Lorna the Exorcist (1974)
*** (out of 4)
One of cult director Jess Franco's best films, Patrick Mariel (Guy Delorme) makes a deal with his ex-lover (Pamela Stanford) that if she grants him riches that she can have his daughter when she turns 18. Now 18-years-old, the witch Lorna comes to visit Linda (Lina Romay) in a very sexual way. LORNA THE EXORCIST is around in many different versions but the recent release from Mondo Macabro presents the film with a running time of 100-minutes. This here is about twelve-minutes longer than the previous version I watched and I must admit that I preferred the shorter one. Several of the scenes in the longer version just drag on a bit too much and there's really nothing added except for the one legendary and talked about scenes that finally appeared in the film. This of course is the much discussed dildo sequence, which is perfectly executed by Franco who manages to milk every painful moment from it. The same is true for the crab sequences, which are among the most memorable and creepy from any film the director has made. These two scenes alone certainly stand out but the film offers up much more. I think the atmosphere is what the director really nails and this is especially true during the sexual scenes where we're given a dream-like quality to them. The film really does seem like a nightmare that has come to life and all the credit must go to Franco. It certainly doesn't hurt that we're given some fine performances with both Stanford and Delorme really standing out in their parts. Romay clearly steals the film as her sexuality and beauty are perfectly captures on screen and it's easy to see why her and Franco would become partners. There are some problems with the film including the already mentioned longer version but I also think that the film does drag in both versions. There's just not too much going on in the story to really warrant the extended running time. Still, LORNA THE EXORCIST is one of the director's best and most hypnotic films.
