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Demon Divas and the Lanes of Damnation

DIRECTED BY: Mike Watt
REVIEWED BY: Mario Dominick

The latest outing from Happy Cloud Pictures is this horror comedy that teams up the directing talents of Mike Watt with the cinematography and lighting talents of Canada’s DiggerFilms and Pittsburgh’s Tonerwood Productions.

A throwback to the cheesy late ’80s horror-comedies of Fred Olen Ray and David DeCoteau (like Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers, Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama, Nightmare Sisters, and countless others from the USA “Up All Night” era), Demon Divas and the Lanes of Damnation (formerly titled Coventry Lanes) tells the story of Lisa and Taffy (Nikki McCrea and Sofiya Smirnova), two vulnerable young sorority coeds who are in the middle of a pledge and have to put up with the likes of some truly snooty and snobby sorority bitches, including Frankie (Rachelle Williams), Rochelle (Stephanie Bertoni), and their partners in crime (Tara Cooper, Tabatha Carrick, etc.). While working at a local bowling alley and being picked on by Frankie and her clan of sorority snobs, the five head women of the bowling joint (Amy Lynn Best, Debbie Rochon, Brinke Stevens, Lilith Stabs and Robyn Griggs) notice Lisa and Taffy are having a hard time. The five promise to transform them from plain, nerdy sorority coeds to beautiful, desirable young women who can win over any guy. After being granted their wish and showing Frankie, Rochelle, and the rest of the gang that they’ve gone from nerdy coeds to smoking hot gals, their wish soon turns out to have something sinister behind it as it turns out that Morgan, Natalie, Crystal, Babs and Mandy (Stevens, Rochon, Best, Stabs and Griggs) are demons from hell known as Morrigan, Nemain, Lamia, Babd and Masha. The demonic five transform Lisa and Taffy into demons with horns and they take revenge Frankie and her snob friends in the bowling alley. Lisa’s boyfriend Johnny (Aaron Bernard) tries to save her while Lisa, not wanting to kill, tries to convince Taffy that she’s become a monstrosity. Meanwhile, Morrigan, Nemain, Lamia, Babd and Masha wreak havoc in the bowling alley bumping off Frankie’s clan in gruesome fashion. A group of demon hunters (Bill Homan, Gwendolyn, and Stacy Bartlebaugh-Gmys) try to step in at one point to stop the demons, but to no avail. Can Lisa and Taffy be saved and who will put a stop to the hell that has been opened up in Coventry Lanes?

Demon Divas is a short, but very fun and entertaining horror-comedy very respecting of the B-horror genre and a nice homage to the early works of David DeCoteau. There’s lots of cool special effects and make-up and a few decent gore gags. The deaths are very creative and bloody with a little touch of tongue-in-cheek humor added. Fans of DeCoteau’s Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama should view Demon Divas as a welcomed tribute to the picture and as a fine splatter comedy with enough humorous one-liners and sight gags expected of slapstick horror.

This review is based on a screener DVD-R of the movie. For more info on when the finished version will be coming out, go to www.happycloudpictures.com. Be sure to check out other Happy Cloud product while you’re there.

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