Leofwine_draca I don't know why it is, but time after time I find that European horror films possess something that their American and British counterparts don't. This something is a certain artistic flair or style which make the films fun and interesting to watch, even when the genre is not at its best. I don't know if it's down to the directors, or cameramen, or what, but I do know that it makes these films some of my favourites.The setting for these films - most are from Italy or Spain - is invariably a decrepit castle or mansion, full of twisting, gloomy corridors and cobwebs, and with sinister servants lurking in the background with warnings of death. This film is no different, yet presents the action in a unique and fresh way. The plots may always be the same, but you know there are going to be little things that are new and different. These are the little touches which I love - in this film, the mark of Satan, which is found on people and on the floors of the guest rooms.The cast is full of clichéd and stereotyped characters who we all know and recognise only minutes after seeing them. There's the overweight man who always seems to be eating, the young attractive women, and the handsome, yet wooden, heroes. In this case the main hero is an up-and-coming vicar, and he couldn't be more stiff if he tried. Of course, the acting does seem stilted and amateurish, not helped by the fact that we never hear the actors or actresses say their own lines as they're dubbed. This is not important though. What is important is the way in which the film retains the viewer's interest.THE DEVIL'S NIGHTMARE takes a long time in introducing the various characters, and showing their personalities, before dispatching them in various assorted ways. It actually attempts a little atmosphere-building, too, something which I always welcome in a film. We get to know and understand the people before they die. Cynics would say that this slow build up is nothing but an excuse for some gratuitous nudity, and they wouldn't be wrong: one lesbian encounter lasts for almost ten minutes. The other exploitation standby, gore, is used surprisingly sparingly in this film, and all we are offered to is a shot of a bloody severed head, some blood running over floors, and a dead cat which has been unceremoniously impaled on some spikes.A lot of humour comes from watching the reactions of characters to various things, such as when they find the corpse of the cat and couldn't care less about what it's doing there! The deaths, when they do eventually come, are nothing spectacular, but at least they're all varied and therefore interesting. They're supposedly based on the seven deadly sins, but this basis is fairly loose. One woman is bitten by a snake, a man is decapitated by a guillotine, a woman steps into an iron maiden, another man falls from a high window and is impaled, a woman is suffocated in a pile of gold dust and a glutton chokes on a banquet. Erika Blanc, who plays the succubus in the film, is rather good, and undergoes a complete change in appearance after each death occurs. This is done by changing the colour of her lipstick, putting a bit of shadow around her eyes and with her pulling a distorted expression, these subtle differences make a very effective and disturbing-looking woman.The ending of the film is very strange. At first it appears to be a cop-out, one of those "it was all just a dream" type endings, but then there are a couple of new twists which I won't spoil, except to say they're unexpected. A weird gangly guy lurks around in a black suit and turns out to be the Devil, collecting the souls of people who have sinned, and using the succubus as his slave. This man's presence is atypical and gives the film an arty slant which adds interest. THE DEVIL'S NIGHTMARE may not be a particularly good film but it contains enough different ingredients to make it worthwhile for any fan.

Wuchak THE DEVIL'S NIGHTMARE (1971; 93 minutes; Belgium/Italy) THE PLOT: Seven people are forced to spend the night in some eerie castle. The devil sends a succubus to kill each one that indulges in one or more of the seven deadly sins (lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy/jealousy and pride).COMMENTARY: Wow, this is a real hidden gem of Gothic horror. It has a great cast & story and was filmed in a real castle. The people and the sins they indulge in are as follows: Pride - Alvin, the Seminarian Envy - Corinne (the hot brunette), the collector of men Gluttony - Mr. Ducha, the Tour Driver Lust - Howard Foster, Corinne's last addition to her collection Anger - Mr. Mason, the constant complainer Greed - Nancy Foster, the gold seeking angry wife Sloth - Regine, the (hot) sleepy blonde Some, of course, are guilty of more than one main sin, such as: Nancy Foster, the angry wife: jealousy (although her husband gives her good reason to be jealous), envy (of the beauty of the other women) and anger (I don't think she smiles once, except when she's literally swimming in gold).Corinne: lust (lesbianism & adultery).Regine: lust (lesbianism).A handful of observations: If the bus driver was really THAT gluttonous wouldn't he be a lot heavier? (Like Fat Bast*** from Austin Powers).If Regine (the blond) were really THAT lazy how could she possibly have that ultra-hot body? Although the priest-in-training flirts with pride (listen to him during the chess match) and lust (for the redhead) he evidently never commits a mortal sin (or, if he does, he humbly & quickly repents rather than revel in it like the others).*** MINOR SPOILER ALERT *** Note that the seminarian willingly sacrifices himself to perdition to prevent the other six from being damned. This is an example of agape love and displays a Christ-like heart. Paul the apostle had the same spirit as evidenced in Romans 9:3. *** END SPOILER *** But doesn't Alvin know you can't make honest deals with the "father of lies"? No one can argue that the film glorifies the various negative behaviors because *** SPOILER ALERT *** they all end up dying for their sins. *** END SPOILER ***HIGHLIGHTS: As noted, the film features three incredibly gorgeous women -- a blond, brunette and redhead, no less. The succubus is the redhead, played by Erika Blanc. All three are voluptuous; each possessing a very distinctive beauty. (Their NATURAL curvy-ness is refreshing in comparison to too many modern American actresses who often appear nigh anorexic and artificial, if you know what I mean). It goes without saying that, if you have a lust problem, you might want to skip this one, especially in light of a fairly overt lesbian scene.Another highlight is Erika Blanc's subtle make-up as the succubus combined with her amazing ability to contort her face from stunningly sharp to utterly hideous. I almost never get frightened by horror films, but when Erika morphs into the succubus and hideously contorts her face, it's pretty chilling.TECHNICAL INFO: Some versions of the film have a tasteless porno-horror "intro" tacked on. This lengthy "intro" is not part of the original picture and simply has no business being there; in fact, it horribly mars it. No doubt it was tacked on by some latter-day producer in order to excite pre-pubescent boys ("Oooh, that's cooooool!"). The version featured with "Messiah of Evil" doesn't have this silly intro, but the sound quality isn't very good. I saw another version that has the intro but the sound quality was fine.FYI: The original title translated to English is "The Long Night of the Devil" or "The Devil's Longest Night." I feel the title "The Devil's Nightmare" is weak and much prefer another alternative title (used on the VHS): "The Devil Walks at Midnight." FINAL WORD: Since this is a European film from the early 70s it's understandably dated, dubbed and slow-paced. The viewer must keep this in mind to appreciate it. Many themes are touched upon: Does God exist? What about the devil and his demonic servants? Can he be trusted to make a deal with? (Yeah, right). Is there such a thing as sin? And, if so, what are its consequences? Another fascinating theme is human nature and the continual conflict between spiritual and carnal qualities with which we can all relate. The film also powerfully addresses the self-sacrificial nature of agape love.Make no mistake, this is a powerful piece of Gothic-horror cinema, perhaps even a masterpiece.The film runs 95 minutes and was shot at Château d'Antoing, Antoing, Hainault, Wallonia, Belgium.GRADE: A (keeping in mind its age and origins)

ferbs54 From its opening, sepia-tinted prologue depicting a Nazi general committing infanticide in 1945 Berlin to its closing final scene of the Devil triumphant, Jean Brismee's "The Devil's Nightmare" (1971) is one fairly intense experience indeed. But the film tells a pretty simple story, really. A busload of tourists--a bickering couple, two very attractive lesbians, a crusty old man and a hunky seminarian--along with their gluttonous driver, are forced to spend the night at the von Rhoneberg castle, somewhere in Germany. Another guest soon arrives, an alluring redhead named Lisa, and she turns out to be a supersexy succubus who proceeds to slay the castle guests one by one, via any number of bizarre methods. Anyway, though usually termed "Eurotrash" by the critics, this film appealed to me very much, mainly due to its remarkable atmosphere and memorable score. The picture has been imaginatively shot utilizing odd camera angles and unusual settings, and Alessandro Alessandroni's background music is just fantastic. His "succubus theme" is at once creepy, haunting, lovely and beautiful, instantly engendering a mood of unease whenever it is played. I had greatly appreciated Alessandroni's contribution to 1978's "The Killer Nun," but his outre score here really is some kind of great work. It practically makes the picture all by itself. Just get a load of that scene near the film's end, with the creepy theme chant accompanying the Devil's pursuit of the seminarian into a church; beautifully done stuff! But let's not forget Erika Blanc in the lead role of Lisa. Although not what I would call overwhelmingly gorgeous, she certainly is supremely sexy, and not a little frightening when her succubus mug comes to the fore. Closing on a note of bleak irony, "The Devil's Nightmare" may just haunt your dreams as well....

Carlos_Lohan The movie is about seven tourists who must spend the night in a creepy castle, because of bad weather. There, the owner tells them that a family curse preys upon the mansion. In the middle of the night, when they're having dinner, a strange woman appears (Erika Blanc). And here's when the movie starts to get real good. Sorry, no more spoilers. Watch the movie by yourself to find out what's going on.This was a nice revelation! I wasn't really expecting much of it, but was pleasantly surprise. It's creepy and well made. The story is very original, the music is spectacular, there's a good amount of nudity as well (sorry, no Erika), and the steamy lesbian sequence is sure to please the sleaze crowd. The direction could have been better though (the camera work was sometimes too flashy and messy) and the acting (aside from the excellent Blanc) was very bad. A special mention deserves the excellent make-up Erika had when she played the succubus. Very well made and chilling.A nice piece of Euro horror that gets a 8/10 from me.