Lisa and the Devil

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Horror fan 4 Aug 12 A very interesting horror movie. The mother/son duo is very creepy. I loved the cinematography and costumes. Beautifully done. Tim Treakle See more 07/31/2017 The film displays Bava's most prominent strength, i.e. gorgeous visuals. The cinematography is beautiful throughout with exemplary use of color. From the striking opening credit sequence in which tarot cards are used to introduce the characters, to the early scenes in the empty streets of the ancient city where Lisa is framed beautifully against the old architecture, to the ornate interiors of the ominous villa, the visual eloquence is well in abundance from start to finish and really creates a great sense of mood and atmosphere. There is visual invention on display all the way through this one, with inventive shots aplenty, complemented further by the lush music score from Carlo Savina. The overall effect is very dream-like. For a viewer to have any chance of appreciating this strange lyrical movie they will have to have at least some tolerance for narrative uncertainty. This one unashamedly puts emphasis on mood over plot and atmosphere over sense. It's certainly not a film for everyone - many horror fans will be put off by its deliberate pacing and unusual tone - but it is a movie which will reward patient viewers who appreciate Euro horror from the more abstract end of the spectrum. See more Will L @SavageOtterPaws 01/13/2016 This is one of Mario Bava's more psychedelic films (which is saying something), as well as one of his more frustrating. It feels like it could have been a lot better had it been a bit more focused. But alas, we are left with a movie that is merely okay, but not great. Telly Savalas is enjoyably sinister, though. See more 06/27/2015 Mike slipped. Lisa is an American tourist that takes a tour in an ancient Spanish village and discovers a mosaic of the devil. She becomes very interested in the piece and has some interesting encounters. One night she is forced to take refuge in a strange mansion with an interesting house keeper. She may have found what she was looking for in the town in the mansion. "The thought of losing you fills one with much sadness." Mario Bava, director of Kill Baby, Kill; Black Sabbath; Black Sunday; Roy Colt and Winchester Jack; Knives of the Avenger; and Blood and Black Lace, delivers Lisa and the Devil. The storyline for this picture is pretty interesting and fun to watch unfold. Some of the sequences were cheesy but it's an old classic. The cast delivers solid performances and includes Telly Savalas, Elke Sommer, Sylva Koscina, and Alida Valli. "I am no longer a child. Let me live my life!" I came across this on Netflix as part of the Mario Bava collection and had to watch it. I enjoyed the film and thought it was better than many of the films in this collection. Telly Savalas was great in his role and kept the film off balance. This is a good film for fans of the genre. "I was not introduced to the fifth guest." Grade: C+ See more 06/04/2015 Lesser-caliber Mario Bava thriller is neither very suspenseful nor very over-the-top. See more 12/19/2014 Not exactly horrifying (even though it belongs to the oeuvre of horror maestro Mario Bava) but instead imbued with the qualities of a (rather disturbed) dream. I think it is probably Elke Sommer's dream (although then confusingly she might have a dream within this dream too). Or maybe it is Telly Savalas's dream - he is one of the few characters that remains alive at the end (and perhaps he is the devil of the title). Still as some commentators have pointed out, there is a thin line between life and death here and between mannikin and flesh. So maybe everyone is alive in that airplane at the end (a surreal gesture not unlike Bunuel's conclusion to Simon of the Desert)? Bava's images are woozy, colourful, and sometimes indistinct. The plot, as far as one can tell, involves Sommer's trip to Spain being interrupted by a badly timed decision to hitch-hike in a car that subsequently breaks down at Alida Valli's possibly haunted mansion where she is mistaken for a corpse to which she may have borne a distinct resemblance. OK, only dream logic applies! (Original version watched -- not House of Exorcism) See more Read all reviews

Lisa and the Devil

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