The Devil's Exorcist

Director - Jorge Darnell (One Way, Veredicto Final)

Starring - Inma de Santis (Bloodbath, The Killer of Dolls), Maria del Puy (Vertigo, Barbarella), and Jack Taylor (Conan the Barbarian, Pieces) 

Release Date - 1975

Genre - Horror

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I've reviewed a lot of box sets and collections over the years from some of my favorite boutique labels but I've never crossed paths with one where most of the films, unless it was a franchise, where all the films were fun.  So far, even though I'm only five films deep, this set has been well worth it.  The Exorcismo documentary and two films were great while the one documentary, Far From the Trees, was a bit disappointing.  I went into The Devil's Exorcist hoping for another atmospheric mid-70s horror title and was greeted with just that  

     The film follows a school girl who finds herself becoming the obsession of an evil presence that was trapped inside a statue.  The young lady becomes violent which prompts her father to turn to a professional for help which fails.  As the doctor tries to help her, she adopts her only for the benevolent presence to jump to her.  

     I could only imagine what The Devil's Exorcist was about based on the title and all my assumptions about the film were completely wrong.  I did enjoy it for what it was which was a quickly produced Exorcist clone but it was far from perfect.  The acting in this one is very inconsistent but not in a scene to scene type of way.  Some of the cast is really fucking good and when I say really fucking good I mean really fucking good.  I rushed to imdb.com after watching the film to look through Inma de Santis' filmography.  She's phenomenal here along with Aria del Puy.  However, a good portion of the supporting cast is extremely stiff with poor dialogue delivery and zero emotional range.  The story for this one is a bit weak but they make up for it with creepy shots and great atmosphere.  What we have for a story is pretty simple and somewhat cliched even for an Exorcist clone for the mid-to late 70s.  A girl possessed killing people before an adult steps in to save her.  The only big difference between this one and the dozens of others like it is that this one doesn't really flock to religion.  We don't have a priest or team of priests performing exorcisms and the like.  That is a bit strange considering the title but I respect the different approach.  Finally, the film has a few deaths but don't expect to see a lot of gruesome effects and tons of blood.  However, if you have a soft spot for animals like I do then one scene may make you feel uncomfortable.  Overall, The Devil's Exorcist is another entertaining mid-70s film from the Exorcismo set.  While it was rough around the edges, it was still a lot of fun.  I highly recommend it.