The Demoniacs

A Jean Rollin without vampires, but not without mediocre performances, naked skin, sometimes unbearable sexual violence, leisurely minimal plot progression and a gothic atmosphere. As always in the 70s creative phase, this looks largely well filmed, but clearly sets itself apart from the mainstream with its choice of themes, tastelessness and outlandish ideas. In 'Les Démoniaques', a ghost story and a rape and revenge plot mix to create a surreal horror tale. It is clear at all times that the work originates from a time of creative freedom and that one or two substances were probably involved. Rollin is and remains a genre of his own, a thoroughly talented artist who suffers from his strange world of thought and limited staging resources. A confused poet with a fragile pen who constantly blurs the boundaries between magic and rubbish.

This Jean Rollin film has an interesting setting. Some wicked sailors/pirates lure ships to crash to the shore and then rape and kill two surviving women. Then the women come back from the dead to haunt their murderers.

Well, the ghost part is difficult to explain because they can appear as visions, but they also are physical. It's not a straightforward revenge flick either - be prepared for some Rollin style aimless wandering.

It's a bit boring film after all but I liked some things about it. First of all there aren't enough horror films with a pirate/sea theme, so that was a nice spice. I also liked the beginning when the women start to appear in visions to the drunkard pirate captain. That was a nice paranoid feel. I wish this atmosphere would have continued further but it fell a bit short. Then, I liked that there is a little bit more to the plot that the women just paying revenge right away. They have to do a little bit adventuring first and there are some more more weird characters.

I don't know when I'm going to want to watch the movie again, but it sits on my shelf now because Rollin is my favorite boring director. Recommended for Rollin fans but others approach with caution.

I have a problem with Jean Rollin films. Despite all the stylish surrealism, great French locations and nudity I still find his films incredibly boring. I do appreciate Rollin's persistence of vision throughout his string of poetic sex/horror exploitation films through the 70s (clowns, castles, twins, beaches) but my mind begins to wander during his films and this is no exception. The plot follows a dream logic known only to the director with too much time spent watching these sailors fight, rape or just sit in a bar. The one female in the sailor gang really does inject some gusto into the her part though.

This is not one Jean Rollin's greatest works, but it does have one shinning light, Joelle Coeur, the gorgeous female wrecker. Like all of Rollin's films (that I have seen) this one is full of all his artistic visions, but for some reason the film still seems slower in it's pace and is a little more difficult to get into. Like all Rollin's film it's worth watching, but in this instance, only for the gorgeous Joelle Coeur.

If you are here for the rape, you have wasted your time. The scenes are a joke. Even worse, the supposed killing of the two girls (Lieva Lone, Patricia Hermenier). The acting was atrocious.

Now, if you want to see Joëlle Coeur (Fly Me the French Way, Seven Women for Satan) fully naked, and engaging in sex with John Rico, that's a whole other story.

The Captain (Rico) hardly has time to enjoy the aftereffects when he is visited by apparitions of the two girls. Maybe it was just the booze.

The girls do eventually reappear only to escape and find an old castle guarded by, believe it or not, a clown. Not a court jester, but a clown. Strange.

They go through the transformation to become demoniacs, and, I am glad to say, sex is part of the transformation. Yes, there is the usual mumble jumble ritual, but there is also orgasm.

Don't expect a lot of gore in this film. It really doesn't make sense in a lot of scenes. You'll see what I mean. I think Rollin may have been trying to make an art film instead of a horror film.

It is a shame that Lieva Lone and Patricia Hermenier did not stick around to do more films, but another chance to watch Joëlle Coeur is always worth the time.