Skip to main content

An Angel for Satan (1966) - Camillo Mastrocinque


An evil bloodthirsty witch has taken up residence in an Italian village after haunting a creepy marble statue that had fallen into the nearby lake. This really interesting Italian horror feature has some great performances. Including one memorable role for the beautiful star Barbara Steele. 



This statue had been rescued from the lake, much to the dismay of the patrons of the village. Many believe that bringing the statue back will rustle up some evil. Eventually something bad might happen in the community. That ultimately comes true as the mysterious Harriet Montebruno (Barbara Steele) becomes bewitched by the run-down statue. Strangely, it bears a resemblance to her. Albeit a slight resemblance. Harriet then proceeds to charm and seduce various males in the public. Building a large amount of sexual tension.

Although this movie was in Italian with subtitles. It took nothing away from being alluring. It didn't need a ton of blood or gore. It relied on its superb visuals and believable performances to drive the film forward. Not to mention the eerie soundtrack. It wasn't very scary but the fact that it was shot in black and white gave it much more emotion. It really draws you in. 


If you want to develop a love for Italian horror, then you assuredly need to find and watch this. It's not over the top or preachy with its drama. It doesn't venture too far out and is not at all a "Chick Flick". This is simply a classic, Gothic horror movie that checks all of the boxes and makes for a fantastic viewing. 

Studio: Discobolo Film
Country: Italy

Did ya know...

This was the last of nine Italian horror movies starring Barbara Steele



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ju-On (2000) - Takashi Shimizu

Watching Japanese horror is similar to watching British comedy. If you enjoy dry whit then you probably enjoy the boys of Monty Python in drag. That's the joke, they're dressed like women. Get it? Well, that's British humor. But if you're like most Americans you probably prefer Adam Sandler farting his way across a football field and hooking up with chicks that are way out of his league. Americans usually prefer this more in your face, crass brand of humor. My point is funny in England is different from funny in the US. The same goes for J-Horror. What the Japanese consider scary is very different from what Americans consider scary and it shows in this horror film. Japanese horror is generally slow (a little too slow sometimes), suspenseful and creepy. Ju-On is a creepy effing film. The movie has almost no soundtrack. It is incredibly suspenseful and the pay-offs are pretty awesome, but I think that it was done better in the American version (cultural t...
Post a Comment
Not scared yet? »

Sleepy Hollow (1999) - Tim Burton

Tim Burton's take on the old Sleepy Hollow tale is really interesting. He adds his own flair of course. He delves very deeply into the original story by Washington Irving. The casting is usual for Burton. Johnny Depp of course in your lead. Helena Bonham Carter, thrown in for some flavor. The score is done by Danny Elfman. It's literally just the Ichabod Crane story run through the Tim Burton machine. But in a good way. Sleepy Hollow has a problem with a guy, running around, taking people's heads. Like, a lot of people. The town sends word for assistance and the nervous  Constable Ichabod Crane reports. He starts to unravel clues that take him down an incredibly strange path. With the Horseman still murdering patrons, Crane tries finding who's next before they lose their head.  I've always been a big fan of the Disney cartoon,  The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad . This movie is a far cry from Bing Crosby and quaint animations....
Post a Comment
Not scared yet? »

Le Manoir du Diable (1896) - George Melies

According to Wikipedia in August of 2011, Le Manoir du diable by Georges Melies is the first horror movie. Well, actually its a short film (about three minuets or so) but film was really hard to come by in that time so this counts as a film to me. The plot of the film is basic, you have your hero being tormented by demonic things in a crazy castle room... However, that plot isn't what brought the crowds. The thing that drove the popularity of these films was the fact that you were seeing motion on screen. I suggest going and seeing Hugo. That film is spectacular. It answered so many questions that I had. It really sets the scene and the tone. The film has strong christian overtones and actually ends with Christianity prevailing over the "tides of darkness". I provided a link at the bottom of this review for anyone that would like to see this pioneer in Horror Film. The movie uses very, very early "movie magic" that is an abundance of smoke and m...
Post a Comment
Not scared yet? »