhaps the most underrated bad guy role ever. He was twisted yet so funny. Superb acting especially by William Sadler(as always).
The demons can be killed by anything destroying their eyes or blood from a previous demon knight. Gore, blood and a weird sex scene included also. This movie went all out and broke boundaries.
This is a "pass the torch" movie and its surprising to see who becomes the new demon knight. -
Tales From the Crypt: Demon Knight from 1995 is an awesome movie. I bought it because I'm a Billy Zane fan and had heard and read so many reviews about his performance in this film. And boy, where they right! I'm not even a fan of horror films, but this one is so cheesy and campy and silly and fun! And I"m not a fan of gore either, but surprisingly I was able to handle the gore. I guess because most of it was green goo! Billy Zane plays The Collector, a demon who is in forever pursuit of Brayker (William Sadler), because Brayker has a key that The Collector desperately wants to get ahold of. But Brayker won't give The Collector the key because then that would be the end of all man kind and The Collector and his horde of demons would rule the world. So The Collector chases Brayker to a run down hotel in a remote town and when Brayker refuses to give up the key The Collector summons his horde of demons to wreak havoc on the hotel's residents. So now Brayker has to get rid of all the demons and the residents must try and escape the seductively evil Collector's enticing offers to possess their souls and turn them into demons. And the only way to keep the demons from entering the hotel is to seal the doors and windows with the ancient blood that the key is filled with. This movie was so entertaining. I'm a fan of the TV series "Tales From the Crypt", but this film version is so much better. I think most of the film's success has to do with the amazing performance from Billy Zane. He was so perfect as The Collector. He was deliciously creepy, sexy, funny, and scary all at once. At one moment you're falling in love with his intense stare and friendly smile, and then the next moment you're frightened of him by seeing the horrible things he does to the residents to get his key. Billy was perfectly cast and there is no other actor that comes to mind who would play The Collector better. William Sadler was equally as good as Brayker. You felt so much sympathy for him and his character was likable. Jada Pinkett was also outstanding in one of her early roles. She was funny and cute and likable too. She was a great heroine. The rest of cast, including Thomas Haden Church, CCH Pounder, Dick Miller and Brenda Bakke all did fine jobs as well. I don't' think there was any performance I didn't like. I love Demon Knight because it's a horror film that is scary, funny, sexy, and creepy all at once. There are so many funny scenes and funny memorable quotes in this film. There are hardly any boring moments in the film. Although I will admit that only the scenes that involve the Collector are the most entertaining ones. The Collector is one of those characters that you love to hate because he's so evil!! Demon Knight isn't one of the greatest movies ever made but it's certainly fun and classic and fans of horror shouldn't be disappointed. I'm sure glad I bought it!! Thanks for reading my review! :) :) :)
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rooboy8430 June 2002The title is retarded in itself. Except for Billy Zane (known as the collector) the others completley suck as far as everything else goes etc acting. There is some very good action movies, and the film a good horror, but other then that it just dosen't deliver as there are a few plot holes. But can that be forgiven and would i be able to watch it again? Or are the cracks too deep?
4/10 at least Billy Zane did a good job!