Tales from the Crypt presents: Demon Knight (R)
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This 1995 film was a spin-off of the TV series Tales from the Crypt. I expect it's something I was vaguely aware of when it came out, but I didn't see it until 2015 (on a DVD that also includes Bordello of Blood). It's not quite as tongue-in-cheek as I expected it to be. I mean, the movie clearly doesn't take itself too seriously, but ironically, I found it less ridiculous than a lot of horror movies that do take themselves seriously. It's still kind of amusing, but the story itself- while definitely over the top- is actually kind of interesting.

Well, it begins with a scene that isn't actually part of the main movie, but rather a fictitious horror film ostensibly being directed by the Crypt Keeper himself, who goes on to introduce the real movie. And that begins with a car chase. A guy named Frank Brayker (William Sadler) is being pursued by some unnamed guy called the Collector (Billy Zane). (I actually never heard that name in the movie, and didn't bother checking the end credits, so I've only seen the name "Collector" online.) The chase ends in a fiery crash, but Brayker walks away. He tries to steal a pickup, but gets interrupted by a kid named Danny, and has to run off on foot. He soon meets an old drunk named Uncle Willy, who takes him to a motel/boarding house, which is run by a woman named Irene (C.C.H. Pounder). There's also a convict on work release named Jeryline (Jada Pinkett), a prostitute named Cordelia (Brenda Bakke), her asshole boyfriend Roach (Thomas Haden Church), and a recently fired postal worker named Wally (a sad sack who thinks he's in love with Cordelia). Meanwhile, the Collector teams up with the local sheriff and deputy, and the three of them go to the motel, looking for Brayker, who has supposedly stolen something very valuable from the Collector.

Well... it turns out Brayker has a sort of key (or at least something shaped like a key, but it's more like a flask or something), which the Collector doesn't want to touch, but he desperately wants to get it back. The key contains blood, the nature of which will be revealed in a few flashbacks, but it's very dangerous for the Collector, who turns out to be a demon. And he raises a pack of lower-level demons to surround the motel and try to attack everyone inside. However, the blood can create barriers around entrances, to prevent any demons from entering. Meanwhile, the Collector communicates with each occupant separately, trying to tempt them to let him possess them. (Btw, I guess the title "demon knight" refers to Brakyer, the most recent in a long line of people who have guarded the key over the centuries. The reason he's guarding it and the reason the demons want it is eventually explained, but I won't spoil it.) And... I don't want to say how it all ends. But I did find the whole movie entertaining.

And then we have another scene of the Crypt Keeper. And then end credits. And then a bonus where the Crypt Keeper announces the next planned movie in the series, "Dead Easy," which never actually got made.