Il demonio

Brunello Rondi's remarkable drama takes a very naturalistic approach to its tale of Witchcraft and Possession in Southern Italy. An attractive young woman, Puri (Daliah Lavi) seems to be in the throes of Amour Fou with a young man, Antonio (Frank Wolff). When he tells her he's getting married, Puri's rage turns into casting an evil spell on Antonio, his marriage and future offspring. Puri's rantings give way to bouts of apparent possession, speaking in tongues and contortions of her body*. She is condemned as a witch and presented to the local priest for exorcism.

Rondi, a long-time screenwriting collaborator with Federico Fellini (including two Oscar nominations) fashions his film as a folk horror tale in the vein of a WICKER MAN, KWAIDAN or THE WITCH. What is real and what isn't is far less important than an exploration of an unfortunate soul and the locals who cast her out. Rondi's script is replete with specific local Italian traditions and rituals which provide added layers into his examination of the intersection of superstition and religion and how they seemingly over-ride any compassion for the woman's mental health and stability. Cinematographer Carlo Bellero's stunning Black & White camerawork pits Puri against the forboding barren landscape capturing her feeling of isolation from her people and home. Piero Piccioni's score is quite good. None of this would truly work without a superb performance by Lavi (who is best known in the U. S. for the original CASINO ROYALE and TWO WEEKS IN ANOTHER TOWN). She brings an earthy intensity and her background in dance allowed her to perform her seemingly superhuman stunts.

IL DEMONIO is a dark but uniquely fascinating example of tragic folklore on film.

* This 'Spiderwalk' has drawn comparison the William Peter Blatty and William Friedkin's THE EXORCIST released a decade later.

A tough and, at times, heartbreaking film about a witch who places a spell on the man she loves so he'll break up with his wife and be with her and all the horror and drama it causes her and the entire town. Filmed in stark black and white, The Demon still packs a punch and showcases a very different kind of horror - the horror of humanity, group think, and mob mentality.

Daliah Lavi plays Purificazione,a young woman who after having her amorous advances rejected by young man in her town resorts to witchcraft to try and win him over.When the townsfolk realise what she is doing everything untoward that happens is blamed on her.Soon they have her pegged as being possessed by a demon and an exorcism is carried out in the local church..."The Demon" by Brunello Rondi is an overlooked Italian horror film from early 60's with excellent central performance of Dalilah Lavi.The infamous 'spider walk' across the church floor scene obviously inspired William Peter Blatty's "The Exorcist".The climax is tragic and unforgettable.8 exorcists out of 10.

Until I posted this review, only 8 people had reviewed Il demonio and I feel like that's a real shame that it does not get the attention of some of Bava's or Fulci's films. In fact, I don't have hard proof of this but I believe Il Demonio was Fulci's inspiration (in part) for Don't Torture a Duckling.

Il demonio is a genuinely disturbing film and there is no way that it's not a classical inspiration to later films about witches and witchcraft. Like Fucli's later film, Brunello Rondi set his film somewhere in an undeveloped area of rural Southern Italiy where superstition and ignorance prevent women from expressing themselves sexually or at all as individuals, and even in the instance of mental illness or emotional disturbance, families abuse their sick relative and authoritarian religious figures abuse and take advantage of mentally unstable people, particularly sexually abusing women and young people.

Il demonio may even be landmark for its time, i am not enough of an "expert" about film to say for sure - because it challenges the Roman Catholic Church head-on in a way that craftier arthouse flicks or more satirical horror films about Satanists or hippies did not in the 1960s.

A bleak portrait of a woman abused by her father and sexually molested by religious figures and eventually other men does serve as a mirror for Don't Torture a Duckling nearly a decade later with its theme of religious abuse and a very specific character rejected as a witch by the entire town for having mental health issues or emotional disturbance after losing her infant child.

I just wish Il demonio had been in color. One of my gripes about Don't Torture a Duckling which keeps me from rating it a 10 as a giallo is Fulci's outright derision and snobbery towards Southern Italian peasants (Fulci was born in Rome) that is illustrated by how ridiculous most of the peasants are and how oppressive BROWN is throughout the film. Maybe that's how Fulci felt, maybe he was trying to communicate oppression by lack of color, but Southern Italian culture is generally the opposite - so colorful, bold and theatrical that I really do wonder what Il demonio would have looked like in color. I bet it would have won awards.

Barely seen, underrated and overwhelming, this is an astonishing film anticipating The Exorcist by ten years yet having within it several key elements, not least the most incredible and prolonged spider walk - in a church! The black and white photography is wonderful, the soundtrack spot on, the dialogue excellent and the central performance of the possessed one, by Daliah Lavi, is hypnotic. After the opening sequence where we see her jerk her head at a sound within the house and pass her hair across her face I feel like applauding but consider it a little premature. No worry, there is not a scene in this film that does not astound or disturb. From the wondrous performance of the aforementioned Ms Lavi, the perfectly good support, or lack of, from Frank Wolff, to the fearful villagers and the daunting landscape, this is near perfect film making.