‘Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight’: An Underrated Classic [Run It Back Review]
As a 90s kid, few things made me as giddy as hearing the cackle of the Crypt Keeper. I was too young to understand what I was watching, but it felt sacred. His bad puns and the promise of a murderous tale are still highlights from my lifetime of weird sleep patterns. When I heard Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight was a feature-length project based on my late-night ghoul’s shenanigans, my weird kid heart nearly leaped out of my chest. We were years late renting this movie, but when we did, I lived my best life. So, it feels full circle to finally review this Ernest R. Dickerson film as it celebrated its 30th year as an iconic horror title this January. It is an even bigger honor because it holds a 44% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Which I assume means a few outlets owe it a revisit and I hope this puts it on their radar.
Demon Knight is an action-packed and darkly comedic piece of cinematic joy. It gives audiences the expected Crypt Keeper (voiced by John Kassir) before immediately throwing them into a battle between good and evil. Frank Brayker (William Sadler) is being hunted by The Collector (Billy Zane). Their high-speed chase through the desert ends in a car crash that allows Frank to escape. He attempts to find refuge in a boarding house, where he meets a loveable band of misfits. However, his respite is soon disrupted when The Collector arrives with the local police. It becomes clear that there is more to both these strange men when The Collector is revealed to be a demon after the key Frank is guarding. This results in the ultimate showdown happening in the most unlikely place.
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Demon Knight is based on the beloved Tales from the Crypt by William Gaines and Al Feldstein. While the script penned by Ethan Reiff, Cyrus Voris, and Mark Bishop feels of the world, this movie goes harder than it has any right to. Ernest R. Dickerson’s ability to capture the chaos and carnage while giving us windows into the souls of a group of anti-heroes should be studied. Even characters we hate, like the selfish Roach (Thomas Haden Church), are never treated as one-note. So much so that when a character like Uncle Willy (the late Dick Miller) essentially sells his soul for a drink, we feel the weight of it. We feel bad because we are getting a glimpse into a man who hates what he is about to do. In part because he knows his addiction will lead to the death of some of his friends.
I could wax poetic about all of the characters in Demon Knight. However, Jeryline (Jada Pinkett) and The Collector (Zane) are the ones who hold court. Seeing Jeryline with her short platinum hair, white tank top, and refusal to take anyone’s shit cemented her as the ultimate final girl. Adding to her icon status is the fact that she was a Black woman in a genre that was not (and is still not) kind to us. I would watch her argue with Irene (C. C. H. Pounder) as long as they yell at each other. Part of the reason we love Jeryline is because she is very human and is tasked with an extraordinary duty. However, it is Pinkett’s unbeatable chemistry with Zane that sends most of us into orbit.
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We have seen Billy Zane in countless roles in movies like Titanic, The Phantom, etc. Yet, even as a kid, I knew this was different. I do not know Zane personally, but it feels like he had the time of his life hamming it up as The Collector. The voice inflections, the props, and the unpredictability of this character look good on Zane. He gives a less manic 90s Jim Carrey. Which is the perfect counterbalance to the serious situation his intended victims have found themselves in. His Collector is charming, witty, and attractive. As an audience, we want Jeryline to survive, but we do not want her to win too soon because we are having such a good time.
When Frank dies, he passes Jeryline the key filled with the blood of Christ that The Collector is after. He tells her she has been chosen to guard this relic and keep evil at bay. The woman with a criminal record who was only in the building as part of a work release program becomes the book (many of) you should not have judged by the cover. Demon Knight is revolutionary in doing this. We are still not getting nearly enough Black final girls 30 years later. We are especially not getting ones crafted by people who respect and listen to Black women. This character works because Dickerson and Pinkett refused to fall victim to the trending Black woman stereotypes of the era. They gave us a character instead of a caricature. We rooted for her because we knew she was smart, capable, and equipped for the job. Like Black women before her, she has had to carry too much on her back. So, a weirdly sexy demon is just another speed bump between her and her mission.
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I know Demon Knight came out on January 13, 1995, and I probably did not see it until 1997 or 1998. However, it is one of the few ’90s horror movies that stands the test of time without any added boost from nostalgia. I’ve revisited this movie four times within the last 13 months and am captivated every time. That is what happens when great storytelling, stellar direction, and an ensemble that understands the assignment all meet up to do something weird. I love to see it and think many of you would as well. If you’re one of the people acting like Sinners is simply a play-by-play of From Dusk Till Dawn, I encourage you to expand your film vocabulary. You should probably rewatch both movies because you missed some blatant thematic differences. I also suggest you hit play on this film that came before From Dusk Till Dawn, but what do I know?
You can rent Ernest Dickerson’s Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight on VOD.
Do you also spend a lot of time thinking about Demon Knight? Then we should consider being friends on Bluesky.
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Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight
Summary
‘Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight’ is an action-packed and darkly comedic piece of cinematic joy.
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