An Angel for Satan

I must admit, I collect horrors from the beginning of filming, my oldest is from 1911 until now but the fifties and the sixties never were my thing. That period was filled with too much blah blah horrors were nothing happens or were filled with guys in a monster suite. Thanks to Chris in the UK I was given the opportunity to watch this flick. It is a rare film to find, strange because Barbara Steele plays in it. Wellknown for her part in Black Sunday made in 1960. The fact that it is an Italian film made it even harder to find it with subtitles, my copy has it. In fact, for me it's a ghost story. Beautifully filmed and exceptionally for an Italian flick with perfect sound, no overdubs or hiss. All actors are believable. Don't expect a gory or bloody movie. In those days most of the horrors weren't bloody. Except for the start in the states of the slashers with Blood Feast (1963). Steele plays a perfect role written for her and the plot is also really nice, it's only in the last minutes that you will know what's really going on. It's more suspense then horror, only a few seconds there is blood. There are also no effects used in this film and that's why it has his cult following, Steele is also a reason. In some way it get's you by the throat. If you can catch a copy watch it but first transfer yourself in those days. Oh yeah, it's shot in black and white which gives it an older look (40's). Start searching my friends.

1966's "An Angel for Satan" (Un Angelo per Satana) marked the final chapter in the Italian Gothic career of Barbara Steele, whose acting roles would decrease over the years, with occasional projects as producer for television director Dan Curtis. Playing to type as a bewitching beauty who casts spells over every male of the tiny lakeside village where a sculptor (Anthony Steffen) has been hired to restore a statue tainted by tragedy 200 years before, her features an exact likeness of its partially naked marble form. A shy schoolteacher, a bulky father of five, a mute gardener, and the captivated sculptor all become willing pawns in this game of bitterness and death, only to have a pair of plot twists wreck the finale after such a promising buildup. Barbara's Harriet is first introduced at the 16 minute mark, and so swiftly transforms into the wicked, luminous Belinda that we never really get to know her in either role, but she proves yet again to be an undeniably powerful presence on screen, actually removing her clothes in one scene, while later showing off her breasts through a sheer nightgown. Coming full circle since Mario Bava's "Black Sunday," effective performing either angelic innocence or seductive sorceress, this was as far as censorship would allow in the mid 60s, perhaps the right time for her to call it quits. This was one of the last films for director Camillo Mastrocinque, best remembered for the Christopher Lee vehicle "Crypt of the Vampire," reunited with pretty Ursula Davis, in a more benign role than before as Harriet's submissive maid. Decades passed before the dubbed version finally came to light, making this usually the last Steele vehicle that buffs got to see, now easily available in a pristine print that looks as though it was shot yeserday, even in black and white.

Very glad to see this after so many years just reading about it. Was still operating under the impression that it was only available without subtitles, but seeing that Netflix was offering it, I added it to my queue and was very happy to find that it arrived with English subtitles.

It's beautiful, evocative, violent, and puzzling with Steele cutting quite the figure of death and destruction as Harriet fresh out of England to claim her inheritance somewhere on the Continent. For a film that I thought was going to be wearisome and talky considering its first 15 minutes or so of weary talk, it definitely found its stride and delivered on its promise once Steele's machinations--or Belinda's or...?--unfolded.

A great end of the week, Friday night flick and now one of my top three favorite Steele films.

An Angel for Satan is the rarest, and therefore hardest to find of all the Gothic horror films that Barbara Steele made in the sixties; but hunting it down was certainly worth the time and effort as this film is right up there with Danse Macabre and Black Sunday as one of the best films that the horror icon made! Director Camillo Mastrocinque had worked in the Gothic horror genre previously with the somewhat less than brilliant effort Terror in the Crypt in 1964; but it would appear he'd done some homework on the genre since then as this film is much better. The story focuses on a little Italian village. A statue belonging to a rich family has been recovered from the local lake after a heat wave, and Roberto Merigi has been called in to restore it; which coincides with the return of Harriet Montebruno; the daughter of the statue's owner. There is a story of a curse surrounding the statue, and the locals believe that the village itself will become cursed if it is ever recovered from the lake. Strange things then start happening in the village.

The key thing for this genre, and indeed the best thing about this film, is atmosphere. Director Camillo Mastrocinque succeeds admirably in bathing the film in a thick and foreboding atmosphere; which is helped by a great score from Francesco De Masi. The plot is spread rather thinly and the film puts its main focus on the central characters, which works well. Barbara Steele is, of course, the star of the show and aside from looking better than ever, also provides the film with its main story lines. Starring alongside Steele is the great Anthony Steffen, who provides a strong male lead. The film is basically a mystery thriller with horror elements tied in; the horror of course coming mostly from the atmosphere and direction. The plot does flow well and the film is always interesting, though my only real criticism of the film comes from the fact that more isn't made of the curse. There's a gorgeous sequence explaining how it came about, but that's the only real mention and it's a bit of a shame. Otherwise, however, An Angel for Satan is an exceptional Gothic horror film and comes highly recommended to anyone that enjoys films like this!

Fabulous b/w Italian Gothic that is beautifully shot and has a marvellously evocative soundtrack. Perhaps slightly too leisurely paced at the start with too many interiors but this is nit picking and very mean for a film that at times reminded me of Bava's The Whip And The Body. Yes, that sort of intensity and sexual tension. Oh and I haven't even mentioned what would have made the film so watchable even without all that. Barbara Steele! This has to be one of her most notable roles (dual roles, again, actually) and she shines both as the innocent and the depraved equally. Her pretty personal maid and the handsome co-star both work hard but become almost invisible when this woman is on screen. It's a well told tale set on an Italian lake with much ado about a statue salvaged from the waters and an associated curse. Great stuff. Magnificent ending.