Un'ombra nell'ombra

"Ring of Darkness" is a pretty controversial Italian horror movie due to Lara Wendel's underage nudity.Lara Wendel starred in 1977 in scandalous "Maladolescenza",so during shooting of Pier Carpi's movie she was no more than thirteen year old.This sleazy Italian "The Exorcist" clone features plenty of full-frontal nudity provided by Carmen Russo,Marisa Mell,Sofia Dionisio,Dirce Funari and Sonia Viviani.There are some memorable scenes in "Ring of Darkness" including the coven rituals,Marisa Mell confronting Lara Wendel,the exorcism and the nude mother-daughter fight.The women defy Lucifer and that's why Lara Wendel's character becomes aggressive and murderous.Satan is using her as his instrument to get revenge on the brides that have betrayed him.7 out of 10.

I read in the IMDb trivia that this film originally was meant as a knockoff of "The Exorcist" and it was re-edited in order, apparently, to avoid legal difficulties. However, in its final form it bears little similarity to "The Exorcist"...or a movie! Instead, it all seems very randomly edited and pointless. And, occasionally, nudity is tossed into the mix but it manages to be very unsexy and even rather silly.

The film begins with a hilariously bad choreographed dance scene that looks like it belongs in the John Travolta film "Staying Alive". Then, abruptly, the film switches to an annoying child (Daria) and her mother. It seems that years before the mother was part of a coven and now Daria is becoming a nasty little demonic child. Why? Who knows. All I know is that the actress acted really nasty through much of the film until she ultimately tore off all her clothes at the end--which is very disturbing since she was a pubescent girl--and too young legally to do such explicit stuff in the States. Perhaps Italian laws were more liberal. But this part, if it's possible, makes even LESS sense than the rest of the film and it ends.

To say that the film made little sense, was completely amateurish and was stupid would probably be a major understatement. The film is without merit--heck, even the nudity is pretty dull (except for those hoping to see some not-yet legal nudity). A despicable and dumb film with nothing to recommend it. Even for camp value it's pretty worthless.

Eh, better just ignore or try not to think about Lara Wendel's date of birth when it comes to this film, which is labelled as an Exorcist rip-off but strikes me more like an Omen rip-off.

I'm not one to look down on people, but when you join up for a Satanic cult that involves a choreographed disco session followed by group sex with the Dark Lord himself, isn't it a bit naive to feel put out when the spawn of such a union turns out to have evil tendencies? What did they expect to happen?

Mother Anne Heywood is concerned that her daughter Lara Wendell is getting a bit lippy and argumentative and a bit too wise in the ways of Satanic rituals that no one's ever told her about, so she goes to see her three mates who also seemingly set up carnal relationships with Lucifer without thinking of the consequences. They also do this kind of South Central LA gang hand signal to each other which was pretty funny. Each of them regrets doing the nasty with the Anti-christ, including Irene Papas who has turned to prostitution to meet men, but fails every single time as Satan shows up scowling disapprovingly every time she's about to get busy. Not the best career choice. Get this though - even though they're all going on about how their children are acting up and being devilly, they still attend these black masses. Where's the commitment?

I'm not quite sure what he had to do with it all, but Ian Bannen shows up to put the moves on Anne Heywood while spouting garbage about 'the black and the light' but he pretty much high tails it once Satan shows up to stop anyone having any fun. While Lara somehow arranges the death of her stepfather (that big goofy looking guy from Cosmos: War of the Planets), Anne tries to stop her going full evil by asking high Priestess Mellisa Mel to get involved.

I know - it's confusing. Surely the intention of the coven or sect or whatever would be do to Lucifer's bidding and bring down society, so why are they getting all arsey when the kids start acting up, stealing dolls, rejecting dolls that are bought, burying finger nails, shouting and throwing stuff around, and killing their classmates for getting fresh? Were they just into it for the long cloaks and the dance sequences?

John Philip Law is brought in as a priest who does some dodgy acting at one point. Lara Wendell gets naked a lot which is quite disturbing due to her age and even has a nude Satan fight with her mum at the end. The whole things lacks gore and even scares, but is so bizarre and non-sensical in every way I couldn't help wonder what they were aiming for.

Satan's Wife is an ultra trashy and cheap attempt to cash in on the success of some much better films(Rosemary's Baby, The Omen and to a lesser extent The Exorcist). In the 70's, movies about The Devil made loads of money, so this fairly forgettable, micro budgeted garbage is one of hundreds(possibly thousands) of similar fare. Unless you only want to see nudity and some ridiculous satanic ritual activity(with more nudity), I can't say this has much to offer. Considering this was made on the cheap, I won't bore you in detail on how this film is basically technically inept. The story is lame, the acting is worst. For the most part, Satan's Wife is a real snoozefest. However, there are lots of titties and for the real creepy horror/exploitation fans, underaged titties. That is one factor that made the film disturbing in a way that I did'nt sign up for. So, overall Satan's Wife is worthless trash and is not something I would recommend.

I recently watched the Italian film 🇮🇹 Satan's Wife (1979) on Tubi. The storyline follows a group of young women involved in a cult. Years later, one of them has a daughter who seems to possess unique powers and a connection to Satan. As the child grows more ruthless, the mother realizes she may be the only one who can stop her.

This film is written and directed by Pier Carpi (Povero Cristo) and stars Anne Heywood (The Fox), Valentina Cortese (The Barefoot Contessa), Frank Finlay (Lifeforce), and John Phillip Law (Barbarella).

The movie is hit or miss. The cult scenes, opening séance, and the blend of dance and nudity in the ritual sequences are intriguing. However, the child acting is just okay. After the opening, the horror elements are minimal, relying mostly on eerie shots of the child committing heinous acts, which isn't enough to carry the film. The cinematography feels dated and is serviceable at best. The ending is also awkward, as certain scenes with the child feel unsettling in a way that doesn't entirely work.

In conclusion, Satan's Wife is worth watching only if you're looking for something different, but it doesn't stand out in the genre. I'd score it a 5/10.