So what I *think* I have on my hands is the English dubbed version of the Italian release of the Italian/Belgian La plus longue nuit du diablo (The Longest Night of the Devil) - it's French (and official) title. The Italian version (above) translates as the Terrifying Night of the Devil, whereas us English-speakers get The Devil's Nightmare. Anyways, the film was a really nice surprise from the Pure Terror budget set. You never really know what you're going to get from these sorts of things - it could be anything from a bland, cheapo time-waster (here's looking at you, The Dungeon of Harrow) to a legitimately solid well-executed horror/thriller. What I *definitely* don't expect? Baby-stabbing and softcore porn. Let me explain.
The Devil's Nightmare starts out in 1945 Berlin. Baron von Rhoneberg is (I'd guess) a higher ranking official in the German army - and he's holed up in a bunker somewhere with his wife, who is just about to give birth. Bombs are dropping overhead, and the end of the war is near. Rhoneberg's wife dies in childbirth, but the midwife manages to save the child. Rhoneberg asks repeatedly "is it a boy? Is it a boy?" - but the midwife says no, it's a girl. Rhoneberg sends everyone away from them and proceeds to stab the baby. WTF? It's not really brutal or anything - I mean, really, he's just stabbing the pile of sheets next to the baby - but still. The concept of it is particularly nasty, and something I don't think I've ever come across in a film before. So thanks for showing me something new, The Devil's Nightmare.
Anyways, it turns out Rhoneberg isn't totally nuts. Apparently, someone in his family made a deal with the devil long ago... and as He is wont to do, there were some conditions to go along with that deal. Namely, that the first female born to everyone in the family will become a succubus.
Flash-forward to present day 1971 - a disparate group of tourists is on a bus traveling through the countryside. (I wish they'd try to explain why this group is together, as they don't seem to have anything in common. You've got an ornery old man, a priest, a bickering married couple, and two young women, plus the loutish bus driver.) It's getting dark and the main road is mysteriously closed, and some sketchy dude working on the side of the road directs our tourists to the Baron's castle. He's been known to take in guests every now and again, and there are no hotels around. They get there, and the creepy butler shows everyone their rooms, and ticks off all of the horrible things that have happened in the castle (various murders and whatnot). People are understandably upset - the two young women with the group choose to room together (leading to the oddly out of place softcore scene) - but things seem okay until the group goes down to dinner.
Shortly after the Baron gives his guests the speech on the legend of the succubus, a mysterious stranger named Lisa (Erika Blanc) shows up. (Actually, she's the daughter of the castle maid, but she's a stranger to everyone else.) I'm not sure if there's supposed to be some kind of mystery, but given her timing and her revealing outfit, it's very obvious that she's a succubus. And then she goes on to do succubus-like things - i.e. sexually tempt and/or murder everyone in the castle.
The Devil's Nightmare is a little bit slow at times - it's got a sort of relaxed pace that is quite frankly a little boring. Things start off on a kind of "high" note, what with the baby-stabbing and all, and then kind of slow down until Lisa the succubus shows up. Things are off-kilter enough to stay mostly amusing - it is an Italian horror film, after all. The dubbing is fun in its overt directness - one of the women is flirting with the married man, and bluntly says that she "collects men." And his response is "even married ones?" Right in front of the whole dinner table! And the characters are diverse enough to be interesting, even if they are all kind of assholes in their own way. You see, eventually you work out that each character is supposed to represent a deadly sin - aside from Greed, Lust, and Gluttony it isn't obvious who is supposed to be who - but at least everyone has got a unique set of traits to work with.
The atmosphere and mood of the film is decent, but a little schizophrenic. It takes place in a big castle and has a sort of gothic feel to it at times - the big set pieces in the dining room, or chase scenes in the corridors, use the castle grounds to a creepy effect. But some of the rooms in the castle that our guests stay in are decidedly ungothic and downright ugly:
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| I'm generally not one to notice interior decoration... but yikes. |
Also, the Baron has a mad-scientist-esque lab in his basement for some reason, which doesn't jibe with gothic feel. And since you've got the succubus vibe and the softcore scene, sometimes the film just seems kind of sleazy. So while the tone is usually entertaining, it just never quite settles on any one thing.
Horror-wise, there isn't a heck of a lot to offer here. There are several deaths, but none of them are particularly memorable. Once you get past the baby-stabbing, it's pretty lackluster as far gore/deaths go. And the succubus makeup is pretty much just a greenish hue on Lisa's face (but she's got great cheekbones, at least). Honestly, the most disgusting part of the film is when they zoom in on the bus-driver (representing the sin of Gluttony) eating a ton of food that Lisa sets out for him. The shot zooms in on his mouth and lingers there, and it's just plain nasty. But still, while the film is never really scary or tense, it still mostly succeeds, riding on the whole strange vibe offered up by the quasi-religious themes and general sleaziness.
I would more or less recommend this film.
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