Demon Knight Year: 1995 Director: Ernest R. Dickerson Written by: Ethan Reiff, Cyrus Voris, Mark Bishop Threat: Demon Weapon of Choice: Blood Based upon: none IMDb page:

Other movies in this series:
Bordello of Blood

Rish's Reviews
I don't know about tyranist (who I watched this with), but I really dig this movie. I think the whole point was to create something fun, and it is.
William Sadler plays a mysterious man on the run from another mysterious man (Billy Zane), who takes refuge in a crumbling inn in the middle of nowhere. Zane turns out to be The Collector, a big-shot demon who seeks a key Sadler possesses, and he unleashes a bunch o' demons to get it back, and kill everybody who stands in his way, which includes all the people in the inn.
I was visiting my uncle's house when "Tales From the Crypt" premiered in 1989. Our family didn't have HBO, and I considered it kismet that we were someplace with the network the day the show aired. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. The series combined two of my true loves: comic books and Horror.
I only ended up seeing a handful of episodes over the years (and the later ones which were based on the "Crime Suspensestories couldn't have sucked more), but was always a big fan.
Demon Knight is just as fun as the series, if a tad too long. I was familiar with this whole cast: William Sadler, Billy Zane, Jada Pinkett, Thomas Haden Church, the great Dick Miller, Charles Fleischer, Brenda Bakke, even CCH Pounder. Zane really steals the show with a performance so over-the-top, you sort of like him (and this is Billy Zane we're talking about). In fact, Zane was probably the best thing about Demon Knight, creating a character that was threatening, but also very amusing.
The flick had nice special effects, nice dialogue, a good ending. And the gore is great, with gallons of day-glow green blood.I also really enjoy the backstory...very original. In fact, the only weak point I can see are the Crypt Keeper bookends, with their bad puns and general annoyingness.
I'd Recommend It To: Fans of the series, those interested in fun gorefests, and single mothers.

The tyranist's thoughts
This was the first only two "Tales from the Crypt" movies, and that is a true shame. Of course, it may be that movie three would have been terrible. Maybe we should be grateful they stopped when they did. But what might have been?
I like William Sadler as much as the next man and he was every bit as good here as he ever is. The man's style is so understated, that it is hard to believe in anything but the character on the screen. Add his hero to a somewhat atypical horror cast, threaten them with Billy Zane, and you have a fine movie.
It never takes itself seriously, but it never undermines its own credibility either. Instead, it is apparent that they are trying to have fun, and it works really well. There were a couple of moments that were a little odd, but for the most part, the movie flows.
It is hard to find movies of this quality. Enjoy.

Total Skulls: 26

Sequel
Sequel setup
Rips off earlier film
Horror film showing on TV/in theater in movie
Future celebrity appears		Jada Pinkett
Former celebrity appears
Bad title
Bad premise
Bad acting
Bad dialogue
Bad execution
MTV Editing
OTS
Girl unnecessarily gets naked
Wanton sex
Death associated with sex
Unfulfilled promise of nudity
Characters forget about threat
Secluded location
Power is cut
Phone lines are cut
Someone investigates a strange noise
Someone runs up stairs instead of going out front door
Camera is the killer
Victims cower in front of a window/door
Victim locks self in with killer
Victim running from killer inexplicably falls
Toilet stall scene
Shower/bath scene
Car stalls or won't start
Cat jumps out
Fake scare
Laughable scare
Stupid discovery of corpse
Dream sequence
Hallucination/Vision
No one believes only witness
Crazy, drunk, old man knows the truth
Warning goes unheeded
Music detracts from scene
Death in first five minutes
x years before/later
Flashback sequence
Dark and stormy night
Killer doesn't stay dead
Killer wears a mask
Killer is in closet
Killer is in car with victim
Villain is more sympathetic than heroes
Unscary villain/monster
Beheading
Blood fountain
Blood spatters - camera, wall, etc.
Poor death effect
Excessive gore
No one dies at all
Virgin survives
Geek/Nerd survives
Little kid lamely survives
Dog/Pet miraculously survives
Unresolved subplots
"It was all a dream" ending
Unbelievably happy ending
Unbelievably crappy ending
What the hell?