My Demon Lover is a 1987 American comedy horror film directed by Charlie Loventhal and written by Leslie Ray. The film stars Scott Valentine, Michele Little, Robert Trebor, Gina Gallego, Alan Fudge, Calvert DeForest and Arnold Johnson. The film was released on April 24 by New Line Cinema.
| My Demon Lover | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Charlie Loventhal |
| Written by | Leslie Ray |
| Produced by | Gerald T. Olson Robert Shaye |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Jacques Haitkin |
| Edited by | Ronald Roose |
| Music by | David Newman |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | New Line Cinema |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $4 million[1] |
| Box office | $3.9 million[2] |
In the film, a young woman starts a romantic relationship with a street musician. She is unaware that her cursed boyfriend transforms into a demon whenever he feels aroused. Meanwhile, the boyfriend fears that his demonic alter ego may be responsible for a recent series of murders.
Plot
editDenny is a young woman who has horrible luck with men. Her latest encounters have been particularly bad, so when she meets a homeless (and horny) street musician, Kaz, she thinks that she may have found a good man. Little does she know that Kaz was cursed by the mother of a young girl he was messing around with while he was in middle school. Whenever he becomes aroused he becomes a demon.
When young women begin to die throughout the city, Kaz begins to wonder if he is "The Mangler" that is murdering them. His worries are compounded when Denny's friend Sonia, a psychic, receives a vision that seems to confirm his suspicions. The killer is ultimately revealed to be Charles, who kidnaps Denny.
To save Denny, Kaz sleeps with Sonia to trigger his transformation. He then saves Denny and is cured of his curse, while Charles is defeated.
Cast
edit- Scott Valentine as Kaz
- Michele Little as Denny
- Robert Trebor as Charles
- Gina Gallego as Sonia
- Alan Fudge as Phil Janus
- Calvert DeForest as Man in Health Food Store
- Arnold Johnson as Fixer
Production
editTo distinguish My Demon Lover from werewolf films, Valentine's character was written to change into a multitude of forms.[3] Comic book artist Bernie Wrightson did additional character design and storyboarding for the film.[4]
Shooting took place in Los Angeles and New York, starting in September 1986 and finishing in November.[5]
Reception
editThe film grossed $1,815,583 in its opening weekend.[6]
My Demon Lover received negative reviews.[5] Janet Maslin wrote in The New York Times that the film bores audiences despite its copious special effects and strange characters.[7] Michael Wilmington of the Los Angeles Times wrote that "though there’s a lot wrong with it, there are things amusingly right about it, too". While acknowledging that some audiences may find it too "overcute and shallow", he said it works better than some big studio comedies.[8] TV Guide's review says that film may have been meant to be satirical, but the film's script and direction make it difficult to take seriously.[9]
References
edit- ^ Silverman, Michael (May 21, 1986). "New Line Adds 2 In-House Pics To Production Schedule For '87". Variety. p. 7.
- ^ "My Demon Lover (1987) - Box Office Mojo". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
- ^ Anker, Roger (May 1987). "Lovers and Other Demons". Fangoria. No. 63. pp. 43–45.
- ^ Dickholtz, Daniel (June 1987). "My Demon Artist". Fangoria. No. 64. p. 20.
- ^ a b "My Demon Lover (1987)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
- ^ "Weekend Box Office Results for April 24-26, 1987 - Box Office Mojo". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (1987-04-24). "Movie Review - My Demon Lover - FILM: 'MY DEMON LOVER,' GOTHIC TALE IN GOTHAM". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-03-16.
- ^ Wilmington, Michael (1987-04-27). "Movie Review : Likable 'Lover' Has Humor, Panache". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
- ^ "My Demon Lover Reviews". TV Guide. Retrieved 2021-02-14.