From the wilds of Ohio come the frenzied tale of young love, crazy hermits, rowdy punks, and books you really shouldn’t be reading, because this year it’s definitely a DEMON SUMMER. From the fine folk at Speed Freak Productions comes a film that may be influenced directly from that Raimi guy’s EVIL DEAD, but with enough uniqueness of it’s own to be a lot of fun nonetheless.

Two greaser punks hang out in the park one hot summer night, waiting to play ‘roll the drunk’ with the town’s resident bum. Not only do they beat up the poor jerk and take his booze, but the punks also steal his prize possession, a ratty old book. The next day, the gang – Johnny, Kurt, Jamie & Mary - hang out at the local malt shop, all bitching about doing something on summer vacation. Loud mouth Kurt cajoles shy Johnny into asking the new girl for her phone number. But on his way to her car, Johnny has the misfortune of bumping into school bully Louie, who has designs on the new chick himself. Louie chases Johnny off and tries his luck with the Eva (the girl, natch). Eva shoots down an embarrassed Louie and leaves with her friend Rose. Meanwhile, the gang has also left to hang out at the park. There, they see Crazy Bob, the bum. Kurt relates the story of how Bob supposedly raised a demon years ago that killed his girlfriend and drove him insane. The rest of the gang is skeptical...

That night, Eva tries to dissuade Rose from going out with greaser punk Eddie and his greaser punk friends. Rose goes anyway, unknowing that Eddie and the boys, who are in possession of Crazy Bob’s ‘Demon Book”, are planning to reenact the demon ritual, with Rose as their sacrifice! Everybody else hangs out in the local parking lot, where Johnny intervenes when Louie tries again to force Eva to go out with him. The threat of cops prevents Louie from beating on Johnny, but Eva’s grateful for the save. In the woods, Eddie’s ritual goes horribly wrong, as he himself is assaulted by demonic forces! Two of the punks and Rose flee, but Eddie rises, although he’s not quite the same anymore. Punk Bruce finds that out much to his dismay when he checks on his boss and winds up with a slashed throat. Later, when he arrives at Roses’ house, Eddie seems normal, but the demon soon possess him again and it’s ‘good night’ to Rose...

The next day, Bruce’s mutilated body has been found in the park. The gang heads there to see what’s the deal, and for the third time Louie gets the brush-off from Eva – this time she tells him she has a date with a stunned Johnny (and much to Jamie’s chagrin – she’s hopelessly in love with her oblivious friend)! But Louie has plans to have his revenge... Eddie stalks through town, dealing rather harshly with his former mates when he meets up with them in a convenient alley. The night comes far too soon, as the demon once known as Eddie prepares for a feast of blood...

Yep, DEMON SUMMER throws everything but the proverbial kitchen sink into the mix. Most of the cast is also the crew, and the desire they have to make a really entertaining film is very evident. The plot may not be incredibly original, but the writers try to give every character his or her own niche. The direction is good and keeps events moving at a good pace. Even when there are obligatory exposition scenes, the film doesn’t bog down – smart editing keeps things moving right along. The many night scenes - a bane to many low budget efforts – are lit very well with many nice touches. In Eddie’s fireside chanting of the book, they use a candle to light his face – very effective. The overall lighting effort must be lauded because it really adds to the movies’ atmosphere and lo and behold, we can see everything! The original music is groovy and used well, and overall the sound is consistent and clear (I won’t nit pick on some of the outdoor scenes – any audio inconsistencies are not distracting). The special effects are creepy and the signature set piece (you’ll know it when you see it) is very very cool. My only real gripe is that some of the actors are too self-conscious – their performances seem to be forced and they don’t know what to do with their hands! However, in the grand scheme of things, DEMON SUMMER is a superlative job of a low budget film that’s a bloody good time.

The DVD for DEMON SUMMER includes some fine extras. First, there is a full-length commentary with producer brothers Andy and Luke Campbell and most of the cast & crew chiming in. Their stories and comments are a definite viewing experience – and I won’t bash you guys for it! There’s a short set of out-takes, with many funny bits of SFX going wrong and blown lines. The make-up people have a short about their experiences living for hours in latex. There’s a number of trailers and another funny short of the Speed Freak crew making the rounds on the horror con circuit – how could you miss the turnpike?!

Ironically, the one thing you need to find in a low budget horror film is heart. The main reason anyone should ever make a film is that they have affection for the craft, and they let that desire permeate every aspect of their effort. DEMON SUMMER may never win an Academy Award, but it’s a film with more passion than most of what comes out of Hollywood’s ass these days. So give it up for the Campbell brothers and their gang, and have yourself a merry little DEMON SUMMER.