Devil's Possessed

Director - Leon Klimovsky (Leap to Fear, The People Who Own the Dark)
Starring - Paul Naschy (Werewolf and the Yeti, A Dragonfly for Each Corpse), Norma Sebre (I Did Kill Facundo, La Mala Vida), and Guillermo Bredeston (Deliciously Amoral, The Games Men Play)
Release Date - 1974
Genre - Horror
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I'm nearing the half way point to my Paul Naschy marathon thanks to Scream Factory.  After watching Hunchback of the Morgue and the surprise giallo a Dragonfly for Each Corpse I was ready to move on to my next Naschy film.  This time it was on to the first period piece in the collection, The Devil's Possessed.  This was one I had heard about due to it being loosely based on Gilles de Rais who is the biggest piece of shit to ever walk the Earth.

     The film follows an evil baron (Naschy) who rules with an iron fist.  He is known for his despicable acts and has his servants punish those who do not do as they are told.  Things change when a handsome war buddy of the baron returns to his home village and falls in love with one of the local women.  He is a good man with a good moral compass.  The baron grows more and more powerful and uses his power to sacrifice virgins for control.  When his evil ways makes it to his friend he must act to stop him and the evil lady controlling him before the entire village falls to his darkness.
     I've seen so many great Naschy horror films over the years but I have to say that my favorite ones are the period pieces.  His characters tend to be embellished and the stories tend to be a lot darker in ton.  The Devil's Possessed is another great example of this.  The acting in this one is great.  The film has a great cast that goes above and beyond to bring memorable characters to life but none touch the intensity that Naschy brings to the screen.  He character is full of inner turmoil which creates some fun films but his best performances comes from the scenes where he is fully dedicated to being evil.  He was fantastic in this film.  Easily one of my favorite performances from him.  The story for this one is great but there could have been so much more.  Considering the film was inspired by the heinous acts of Gills de Rais the film could have been a lot more macabre than what we get.  The film delivers several amazing scenes that fits the story very well but some of the other scenes miss their mark.  The film is very inconsistent.  Finally, the film has several death scenes but they are standard of the time.  Minimal effects and bright red blood.  The kills are lackluster and easily forgettable.  Overall, The Devil's Possessed is another fantastic film starring the underrated Paul Naschy.  Check it out.