Un angelo per Satana

This was "Scream Queen" Barbara Steele's last of nine Italian horror films (for the record, I've still got TERROR CREATURES FROM THE GRAVE [1965] and THE SHE-BEAST [1966] to catch up with) and the one that was hardest to come by until recently. With this in mind, the print on display still left a lot to be desired – panned & scanned, fuzzy picture quality and the audio filled with extraneous noise (particularly during the second half…where it seems that someone's tapping on computer keys somehow got mixed in with the film's soundtrack, recalling a similar incident found on the original DVD of SON OF Dracula [1943]!).

AN ANGEL FOR Satan – the title, by the way, is a misnomer – was also probably the last of the vintage Gothic Horror outings from this country to be shot in black-and-white (imbued with a touch of poetry not easily replicated by the more delirious color titles). Incidentally, I'd watched director Mastrocinque's sole other foray (also in monochrome) in the genre – the "Carmilla" adaptation CRYPT OF THE VAMPIRE (1963), starring another horror icon in Christopher Lee – which I remember liking quite a bit, but whose recording (made off late-night Italian TV) I subsequently foolishly erased. To get back to Steele's European output, a common thread running through most of them is that she plays a look-alike descendant of some diabolic ancestor (beginning with the very first, Mario Bava's seminal BLACK Sunday [1960]) – and this one's no exception though, in its case, she emerges to be more of a victim (which, I guess, is what the title is ultimately alluding to). Having mentioned Bava, while his one picture with Steele was the director's official debut, his swansong – the fascinating (made-for-TV) THE VENUS OF ILLE (1978) – actually shares much of its plot line with AN ANGEL FOR Satan! Indeed, here we also have the discovery of an ancient statue bringing a series of calamities upon a small community consumed by superstition – and where the blame is placed at the doorstep of newly-arrived Lady of the Manor Steele (since the figure was made in the image of her forebear).

An interesting (if unlikely) twist is that the woman of the past played by Marina Berti – who, jealous of Steele's popularity with the menfolk, had tried to destroy the statue but tumbled down along with it into the river beneath – also has a like-minded i.e. vindictive descendant (her ultimate fate, then, emerges to be predictably ironic). That said, the narrative makes it seem at first as if the old Berti has taken possession of the new Steele…until hero Anthony Steffen (the sculptor entrusted with restoring the icon) uncovers the whole scheme which also sees Steele's current guardian (Claudio Gora), enamored of Berti, involved (hypnotizing his charge into committing nefarious deeds so as to elicit the ire of the townspeople who, in getting rid of the girl, would make him legal proprietor of the estate!). Steele, in fact, is made to turn heads yet again – particularly those of the more gullible members of the community: village idiot, shy schoolteacher, his equally naïve girlfriend(!) and who also happens to be Steele's own personal maid, and the town strong-man. She seduces all (often by casually taking off her clothes in their presence – though we see next to nothing, screen permissiveness having only just been broken with the likes of THE PAWNBROKER [1965] and BLOW-UP [1966]) and 'causes' them to act in extreme ways – the first becomes a serial rapist/killer (on whom the villagers eventually turn en masse), the second commits suicide (in the classroom of all places!) as a result of the maid breaking off her relationship with him and the fourth sets fire to his own home (with the rest of the family still inside!).

By now, of course, Steele was well-versed in this type of role – so, it's no surprise that she turns in a typically multi-layered performance (with her striking looks intact). However, she's matched by the brooding Steffen (later a regular of Spaghetti Westerns and Gialli) – and, equally impressive is Francesco De Masi's evocative score (it's pure happenstance that several titles I've been watching in my ongoing "Euro-Cult" marathon bear his signature!).

An Angel for Satan is the rarest, and therefore hardest to find of all the Gothic horror films that Barbara Steele made in the sixties; but hunting it down was certainly worth the time and effort as this film is right up there with Danse Macabre and Black Sunday as one of the best films that the horror icon made! Director Camillo Mastrocinque had worked in the Gothic horror genre previously with the somewhat less than brilliant effort Terror in the Crypt in 1964; but it would appear he'd done some homework on the genre since then as this film is much better. The story focuses on a little Italian village. A statue belonging to a rich family has been recovered from the local lake after a heat wave, and Roberto Merigi has been called in to restore it; which coincides with the return of Harriet Montebruno; the daughter of the statue's owner. There is a story of a curse surrounding the statue, and the locals believe that the village itself will become cursed if it is ever recovered from the lake. Strange things then start happening in the village.

The key thing for this genre, and indeed the best thing about this film, is atmosphere. Director Camillo Mastrocinque succeeds admirably in bathing the film in a thick and foreboding atmosphere; which is helped by a great score from Francesco De Masi. The plot is spread rather thinly and the film puts its main focus on the central characters, which works well. Barbara Steele is, of course, the star of the show and aside from looking better than ever, also provides the film with its main story lines. Starring alongside Steele is the great Anthony Steffen, who provides a strong male lead. The film is basically a mystery thriller with horror elements tied in; the horror of course coming mostly from the atmosphere and direction. The plot does flow well and the film is always interesting, though my only real criticism of the film comes from the fact that more isn't made of the curse. There's a gorgeous sequence explaining how it came about, but that's the only real mention and it's a bit of a shame. Otherwise, however, An Angel for Satan is an exceptional Gothic horror film and comes highly recommended to anyone that enjoys films like this!

Fabulous b/w Italian Gothic that is beautifully shot and has a marvellously evocative soundtrack. Perhaps slightly too leisurely paced at the start with too many interiors but this is nit picking and very mean for a film that at times reminded me of Bava's The Whip And The Body. Yes, that sort of intensity and sexual tension. Oh and I haven't even mentioned what would have made the film so watchable even without all that. Barbara Steele! This has to be one of her most notable roles (dual roles, again, actually) and she shines both as the innocent and the depraved equally. Her pretty personal maid and the handsome co-star both work hard but become almost invisible when this woman is on screen. It's a well told tale set on an Italian lake with much ado about a statue salvaged from the waters and an associated curse. Great stuff. Magnificent ending.

Very glad to see this after so many years just reading about it. Was still operating under the impression that it was only available without subtitles, but seeing that Netflix was offering it, I added it to my queue and was very happy to find that it arrived with English subtitles.

It's beautiful, evocative, violent, and puzzling with Steele cutting quite the figure of death and destruction as Harriet fresh out of England to claim her inheritance somewhere on the Continent. For a film that I thought was going to be wearisome and talky considering its first 15 minutes or so of weary talk, it definitely found its stride and delivered on its promise once Steele's machinations--or Belinda's or...?--unfolded.

A great end of the week, Friday night flick and now one of my top three favorite Steele films.

1966's "An Angel for Satan" (Un Angelo per Satana) marked the final chapter in the Italian Gothic career of Barbara Steele, whose acting roles would decrease over the years, with occasional projects as producer for television director Dan Curtis. Playing to type as a bewitching beauty who casts spells over every male of the tiny lakeside village where a sculptor (Anthony Steffen) has been hired to restore a statue tainted by tragedy 200 years before, her features an exact likeness of its partially naked marble form. A shy schoolteacher, a bulky father of five, a mute gardener, and the captivated sculptor all become willing pawns in this game of bitterness and death, only to have a pair of plot twists wreck the finale after such a promising buildup. Barbara's Harriet is first introduced at the 16 minute mark, and so swiftly transforms into the wicked, luminous Belinda that we never really get to know her in either role, but she proves yet again to be an undeniably powerful presence on screen, actually removing her clothes in one scene, while later showing off her breasts through a sheer nightgown. Coming full circle since Mario Bava's "Black Sunday," effective performing either angelic innocence or seductive sorceress, this was as far as censorship would allow in the mid 60s, perhaps the right time for her to call it quits. This was one of the last films for director Camillo Mastrocinque, best remembered for the Christopher Lee vehicle "Crypt of the Vampire," reunited with pretty Ursula Davis, in a more benign role than before as Harriet's submissive maid. Decades passed before the dubbed version finally came to light, making this usually the last Steele vehicle that buffs got to see, now easily available in a pristine print that looks as though it was shot yeserday, even in black and white.