Reviewed by

Christopher Armstead

Like Linda Blair many years prior in the movie ‘The Exorcist’, Little Maria is possessed by a demon. Also like Linda Blair many years prior there is a priest nearby trying to exorcise this demon from little Maria and this priest is faring about as well as that other priest was doing some thirty five years ago. It’s a damn good thing for Linda Blair’s character that her priest didn’t have the backup that this priest had in this movie ‘Demon Hunter’. This man of God’s backup is a little different from what we are used to. Say you have a clogged sink. Jacob ‘Jake’ Greyman would fix your clogged sink by blowing up your house. And little Maria has no more Demon problems. Or any other kind of problems for that matter since little Maria is fucking dead. Thanks Jake, problem solved.

Sean Patrick Flanery is the character of Jake, a man who is half demon and none too happy about it. All Jake wants to do is serve the Lord, a Lord who abandoned him and his kind a long time ago but yet Jake, working for the Catholic Church and Cardinal White (William Bassett) who serves as Jake’s Whistler of sorts, soldiers on slaying demons. Cardinal White does wish Jake would at least attempt to save the possessed but he’s gotta do what he’s gotta do know what I’m saying?

But there is big trouble in the netherworlds for the Demon of all Demons, a Demon named Asmodeus (Billy Drago) has ascended to the earth and he has bad intentions. With his Succubus (Tania Deighton) by his side, Asmodeus is running through the hooker population of Los Angeles like a man on a mission with his plan being to impregnate these women and populate the planet earth with his half demons and control the world. Problem is none of these women can ‘hold his seed’. Disgusting perhaps, but this is what they have told us.

So the Cardinal and his Bishops dispatch Jake to handle this business and have given Jake a sidekick of sorts in Sister Sarah (Colleen Porch) who is of pure heart… in addition to being long of leg, full of lips and perfect of figure… to try to counter balance the darkness that exists in Jakes heart. The powers that be don’t completely trust Jake however, fearing the blackness in his heart may win him over and have put a contingency plan in place should it become necessary… but what is this plan?

Regardless, Asmodeus is getting stronger, he has finally managed to knock up this crazy hot Asian chick (Nancy Yoon) and the succubus believes she can turn Jake to the darkside and have him be their conduit of the souls to the planet earth. Jake isn’t down with that plan so he, as well as his slinky spiritual sidekick, are ready to die for the cause against an enemy they have no chance to defeat… then things get complicated.

Directed by Scott Ziehl, I liked this movie. Without actively seeking out the movies of director Scott Ziehl I have seen quite a few of his movies and while I didn’t care the movie ‘Three Way’ all that much I did like ‘Road House 2’ which was a minor trashy classic and I really liked ‘Exit Speed’ so now Scott Ziehl has earned the title as my Straight to DVD go to guy, a title I’m pretty sure the man does not want but he has it nonetheless. Congratulations Scott Ziehl!

However there really isn’t an awful lot of ‘Demon Hunting’ in this movie calling itself ‘Demon Hunter’. But I suppose calling this movie ‘Demon Hunting Discussions’ or ‘The Politics of Demon Hunting’ might not draw the wayward eye of that person searching for some DVD entertainment. After that first scene when our Demon Hunter vanquishes that initial demon, there is a lot talking that goes on. Jake discusses the merits of his position with the Cardinal, Jake discusses the theories behind the job with Sister Sarah, quick shot of Asmodeus surrounded by unconscious overdeveloped naked women who ‘couldn’t hold his seed’ which is followed Asmodeus discussing world domination concepts with the Succubus who will in turn discuss, with Jake, the merits of his dogged pursuit of salvation. Lots of discussions. But all of these discussions actually… work. Mitch Gould is credited as the screenwriter for this movie about Demon Hunting that consists of mostly Demon Hunting discussions and it is still entertaining. That’s almost landmark.

There is some well presented kung fu demon killing action in the movie with most of this action coming late in the movie and the movie is a little on the salacious side for its brief 75 minute run time. It also helps the film that all the actors in charge of the wealth of Demon Dialog in this film, Flanery, Porch, Bassett and Drago… oh Billy Drago… do a fine job of moving this story along and taking this task at hand very seriously.

But like I said, there is way more talking in this movie than Demon Hunting and it does get a little silly at the end with its twistiness so I can see where someone might be a little disappointed. But I was pleasantly surprised by what I got out of ‘Law and Order: Demon Hunter Division’. Pleasantly surprised.