The Demon

It's not a scary horror movie nor a very juicy drama, but there is something remarkable about The Demon besides the gorgeous Israeli leading lady and its unmistakable influence on The Exorcist: On the surface, it appears to espouse open-and-shut primitive morals where her "witchcraft" sexuality makes woman a demonic temptress preying on God-fearing family-men and deserving of exorcism. That interpretation is subverted by the film's total focus on Purif. She is the only sympathetic character.

A fascinating folk-horror film that seems to merge the townfolk of Amarcord (and their religion and superstitions) with the non-special-effects-parts of The Exorcist. I really enjoyed it although it has about as much horror as the Great Pumpkin. The main actress would have done very well in silent films; the Italian dubbing is, as usual, terrible.

Anchored by a powerful and at times eerie performance from Daliah Lavi, this is a stark and beautifully shot folk horror cult flick that puts the poor lady through the ringer.

Estreava há 60 ano no Festival BFI. Lavi entrou para a história do cinema de horror italiano em 1963 ao protagonizar duas obras primas do gótico como duas histéricas clássicas: O Chicote e o Corpo e O Demônio. Il demônio se encontra numa linha tênue entre o folk horror e o gótico por se apresentar como uma obra que deve muito ao neorealismo, é um horror não pelo seu suposto componente sobrenatural e sim pelo peso da religião e o patriarcado na consciência das pessoas. Box Versátil Obras-primas

Lavi's role was a particularly strenuous one: she contorts herself and is hurled about every which way. A grim reminder of just how bizarre a religion Christianity really is.