La plus longue nuit du diable

I saw this as one of 10 horror films on a collection from brentwood DVD called;fright night,its an awesome collection of fright films.anyway the devils nightmare is a Belgium/Italian made shocker about a group of tourists(each one represents one of the 7 deadly sins)they get stranded at the castle of an ex Nazi officer.there's a family curse,gruesome murders,lots of nudity(surprising for 1971)and a very good soundtrack. I'm usually a sucker for good European horror movies especially with the sexy beautiful Erika blanc,who starred in many Italian horror films.sort of like a rival of Barbara Steele.the murders are very gruesome.the dubbing is sloppy but thats expected.i saw this years ago on the USA cable network,of course it was chopped up by the censors. it was hosted by commander USA.who used to show very strange movies. watch the uncut version for the full effect.ignore the critics because most of them dismissed this film as junk.you be the judge.believe me its kind of scary.8 out of 10,Erika blanc gets 10 out of 10 because she was hot.

'The Devil's Nightmare' starts of well with a flashback sequence involving a Nazi, a knife, and a new born baby. You guess what happens. Then we flash forward to the Seventies with a coach load of tourists turning up at a spooky castle. Pretty quickly we work out that they represent the seven deadly sins (the chubby bus driver constantly munching on chicken wings and sausages was a big help!), though they all seem to moonlight as lust, which is not too surprising in this kinda Euroschlock. Erika Blanc mysteriously turns up, flaunts her cleavage, gets a priest all hot and bothered, and may or may not be a succubus. Soon enough we get a groovy fuzz guitar soundtrack, some hot lesbo action, and a series of bizarre murders which are almost Argento lite. Not too bad at all, and Daniel Emilfork makes a pretty hip Satan.

This is an above average example of the type of metaphysical horror film that seemed to proliferate in Europe in the 1970's.

It's simply the story of the Devil, his minion (the succubus) and seven tourists (each representing one of the seven deadly sins) who are forced to spend the night in a sinister castle.

The first hour is rather plodding due to an over abundance of exposition and very little action. Viewer patience is rewarded however during the final half hour when Ilse (the succubus) starts doing what she does best.

Erica Blanc is superb in this role and her transformation from sexy seductress to ghastly succubus is a highlight. Another highlight is Daniel Emilfork as the Devil. His performance is a real stand out when compared to the rather wooden performances delivered by some of the other cast members.

Director Jean Brismee also deserves kudos for several delightfully imaginative flourishes during the death scenes.

All in all it's worth watching if you're a fan of this type of film, but it's definitely not one of my favourite Euro horror films from this era.

6 out of 10.

This is one of your better Italian Gothic horror films (maybe they should have done more co-productions with Belgium). The simple plot concerns a group of travelers who end up stranded in an eerie castle. The travelers supposedly represent the Seven Deadly Sins (although after "lust", "gluttony", and "greed" I kind of lost track of who was supposed to be who). They are picked off one by one by a sexy female succubus played by the sumptuous Erica Blanc. There have been a million movies like this over the years, but two things set this apart. One is the atmosphere of horror it creates. This film wasn't directed by any of the Italian Gothic horror greats like Mario Bava, Antonio Marghereti, or Riccardo Freda but it evokes their best works ("Black Sunday", "Castle of Blood", "The Ghost"). The second though is Erica Blanc who manages to be both very sexy and very scary (the latter with the help of some good effect make-up). Interestingly, Blanc has only some very brief nude scenes here, but she plays such a seductive and deliciously evil character so well (especially when she preys upon the hapless priest) that she manages to steam up the screen far more than the two Euro-lesbian characters who spend half their screen time cavorting in the nude. Along with her famous coffin strip tease in "The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave" this one of Blanc's most memorable roles and worth the price of admission by itself. It's also a pretty good movie though.

Horror at its best!!!!!! This movie is definitely one that earns the designation of HORROR!!!!! The atmosphere is chilling and the characters are zany and unpredictable. At first glance I thought that this movie would be another Italian slasher fest, but instead I was amazed to discover this eerie piece of cinema had a lot to deliver, most of all a frightening tale of sin and temptation. The devil in this movie is one that instills fear and curiosity, just as the devil should be portrayed. I recommend this film to horror fans and movie fans that don't like watching a typical film. Just a note of caution, this movie is not for the faint of heart. As is with many euro horrors of its day, the Devil's Nightmare pulls no punches when it comes to murder and mayhem. Enjoy!