More bottom-shelf offerings from Sub Rosa, but this time, the mix isn’t nearly as deadly as the previous disc (“Game of Pleasure”/”Vampire Carmilla”). From the late ‘80s comes “Demon Lover”, an odd little tale of revenge-through-witchcraft starring a few unknowns and veterans Z’Dar, Bauer and Estevez playing second fiddle. With more than a few lags in the story, “Demon Lover” plods along, but delivers the goods with some well-done gore and excellent make-up. Bauer provides the skin, but has too-little screen time.
“Gargoyle Girls” works harder than “Demon Lover” and is a little more successful, story-wise. An amateur magician inherits a mystical artifact. Oddness and chaos ensues, culminating in Graham appearing in Muppet-makeup as one of the title characters. Graham, who has since retired from the b-movie industry, was always a welcome face, one of the most talented of micro-budget world, so it was nice to see her here. “Gargoyle Girls” actually goes all out to tell a tired story in a unique way – there’s even a silent-movie flashback in the center – and it’s attempts at comedy work more often than not.
If you’re a fan of obscure horror movies, this is definitely a good disc to check out. Both look to be transferred from tape masters, but “Gargoyle Girls” comes off the better of the two as more care seemingly went into the production. It’s definitely the more stylish and enjoyable of the two, which is not to say “Demon Lover” doesn’t have its moments.
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