Ah, the 90s. Remember midnight movie showings, side-scrolling video games, indie bands in tiny venues, and fighting off demon hoards? That’s a relatable statement. I mean, we’ve all fought for our lives against demons intent on destroying humanity, right? Really? Well, I guess it was just me then.
Attack of the Demons from Eric Power and Andreas Petersen tells the story of three high school friends running into each other by chance during a music and movie festival in their hometown. The three 20-somethings find themselves bonding over their respective obsessions (indie music, horror films, and video games) before splitting up to have individualized fun. Little do they suspect that a rampaging horde of grotesque demons are going to, well, rampage through their little mountain town and cause the locals to mutate into hideous creatures bent on murder and destruction. Ah, the 90s.
“…a rampaging horde of grotesque demons are going to, well, rampage through their little mountain town and cause the locals to mutate into hideous creatures…”
While Attack of the Demons is a love letter to low budget fare like Evil Dead and Night of the Demons, it is also hand-animated using pieces of construction paper. The animation techniques add a certain naïve charm to the film, and you find yourself quickly entranced by the homemade simplicity of it all. Unfortunately, that feeling doesn’t last very long.
Power and Petersen take a horrifyingly long time setting up the story. We meet one character and see how sad and lonely they are. They meet a second character who talks about how sad and lonely they are. The two people meet a third character who, shockingly, talks about how sad and lonely they are. It is impossible not to understand where each character in Attack of the Demons is coming from because they tell you in excruciating detail. It isn’t until a third of the way through the demons actually attack.
"…my nostalgia center is burnt out because this trick just doesn't work anymore."
