Director – Donald Farmer (Cannibal Cop, Shark Exorcist)
Starring – Jessa Flux (Shingles: The Movie, Deadly Dealings), Angel Nichole Bradford (Wolf Hollow, Mothman), and Morrigan Thompson (Girl blood Sport, The Curse of Lilith Ratchet)
Release Date – 2023
Rating – 3/5
Filmmaker Donald Farmer has one hell of a career in filmmaking spanning damn near 50 years. No matter how you slice it, he has contributed to horror longer than most of us have been alive. Starting in the early 70s before snowballing into his more popular films in the 80s and 90s, he’s been working on one project of another for half a century resulting in classics like Demon Queen, Dorm of the Dead, Invasion of the Scream Queens, Savage Vengeance, and many more. I’ve been lucky enough to review some of his newer films like his remake of Cannibal Hookers and Hooker with a Hacksaw. I respect what he does and how he fully embraces the old horror cliché that blood and boobs sells movies.
It may not be a selling point for me but I do love watching a movie that has both of them in it. I was all in when he announced his newest film Debbie Does Demons. The artwork and casting really caught my eye and I followed the project closely sharing everything he announced on the site. A few days back he asked for critics and reviewers to reach out to him to review the flick and I rushed to my messages to hit him up. He was kind enough to send over a link and here we are!
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a late night horror host who finds herself stuck in the middle of a group of friends who decided playing with an Ouija board was a good idea and the evil Carmilla that they resurrected. Now, the late night horror host is forced to confront the witch Carmella before she can fuck the remaining friends and turn them into her mindless minions. **Spoiler Alert**
Debbie Does Demons was nothing like I was expecting exactly. It was sleazy and full of humor with the title being very fitting but I was hoping for a film that had a little more to the story. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed what we got but I was hoping for an indie horror release with a bit more story behind it.
The acting in this one is a lot of fun. Indie darlings Jessa Flux, Roni Jonah, Angel Bradford, Dixie Gers, and Morrigan Thompson all appear in the film along with indie actor Adam Freeman among several others that I’m not too familiar with. However, I loved the casting here and the performances they deliver. The characters made the film for me and I love seeing so many familiar faces take them on. We get a lot of energy, dedication, and personality that pulls the viewer in.
The story for this one is Fright Night meets Debbie Does Dallas. We follow the lustful and evil Carmilla who is resurrected via Ouija board and is now fucking those that brought her back and turning them into her slaves. We then have Debbie, the late night horror host, who is brought into the chaos to stop Carmilla due to her knowledge of horror and the occult. It’s a fun film especially for those of us that grew up during the cable access days with no budget horror hosts and Fright Night on VHS. It’s full of nudity and just enough cliched horror to make it fun without overdoing it. Some of the scenes could be edited down a bit to make the pacing work better but it’s still enjoyable as is.
Finally, the film has plenty of blood. The effects are solid in regards to what you would typically find in a S.O.V. horror flick . We get a great deal of practical effects but they are nothing that really stands out. Hell, if anything they bring some unexpected laughs. Overall, Debbie Does Demons is the type of film many of you are looking for. It has beautiful women, blood, and some laughs. It could have used some memorable death scenes but it’s still entertaining as it is. Check it out.
