I guess this is result of a Hammer studio
using Christopher Lee as devil worshiper instead of dark count to try and
cash-in some money from success of Friedkin’s Exorcist or maybe even Omen
(although hardly, since latter was made in the same year). Anyhow, I’m
surprised that it isn’t more well-known, because it’s not bad at all. It has
eerie atmosphere created by creepy music and some strange camera work, it’s
quite bloody (although special effects are really outdated) and superb cast. So
good to see Richard Widmark again and Denholm Elliot is brilliant as alcoholic
spineless father of Nastassja Kinski. She – to be honest – is quite bad (does
have one full frontal nudity scene though) but it needs to be said that she was
very young at the time (15 according to IMDB). There’s really disturbing scene
when she gives kind of reverse birth to the baby devil (and since that doesn’t
exist I should probably say when she sucks the little fucker inside her),
because we all know that she was involved with Polanski when she was young and
you cannot not to think about Rosemary’s Baby, Sharon Tate, Charles Manson,…
But let me go back to the movie. Its major
flaw is story, which is never really convincing and you keep waiting for things
to clear up. And when the end does come is the most anti-climax ending that you
will ever see and also most hilarious. Because – check this, I shit you not –
great master of darkness is defeated just by throwing the stone at him. No
secret ritual, no strange looking daggers, not even lighting from the clear
sky, no nothing! I mean, come on!
So my rating is 8 for 98% of the flick,
reduced by 3 for its ending with added 1 point for originality regarding
killing of our only lord.
666/10!
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