CHATTANOOGA FILM FEST 2020: ‘Attack of the Demons’ Is Cut-Out Hellraising Fun

Attack of the Demons, directed by Eric Power and written by Andreas Petersen, is set in 1994 when a small Colorado town is overrun by a legion of demons sent forth by a cult that has been plotting the destruction of mankind for centuries. This leaves three non-demon hunter friends in a situation where they have to use everything they have to survive the demon apocalypse and stop it altogether.

At a short 75-minutes, Attack of the Demons is well worth the runtime not only because of its fun premise but because of its animation. Utilizing cutout animation, the film brings out a familiar feel for fans of South Park using flat characters, props, and backgrounds. This familiar animation style is a great way to pull in new horror fans and its story is more than enough to satisfy hardcore fans of the genre.

While the animation style is recognizable, the way that its executed creates a wholly unique property with more detail than the animation that popularized the technique. The layers to each scene add depth to the 2-dimensional world and make every frame interesting. Additionally, the attention to detailing the characters themselves with multiple layers helps bring depth to what could easily be flat animation.

Every person’s hair has slightly varying colors of hair with detailing that brings it to life, especially in moments where wind is shown. But the best part of Attack of the Demons‘ animation is the way that the team designed the zombies and detailed the gore and guts. This is especially true for when the zombies mutate or when they attack their victims.

Everything about Attack of the Demons is festive for the Halloween season and every scene is detailed in a way that I haven’t seen in this kind of animation before. Visually, this film is striking and, when it comes to story, it’s beyond a fun ride. The film is imbued with camp that fits the zombie genre so well but also uses traditional culty tropes that fans of Evil Dead will notice and love immediately. All of this combines to make a fantastic film filled with horror wonder. Add in some coin-opp nostalgia and this film is entirely my jam.

The characters themselves are great to watch and while they each fulfill certain archetypes, they’re never dull. Some of their actions may be predictable for the zombie genre, but they’re fun and imaginative all the same due in large part to the way the demons create zombies which puts them under unique circumstances. Attack of the Demons also has a killer score. With synth-wave backing a lot of the film’s big moments, the score hits on mystery while putting energy into the scenes. The score fits perfectly with the pacing, and as the demons become more and more strange, the film’s humor does too.

Overall, Attack of the Demons is an amazing animated film. With stop-motion cutout animation, the film is a wonderful ride that mixes horror and video games in a unique way. There is a weirdness to the script that makes it a perfect genre film and could only be captured by this animation style.

Attack of the Demons’ distribution plans are currently unavailable.