When Micro-Shock invaded Cinema Wasteland 2009 in Strongsville, Ohio, one of the big attractions we were waiting to go and see was Happy Cloud Pictures latest film Demon Divas and the Lanes of Damnation. Not only because it's an onslaught of all of Micro-Shock's favorite scream queens, but also because when Happy Cloud masterminds Mike Watt and Amy Lynn Best make a movie, they make friggin' good movies. If that wasn't true, the only people who would be in the viewing room when they screened Demon Divas would have been a drunken Canadian and our very own Rhonda Baughman sitting quietly in back trying not to be noticed with said belligerent Canuck. Her alter ego, Rachelle Williams, sat in back also, cranky and sober, with Micro-Shock fiction writer Josh Dobson.

 

This wasn't your typical Happy Cloud movie, as Mike Watt explained prior to screening the movie, that this time the movie turned out to be a homage to the classic 80's horror film. The usually socially conscious Happy Cloud Pictures was going to take a break from the usual messages and social commentary to just make a damn fun movie.

 

The film itself revolves around a newly opened bowling alley called Coventry Lanes (the original working title for the film), opened by a group of seemingly good natured young female entrepreneurs who wish to promote bowling as a sport that can be played by women as well as men. However, the women: Morgan (Brinke Stevens), Natalie (Debbie Rochon), Crystal (Amy Lynn Best), Babs (Lilith Stabbs), and Mandy (Robyn Griggs) are secretly ancient demons using the bowling alley as a front to find their next meal, and find new thrills and thralls to bring into their demonic little group.

 

They find their potential marks in their waitress staff, consisting of two unpopular university girls: Lisa (Nikki McCrea) and Taffy (Sofiya Smirnova) who are at the mercy of the popular kids that are part of the two big fraternities. While Lisa can see that the cool kids are just playing horrible pranks at the girls expense, Taffy hopes to be accepted by the group and accepted into the girls fraternity. If you do not get the reference thus far to several of the names, please revisit the obvious David DeCoteau classic Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama. Or - ask Rhonda about it: she can cite the movie verbatim - and she will. *Trust* me.

 

However, when the bowling alley is reserved by rich-bitch Rochelle (Stephanie Bertoni) it becomes a nightmare scenario for Lisa and Taffy. Even more so for Lisa because not only is she having to cater to her tormenters all night, but her old high school romance Johnny (Aaron Bernard) is among their numbers, and Rochelle is aiming to dump her current man and try her luck with Johnny. Also present at the bowling alley is an unassuming book club, who break from their literary enjoyment to toss witty retorts and catty epitaphs at each other and those around them.

 

When Rochelle's mob dumps ketchup and drinks on Lisa and Taffy their understanding employers send the girls home to wash up while they "deal with" the trouble makers. After the girls are cleaned up they are contacted by their bosses via their computer. Morgan and the others offer the girls their fondest wishes if they ever wanted them. Although Lisa is skeptical of their promises the two girls are convinced they have nothing to lose and accept the help from their strange overseers.

 

The girls do get their fondest wishes: to become attractive and desirable to the people they wish to attract (Lisa attracting Johnny, and Taffy winning over her biggest tormenter Frankie [played by Rachelle Williams]) However, the girls soon realize their hearts' desires come at a terrible price: Their bosses reveal their true forms and begin to devour all who are present -- and worse yet, Lisa and Taffy have become demons and are expected to consume their desires. While Taffy embraces her now demonic nature, Lisa realizes the folly of their wish when she realizes she could have won Johnny without the help of the demon divas.

 

Now Johnny and Lisa must try and save themselves and the other survivors and convince Taffy to renounce her demonic ways and stop the demon divas.

 

Demon Divas and the Lanes of Damnation is an idyllic homage to the sometimes raunchy horror movies of the 1980's, rife with equal amounts of blood, guts, laughs, and a heavy dose of the sexy. It's witty, fun, and while following the formula of the genre film that it is paying tribute to, DD does manage to do things slightly different, including some very nicely executed twists.

 

While the film features veteran scream queens, and Stevens, Rochon, Best, Stabs, and Griggs put on a wonderful act as usual, it's McCrea and Smirnova who steal the show. These two play an excellent pair of quirky and awkward young women trying to accomplish what we all want: acceptance. They are lovable and adorable, and so amazingly written that you can't help but root for them, even though you know it's probably not going to turn out that well. Because isn't that what life is like for the underdog? You feel bad for them, just kind of like you feel bad for Charley Brown when he's running for that football. You hope for the best, but you know that bitch Lucy is just going to yank it away at the last minute. Only for poor Lisa and Taffy it's so much worse because unlike that ol' blockhead, they have their fair share of tragedy by the time the movie concludes.

 

One will also enjoy the rest of the characters, who achieve just the right type of audience reactions: Stephanie Bertoni, Tara Cooper (playing Infinity), Tabatha Carrick (Becki), Rachelle WIlliams, Jeff Waltrowski (Brad), and Michael Barton (Cal) all play despicable preppies that when they get their comeuppance you feel that they totally deserve it. Like wise do Bill Homan (Max), Gwendolyn (Roxanne), and Stacey Bartlebaugh-Gmys (Cotton) play wonderfully venomous book club critics-come-demon-slayers. One of those great aforementioned twists. We need to see more of Homan and Gwendolyn, who have, incidentally - recently married.

 

Also watch out for the very funny antics of Budnick (played by Henrique Couto) and What's-His-Name the Pin Boy (that's really the characters credited name, and he's played by Gary Ashley.) And Rachelle Williams will vouch for both of them. Ashley carried her panties, as she requested, from the hotel to the first location for shooting. Good guy. He might deserve more than the pin.

 

Mike Watt's editing is amazing - my hat is off to him for his masterful technique he employed. A lot of work went in putting this together and you can see it especially during the climactic final battle between the survivors and the Demon Divas, with the multiple jump cuts and split screens.

 

Demon Divas is a perfect example of a movie that can use a simple premise, with a basic story, and also craft a selection of unique characters so well written you actually care about the characters (or don't because they are equally made to be loathsome) But that is what one should expect when you are dealing with a masterful writer such as Mike Watt.

 

I would recommend Demon Divas to anyone who wants to watch a campy horror film that's not heavy on the brain, but also doesn't insult your intelligence with mediocre writing.

 

Want to see Demon Divas? Well at the time of the screening the folks at Happy Cloud were currently looking for a distributor but told the viewing audience that -- if all goes according to plan -- there could be a release hopefully by next year. At the time of this writing, Mike Watt has announced that following the screening at Cinema Wasteland he has been in touch with a few distributors who were present at the convention and the majority of them expressed an interest in possibly distributing the film, check out Happy Cloud Pictures official website, or the official Myspace page for Demon Divasfor more details for updates regarding the impending release of the film.