Marketic It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

HeadlinesExotic Boring

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Anoushka Slater While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Sam Panico By the late 60's, a series of commercial failures caused Mario Bava to lose his deal with American International Pictures, but the successes of Twitch of the Death Nerve and Baron Blood turned his fortunes around. Now, he was allowed to make movies without studio interference.Bava was allowed to create Lisa and the Devil as a non-commercial film, but it flopped in Italy and the U.S., where it would be retitled House of Exorcism with twenty minutes of the film cut and a new scene with Elke Sommer and Robert Alda would rip off The Exorcist. Producer Alfredo Leone wanted this new footage to have profanity and strong sexual content, which Bava refused to do. He even tried to get Sommer to not be in these scenes and dropped out of the film. The re-edited (that's being really fair to what is a hack job) version also flopped. For a much more in-depth telling of this story, please visit Groovy Doom.So what is Lisa and the Devil about? Well, Lisa is a tourist who wanders away from a guided group tour to explore an antique store where Leandro (Telly Savalas, who if you ever get the chance to visit Pittsburgh, is featured in an epic photo in the Hollywood Bowl area of the famed Arsenal Lanes bowling alley) is purchasing a dummy. She looks at the man - who looks just like a demon she saw in a fresco - and runs. She then meets a mustache wearing man who recognizes her, but she bumps him into falling down the stairs to his death (or maybe not).Lisa can't find her way back to her tour, so she follows a couple and their driver (who is secretly dating the wife), but they break down at a mansion where Leandro coincidentally (or maybe not) works as a butler for the blind Countess and her son Maximilian, who begs his mother to let them stay.The mustache man may (or maybe not) still be alive, as he stalks Lisa. There's also a mystery guest in the mansion who may be a prisoner and Lisa may (or maybe not) be Elena, Maximilian's long-lost lover. And oh yeah, the mustache guy is really Carlos, the Countesses second husband and Elena or Lisa (or maybe not) was sleeping with him.This next part needs some careful wordsmithing. Carlos - that's mustache man's name - is being prepared for burial by Leandro while still being alive. Lisa freaks out as he tries to take her away from the mansion, but he's killed by Maximilian, but then he's not even real, but the dummy Leandro bought at the start of the movie.If that made you say, "What the fuck?" then get ready. The young driver loverboy is killed while fixing the car, but Leandro offers to cover it all up if he can take care of the body. The husband demands that his wife leave with him, so she runs him over with the car. Then, she is murdered by Maximilian. Whew.Lisa is knocked out by all of this and Leandro dresses her like Elena. Turns out he is a demon indebted to the Countess and Maximilian and forced to help them play out their lives again and again and again, using dummies to represent each of them. As Lisa arrived and interrupted his shopping for new dummies, her real form must now become Elena. But wait? Isn't Lisa Elena? That's what Maximilian thinks, as he takes her to the secret room, where we learn that Elena's corpse and ghost are the mystery guest. He drugs Lisa and starts to rape her when the ghost laughs at him, causing him to stop and tell his mother what he has done: he killed Carlos for betraying his mother by sleeping with Elena, but imprisoned her rather than letting her get away. When his mother tells him the only next logical step is to kill Lisa, he kills her instead.He then finds every dead person all gathered at a table for dinner. His mother tries to kill him, so he jumped out a window and is impaled on a fence. Leandro appears behind the dead bodies.Lisa escapes, but not before she sees Leandro refuse to accept a doll of her. On an amazing 1960's plane, complete with spiral staircase, she discovers that the entire plane is empty, except for the pilot - Leandro. She collapses and becomes the dummy that he carries back to the house.Lisa and the Devil was Bava's dream project turned nightmare. The end result - which didn't play in wide release in the director's lifetime - is a waking dream of doom, dread and predestined death. I wouldn't recommend it if you're looking for a straight narrative, but it's a strong film for those seeking to explore and be mesmerized.

MARIO GAUCI This was my third time watching this most personal of Bava's works: whether it is due to the fact that the last two occasions proved problematic (the original Image Entertainment DVD experienced an audio glitch during playback that nearly blasted my TV speakers, while there were constant audio-related issues on the Italian-language track of the copy I acquired of the movie's Raro Video edition!) or the shadow that always loomed large over it in the shape of the execrable re-edit THE HOUSE OF EXORCISM (1975), I have never been really taken with the film as many others seem to be!! Truth be told, watching the featurette "EXORCISING LISA" soon after, I was sort of glad to realize that I was not quite alone in this – as both assistant director and the director's own son Lamberto Bava (who always felt the end result, even in its true incarnation, was impenetrable and somewhat unresolved!) and Bava scholar Alberto Pezzotta (suggesting that the time of Gothic Horror had passed and that, other than merely ethereal, it was elegiac and self-referential!) disclaim its masterpiece status!! Incidentally, though the script is attributed to the elder Bava and producer Alfred Leone on foreign prints (as a matter of fact, throughout my ongoing Bava centenary tribute, it has been a constant irritation to find English credits on Italian-language editions of his pictures!), it was actually penned by other hands – including Roberto Natale, who also puts in an appearance in the 25-minute doc!! Incidentally, while ostensibly an original, elements from it could be traced to several short stories dutifully namechecked during said featurette as well as Tim Lucas' audio commentary… Mind you, the movie is undeniably intriguing (in my review of the director's KILL, BABY…KILL! {1966}, also co-written by Natale and a film whose stature seems to grow with each viewing, I mention how LISA owes a debt to it in the desolate narrow streets/decaying villa settings and the general nightmarish vibe) and, yet, it comes off as strangely aloof: one does not really connect with any of the characters throughout…especially, as with A BAY OF BLOOD (1971), these largely seem to be on hand merely to ratchet up the 'body count' department (did we really need an additional love triangle to the mind-boggling quintet – taking into consideration that Elke Sommer here undertakes a dual role – already involved?!). The score by Carlo Savina (with generous but effective sprinklings of Joaquin Rodrigo's famous "Concierto De Aranjuez") is a major asset, as is the bemused presence of Telly Savalas (obviously assuming the latter half of the titular parts, scheming and manipulating the various figures around – in both their human form and lookalike mannequins – as if they were pieces on an invisible chess board…while under the guise of an overworked and, seminally, lollipop-sucking butler!). The rest of the cast, however, are only so-so: Alessio Orano is, fatally, unsympathetic as an impotent necrophile(!); Alida Valli, on the other hand, is imposing as ever playing his aristocratic and over-protective blind mother; and Espartaco Santoni is decidedly baffling as the latter's husband and the former's rival for love of his own spouse Sommer (his comings and goings, sometimes literally from death to life, eventually grew irritating!); while Sylva Koscina, Eduardo Fajardo and Gabriele Tinti, as already intimated, are at once underused and downright redundant! Typical of Bava, too, the movie's look cannot be faulted (despite having a Spanish d.p., with a penchant for shooting in soft-focus, forced on him), effortlessly moving between the modern-day 'bookends' and the period milieu of its central narrative.By the way, given that I am going through the director's filmography in a non-linear fashion, it becomes interesting to note parallels between efforts that one would probably overlook if they were to be viewed chronologically; recently, for instance, I picked up on how SHOCK (1977) is pretty much a reworking of THE WHIP AND THE BODY (1963) and even HATCHET FOR THE HONEYMOON (1970) in its depiction of a deranged protagonist coming to terms with a crime that had been all but blocked out of its consciousness. Having just re-acquainted myself with the latter prior to my screening LISA, which I took as Bava's most Buñuelian work (in view of its leading man's affinity with the latter's Archibaldo De La Cruz), here we have an ending – the Devil adopting modern means of transportation – which recalls the Surrealist maestro's slyly abrupt way of concluding his SIMON OF THE DESERT (1965)! Since both Bava films were actually shot in Spain, could it be that the cultured yet self-effacing Italian was drawn to checking out the oeuvre of the country's most celebrated celluloid son at some point during their making? That said, Lucas claims the device – along with the film's inherent oneiric tone – was actually a direct allusion to Roger Vadim's "Carmilla" adaptation: different strokes for different folks, I guess! The audio commentary did sometimes go overboard in trying to match the poetic quality of the picture: the last rose of the season plucked by Orano for Sommer at one point apparently stood for Bava's own last gasp at making an international name for himself – if you say so, Tim…but, then, I was grateful to learn that Bava appreciated the work of Georges Franju and, indeed, it had never occurred to me before that he recruited two ladies from his films, i.e. Valli (from EYES WITHOUT A FACE {1960} – her mannered death scene being even incorporated in the finale here) and Koscina (from JUDEX {1963}), for LISA! In the end, while not quite among the director's greatest, the film under review is still vastly preferable to its bastardization THE HOUSE OF EXORCISM…which, regrettably, will follow presently in my (41-strong but by-now inevitably winding down) Bava marathon.

AngryChair Lovely tourist Lisa becomes lost in a European town and soon finds herself at an isolated estate where she's plagued by bizarre and frightening occurrences. The handsome master of the house seems to think Lisa is the reincarnation of his dead lover, a phantom stranger may or may not be a ghost, and the smug family butler is possibly the devil himself! Lisa and the Devil is perhaps the most unique of the great Mario Bava's horror films. It broods with the lavish and colorful direction that the great filmmaker was well known for and it has a terrifically weird atmosphere. The story is a compelling mosaic of mystery, murder, and otherworldly surrealism as it provides for one effectively nightmarish journey. The fluid camera-work is excellent, the Gothic scenery and sets are nicely captured, and the haunting music score is perfectly pitched to give this film a stylish and chilling atmosphere.The cast is also quite good. Gorgeous Elke Sommer gives a strong performance as bewildered Lisa. Dashing Alessio Orano is terrific as the master of the house. Veteran actress Alida Valli is great as the blind countess. However the biggest show-stealer is Telly Savalas as the charismatic and possibly fiendish butler. The supporting cast is also quite solid.Lisa and the Devil is simply a must-see for all fans of Bava and particularly for fans of surrealist horror. It's a truly original horror gem and one of Bava's greatest works.Footnote: Avoid a terribly re-edited and re-worked version of the film re-named House of Exorcism. This was a poorly constructed version of the film forced onto the market after distribution problems. Stick with the film that Bava intended to make instead!**** out of ****

Witchfinder General 666 This film is credited as "La Casa dell'exorcismo"/"The House Of Exorcism" here, but Mario Bava's original version is the one called "Lisa e il diavolo"/"Lisa And The Devil". Mario Bava, arguably the greatest Horror director of all-time, created his most bizarre work in 1972 with "Lisa And The Devil". In order to attract a wider audience in the United States, the film was only released in a re-edited form, as "The House Of Exorcism", which added some elements and did not even give full credit to master Bava. Sadly enough, the original Bava cut was not released until after his death. Fortunately enough, it is available now. This is a review of Bava's original version, "Lisa And The Devil".While not one of my absolute favorites by the great Mario Bava, "Lisa And The Devil" is arguably one of his most underrated films. The film does not quite reach the brilliance of earlier Bava masterpieces like "Black Sunday" ("La Maschera Del Demonio", 1960), "The Whip And The Body" ("La Frusta E Il Corpo" (1963), "Blood And Black Lace"("Sei Donne Per L'Assassino", 1964), or "Kill Baby... Kill" ("Operazione Paura", 1966), nor that of his latter day highlight, the stunning Crime Thriller "Rabid Dogs" ("Cani Arrabiati", 1974). Even so, "Lisa And The Devil" is an elegant and mesmerizing Horror film that is absolutely sublime in many aspects. The whole approach of "Lisa And The Devil" is more bizarre, surreal and merely psychological than in his other films, and furthermore uses the Satanic formula which was immensely popular around the time. While "Lisa and The Devil" is a bit slower than his other early 70s efforts, such as his last Gothic Horror film "Baron Blood" ("Gli Orrori Del Castello Di Norimberga", 1972), the film maintains a wonderful atmosphere of insanity and doom.Due to the film's bizarre nature, "Lisa And The Devil" is probably the Bava film that makes a proper plot synopsis most difficult. This is not a bad thing, though, as every Horror fan should experience this film for himself (or herself) anyway. The film begins when tourist Lisa Reiner (sexy Elke Sommer) leaves her tourist group, and is suddenly stuck in a beautiful but eerie city center of Toledo. Unable to find her tourist group, Lisa, as well as a bunch of other people find refuge in an eerie mansion, where an old countess (Alida Valli) lives with her son (Alessio Orano), and a very sinister housekeeper (Telly Salavas)... I do not want to give anything away, but I can assure that "Lisa And The Devil" is a film that creates a hypnotic and nightmarish atmosphere like hardly another. The incredibly sinister Telly Salavas gives this film a cult-status and there is a lot more. The cast includes several familiar faces for Italian Cult buffs. Elke Sommer and Silvya Koschina are lovely to look at and they also are also great in their roles. The great Alida Valli, best known for her roles in two Horror-masterpieces, Dario Argento's "Suspiria" (1977) and Georges Franju's "Eyes Without a Face" ("Les Yeux Sans Visage", 1960), is once again superb as the old countess. The cast also includes Eduardo Fajardo ("Django") and Italian Exploitation regular Gabriele Tinti. The absolute greatest performance (by far) in this film, however, remains that of Telly Salavas who is ghoulish and great beyond comparison. As all Bava films, "Lisa And The Devil" is wonderfully photographed in beautiful yet exceptionally eerie Gothic settings. The city of Toledo is a terrific setting for a film like this, and the eerie mansion is the most uncanny and melancholic setting imaginable. The score by Carlo Savina is great and very eerie, and perfectly emphasizes the mood of a nightmarish fever dream. Aditionally to the nightmarish atmosphere, the film also has several genuinely terrifying shock-moments. As stated above, "Lisa And The Devil" is not one of the absolute greatest films by Mario Bava, but it is definitely a great one. The film is a little more slow-paced than Bava's other work, but its nightmarish atmosphere is exceptional. A mesmerizing film that no Horror fan can afford to miss!