Leila Gibson (Mercedes Molina) takes part in a Satanic ceremony at the outset of this terror tale. Unfortunately, this leaves her vulnerable to possession; soon, she is behaving in an irrational and hostile manner. Things only get worse until Leilas' desperate family calls in calm, dependable Father Dunning (genre icon Paul Naschy, in one of his good-guy roles) to exorcise the vile spirit from her body.
Some horror fans may consider this one fairly talky and largely uneventful, but this viewer appreciated it for taking a rational approach to the erratic behavior of a family member. The good Reverend is the kind of character who believes in concrete evidence, but he *will* get plenty of it before the end of the tale.
For just one film in the long line of horror films that capitalized on the great success of "The Exorcist", this is actually one of the better ones. It's good fun: well-acted, intelligent *and* exploitative at the same time (there is an abundance of female nudity), atmospheric, and nicely scored (by Alberto Argudo). While it's true that it has no real original ideas to its credit (among other things, there are heads twisted 180 degrees and a victimized character who comes to resemble Regan MacNeil quite a bit), it's fundamentally a good story that is well told by star / co-writer Naschy and director Juan Bosch. Naschy is solid as a rock as the holy man, with Maria Perschy standing out among the supporting cast as the despairing mother.
Maybe this is NOT one of Naschy's best, but it fills an hour and a half pretty well.
Expatriate actor Jack Taylor, a familiar face to fans of European horror & exploitation, performed Dunnings' voice for the dubbed version.
Seven out of 10.
Some horror fans may consider this one fairly talky and largely uneventful, but this viewer appreciated it for taking a rational approach to the erratic behavior of a family member. The good Reverend is the kind of character who believes in concrete evidence, but he *will* get plenty of it before the end of the tale.
For just one film in the long line of horror films that capitalized on the great success of "The Exorcist", this is actually one of the better ones. It's good fun: well-acted, intelligent *and* exploitative at the same time (there is an abundance of female nudity), atmospheric, and nicely scored (by Alberto Argudo). While it's true that it has no real original ideas to its credit (among other things, there are heads twisted 180 degrees and a victimized character who comes to resemble Regan MacNeil quite a bit), it's fundamentally a good story that is well told by star / co-writer Naschy and director Juan Bosch. Naschy is solid as a rock as the holy man, with Maria Perschy standing out among the supporting cast as the despairing mother.
Maybe this is NOT one of Naschy's best, but it fills an hour and a half pretty well.
Expatriate actor Jack Taylor, a familiar face to fans of European horror & exploitation, performed Dunnings' voice for the dubbed version.
Seven out of 10.