Lisa e il diavolo (1974)

Directors:

Mario Bava
Alfredo Leone

Writers:

Mario Bava (screenplay)
Alberto Cittini (writer) (segment)

Release Date:

9 July 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

Every corner of the soul is lost to the icy clutch of the supernatural!

Plot:

Lisa is a tourist in an ancient city. When she gets lost, she finds an old mansion in which to shelter...

Plot Keywords:

Mansion | Tourist | Gore | Italy | Priest

Cast

Telly Savalas	...	Leandro
Elke Sommer	...	Lisa Reiner
Sylva Koscina	...	Sophia Lehar
Alessio Orano	...	Max
Gabriele Tinti	...	George (the chauffeur)
Kathy Leone	...	Lisa's friend
Eduardo Fajardo	...	Francis Lehar
Franz von Treuberg	...	Shopkeeper
Espartaco Santoni	...	Carlo
Alida Valli	...	Countess

Also Known As:

Der Teuflische (West Germany)
El diablo se lleva a los muertos (Spain)
Il diavolo e i morti (Italy)
La casa dell'esorcismo (Italy)
Lisa and the Devil (USA)
The Devil and the Dead

Runtime:

92 min | Italy:95 min (original version)

Country:

Italy | West Germany | Spain

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Germany:16 (re-rating 2007) | Netherlands:16 | Argentina:18 (re-rating) | Argentina:X (original rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Italy:VM14 (original version) | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (2001) (self applied) | Australia:R | Finland:K-18 (cut) (1980) | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18 | Iceland:16 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Barcelona Airport, Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain

Company:

Euro America Produzioni Cinematografiche

Trivia:

The scene where Leandro breaks the corpse's feet to stuff it into the coffin is a reference to the H.P. Lovecraft story "In the Vault".

Movie Connections:

Edited into Mad Ron's Prevues from Hell (1987) (V)

Soundtrack:

Concerto of Aranjuez

Formulaic horror movie with bizarre and chilling events

Lisa (Elke Sommer) is a young woman as tourist in a Spanish old city named Toledo.Then she is lost and is taken by a marriage(Sylva Koscina and Eduardo Fajardo)and their chauffeur(Gabriele Tinti.They find shelter into a luxurious mansion where inhabit strange characters ,a countess(Alida Valli),his son(Alessio Orano) and the butler(Telly Savallas).

The picture belong to Italian horror genre,Mario Bava along Riccard Freda(Secret of Dr Hitchcock,Vampires,The spectre)and Dario Argento(Deep red,Suspira,Inferno)are the fundamental creators of classic Latin terror films. Mario Bava directed excellent horror movies(Mask of demon,Black Sunday ,Black lace,Planet of vampires) and mediocre(Baron of blood,Bay of Blood,Schock and Lisa and the devil) horror films.These movies are characterized by slick edition,usual zooms,special overblown use of colour with a glimmer red blood and utilization of shock images.The film gets an attractive and enjoyable casting,a gorgeous Elke Sommer(The prize),an enticing Sylva Koscina(Miguel Strogoff), a veteran Alida Valli(The Paradine trial) and a sympathetic devil with lollipop played by Telly Savalas(Kojak).Magnificent and colorful cinematography film by Cecilio Paniagua with intervention by Bava like is habitual in all his movies but he's usually the cameraman.The musical background is by Joaquin Rodrigo with his famous Concert of Aranjuez and the score by Carlo Savina.There is another version called ¨House of Exorcism¨for the American market added with images of a priest(Robert Alda) ,rip off from ¨The exorcist¨making spells,enchantment,exorcisms which results to be embarrassment and ridiculous. The motion picture will like to the hardcore Mario Bava fans.