Why ‘Night of the Demons’ Proves 80s Horror Schlock Deserves a Comeback
Night of the Demons is a 1988 supernatural horror film directed by Kevin S. Tenney that centers on a Halloween party in an abandoned mortuary where teenagers are possessed by demons. The movie stars Amelia Kinkade and Linnea Quigley, and it is noted for its practical makeup and creature effects as well as its continued availability on modern home-video formats.
- Production and effects
- Home releases and availability
- Budget and market context
- Further reading and sources
Film overview
Night of the Demons was released in 1988 and directed by Kevin S. Tenney. The plot follows a group of high school students who hold a Halloween party in an abandoned funeral parlor and inadvertently summon demonic forces. The film’s principal cast includes Amelia Kinkade as Angela and Linnea Quigley among the ensemble.
The movie uses a housebound setting and possession tropes common to late-1980s horror. In addition, the film’s promotional art and VHS-era positioning helped it reach genre audiences at the time; one of the poster images associated with the film can be viewed on the film’s IMDb media page.
Production and effects
Special makeup and creature effects for Night of the Demons were created by Steve Johnson, who trained under Rick Baker. Also, animator Kathy Zielinski, previously employed by Disney, supervised the film’s opening sequence. These are documented in the disc special features on the modern home releases.
Amelia Kinkade, who appears in the film, has a biographical page that references her earlier dance work; more on her background is available on her official site. 
Home releases and availability
Shout! Factory issued a collectible Blu-ray release of Night of the Demons that includes special features detailing the production and effects work. The title has also been reissued in higher-resolution formats; you can find information about the release through Shout! Factory’s product page.
Budget and market context
According to interviews with effects personnel, Tenney’s production budget was approximately $1 million at the time, which has been estimated to equal roughly $3 million when adjusted for inflation. The late-1980s VHS and rental market shaped financial paths for many genre films, and those distribution dynamics changed significantly when the rental market declined.
Compared to modern low-budget splatter films, budgets and distribution strategies vary. For example, box-office and budget information for Terrifier 2 is summarized on The Numbers. Media coverage of a 2024 premiere noted strong audience reactions for that film; see the New York Post report on viewers who reportedly walked out and vomited at a screening on that page.
Historical context about the B-movie and low-budget studio system, including producers like Roger Corman, can be found in books such as Made a Hundred Movies, which discusses the economics of genre filmmaking during the VHS era.
Further reading and sources
For additional context and background referenced in this piece, see:
- Discussion of Z-grade and low-budget filmmaking on this filmmaking primer.
- The film poster image, available on IMDb.
- Amelia Kinkade’s biography on her official site.
- Shout! Factory’s product page for the collector’s edition on their store.
- Budget and box-office summary for Terrifier 2 at The Numbers.
- Press coverage of audience reactions at a 2024 screening on the New York Post.
- A Rotten Tomatoes page for a contemporary teen-horror title: Fear Street: Prom Queen.
