Here's what the creatures had to say:
Lord Battle - The definition of an exploitation film on wikipedia is; "a film that attempts to succeed financially by exploiting current trends, niche genres, or lurid content." But it wasn't until the midnight screening of James C. Wasson's (only credit) 1980's slasher Night of the Demon that I truly understood the meaning. After spending 20 hours among Bigfoot fans, believers, and hunters (Pro kill included) it was painfully clear that Jim L. Ball (story (only credit)), Mike Williams (screenplay (only credit)) were not interested in the actual Bigfoot lore, the lore which Bigfooters live and breathe. If the Bigfoot community felt betrayed by the Harry and the Hendersons writer/director William Dear, a man who cared enough to name characters in his film after obscure cryptozoology heros that only the community would know about (More about that HERE) and they still curse the film, then imagine how the crowd at Bigfoot Bonanza (in the Crabtree theatre) would react to a Bigfoot vindictively murdering people with an axe! The blatant mischaracterization of Bigfoot made me sympathetic to the community as I know this portrayal would deeply upset them. I just remember how upset I was about the dumbass mischaracterization of the beholders in the first Dungeons and Dragons (2000) film but at the same time I can't help but celebrate how awesome the idea of a cult worshiping a Bigfoot slasher and offering him sexual sacrifices is! I mean come on, blood pools into a Bigfoot footprint that's the unprecedented yet awesome imagery that could only come from an exploitive mind and only be seen in a true Sasquatchsploitation film!!" - 5 Stars
KillDozer - "I was sold on this title by a local classic monster horror host who claimed it was "the bloodiest BigFoot film ever made!". He wasn't kidding!!! Night of the Demon made in 1980 is an incredible display of gore, violence, cult sacrifices, and interspecies rape! Sadly this is the director's only credit as I feel as though he may have been well on his way to being a legend in the genre. As if Bigfoot wasn't a good enough selling point, this film also features some mind blowing and cringe worthy kills by our favorite cryptozoology creature. It even has a sleeping bag kill that rivals Jason Vorhees!! I can't recommend this title enough to all those horror nerds out there looking for a bloody diamond in the rough. This is a monster cult slasher that belongs on the shelf of every genre collector!"- 5 Stars (worth of over the top 80's bloody monster violence :) a great film to see with a fun crowd)
Math Mage - "I was worried that this film included brutal Bigfoot attacks, I was not expecting competent anthropologists fighting demon cultists." - 5 Stars
The Berkeley Blazer - "I can't really review this movie. I viewed Night of the Demon at the tail end of a massive Bigfoot marathon. We were promised one of the goriest Bigfoot movies ever and while I didn't want to miss it, I also felt the tender kiss of sleep burrowing its way into my brain. The sound of the dialog and the quality of writing didn't seem like one of NotD strengths, so I compromised and listened to Childish Gambino's "Awaken, My Love" and Cradles of Filth's "Nymphetamine" album, effectively experiencing Night of the Demon as a music video, and it worked, it so worked. During an instantly classic scene (to be continued)" - 3 Stars
Huntress - "With elements of a monster movie as well as a Scooby Doo type mystery, Night of the Demon makes for a pretty bloody adventure movie, much different from the rest of the lineup at Bigfoot Bonanza. Although I think the alternative title, The Curse of Bigfoot, is a better representation and also a lot more fun, Night of the Demon must have made more than a couple people reconsider squatching in the 80’s." - 3.5 Stars
The Overlook Theatre Final Rating*
(Below is for after you've seen the film)
Night of the Demon introduced me to the phrase Sasquatchsploitation and with a little research (a quick Google search) I came across a site www.sasquatchploitation.com "A watchdog for the exploitation of Bigfoot and sasquatch in film, tv, books, internet and other media" and they've got quite a few amazingly cringe-worthy videos to share, below are a couple of my favorites:
This Purple Protector commercial features a conspiracy theorist Bigfoot, a bedwetting baby Bigfoot, and a few terrible puns. Perfectly awesome and exploitive.
Here is a kickstarter for Sasquatch I: It Begins: The Curse of the Were-Squatch a film which I won't try to describe. Just watch the video. I will say however that the perks offered for this project are amazing and cheap! Check those out HERE.
The Overlook Theatre materialized in the Balboa theatre for Bigfoot Bonanza on 3/11/2017
*Based on the star ratings turned in by character reviewers, others viewed and got to "Dislike" or "Like" but that does not affect the rating.
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