Lisa e il diavolo (1973)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

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
Carmen Silva	...	Anna ('House of Exorcism')
Franz von Treuberg	...	Shopkeeper
Espartaco Santoni	...	Carlo
Alida Valli	...	Countess
Robert Alda	...	Father Michael ('House of Exorcism')

Also Known As:

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

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) | Italy:VM18 (Producer's Cut) | Australia:R | Finland:K-18 | 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 film was shot without sound and the dialog was dubbed in after principle photography. Reportedly while directing the cast on the set Bava would play Rodrigo's "Concerto d'Aranjuez" to get the emotion he desired from the actors.

Quotes:

Lisa Reiner: I'm not Lisa, you stupid pig! I'm not Lisa, and I never was Lisa! YOU PRICK!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Mad Ron's Prevues from Hell (1987) (V)

Soundtrack:

Concerto of Aranjuez

With Kojak and the woman from one of the "Pink Panther" movies, how can you go wrong?

This is the first Mario Bava movie that I've ever seen, and if it's any indication, I'm going to like the rest of his movies. While traveling in Spain, Lisa Reiner (Elke Sommer) gets lost. She hitches a ride with a couple and they end up in a house inhabited by a blind woman, her strange son, and the housekeeper (Telly Savalas). Everything seems normal at first, but bizarre things begin to happen, and we eventually discover that there are many things about each character that we don't know.

Much of the horror in "La Casa dell'esorcismo" (the American title is "Lisa and the Devil") comes from camera angle and blurred shots, creating the sense of descent into terror and madness. The whole movie was a little bit silly, but it's actually quite interesting. Telly Savalas is lascivious as ever, and Elke Sommer is really one hot babe. I definitely recommend this movie