Demonwarp is a 1988 American Slasher Movie starring George Kennedy, David Michael O'Neill, Billy Jayne, Pamela Gilbert, and Michelle Bauer. It’s mostly remembered for having an absolutely bonkers last thirty minutes.
A group of teens go to the ominously named Demon Woods, notorious for being plagued by supernatural activity. They hope to capture photos of Bigfoot. Unfortunately, Bigfoot is in the area and downright murderous. But it is only a pawn of something much grander…
This film contains examples of:
- Advertised Extra: George Kennedy is advertised as though he's the lead, but he's only in the film for fifteen minutes.
- Aliens Are Bastards: All the paranormal phenomena and horrors in Demon Woods are the work of the powerful alien Algrath. After his ship crash landed on Earth, he's been having his mutated minions kill people to turn them into his zombie slaves to repair his spaceship.
- And Show It to You: The Minister conducts his human sacrifices this way.
- Big Bad: Algrath, the evil alien responsible for the murders and rampaging Bigfoot. He's using it as part of a scheme to revive the dead as zombies to repair his spacecraft so he can leave Earth.
- Bigfoot, Sasquatch, and Yeti: Bigfoot is the monster rampaging through the woods. Except he's a mere pawn of the evil alien Algrath.
- Bittersweet Ending: Algrath is killed and his spaceship is destroyed by Jack, ending his reign of terror over Demon Woods. However, Jack is left traumatized by what he went through and most of the cast is dead.
- Crazy-Prepared: Grafton has rigged the woods with bear traps and dynamite to kill the Bigfoot.
- Catapult Nightmare: Happens to Jack twice at the end, waking from one nightmare into another.
- Dying as Yourself: Ted is stung by Algrath during the climax and begins mutating into a Bigfoot. Since Jack has rigged dynamite to blow up the cave and spacecraft, Ted remains behind so he can die. The bomb goes off midway through his transformation.
- Gainax Ending: A relatively straightforward Slasher Movie right up until the final 30 minutes, at which point the film introduces aliens, zombies, and dark magic to the proceedings.
- Human Sacrifice: Algrath’s priest conducts full ceremonial rituals before cutting out people’s hearts for Algrath to eat.
- It's Personal: Grafton wants to avenge his daughter’s death at the Bigfoot's hands.
- Our Zombies Are Different: They're the resurrected, mindless slaves of the evil alien Algrath. Though a bullet to the head still kills them just fine.
- Sinister Minister: Algrath's zombie priest the Minister, who cuts out hearts to feed to his master.
- Was Once a Man: The Bigfoots are actually people transformed into monsters by Algrath's venom.