Les yeux du cauchemar

A lonely and neglected housewife (Lana Wood) living in a deserted house on the beach takes a lover. Unfortunately, that lover turns out to be Satan! Her husband and teenage daughter are naturally upset by this turn of events and enlist a family friend (Britt Ekland) who is a spiritual medium and the latter's obnoxious husband to help them out, with disastrous results for everyone involved.

This movie kind of resembles both the mainstream film "The Entity" and the X-rated classic "Through the Looking Glass", but it is not as good as either. It is surprisingly low-budget and obscure movie considering that it features two former Bond girls--Lana "Plenty O'Toole" Wood and Britt "Holly Goodnight" Ekland. (okay, not two of the most talented former Bond girls, but still--). A cadaverous John Carradine also makes an appearance (but then he showed up pretty much every time he sensed the distant whir of a film camera). Ekland, very uncharacteristically, keeps her clothes on for the whole movie, but the busty Woods more than makes up for this as she repeatedly scromps naked with the horny demon, moaning ecstatically. The film is not bad, at least before the completely confounding ending, but there are few too many supposedly meaningful shots of the waves crashing onto the beach.

Not a good film perhaps, but not deserving of its current obscurity either.

My review was written in October 1982 after a Times Square screening.

"Satan's Mistress", lensed in 1980 under the title "Dark Eyes", is a supernatural sexploitation picture sporting name talent but cheap production values. Weak story and direction hurt its theatrical chances but plentiful nude footage of buxom lead Lana Wood should create mucho vidcassette interest. Film went through interim title change, "Demon Rage" and "Fury of the Succubus" before its present moniker.

Silly premise is that dead spirits wander in limbo awaiting their final judgment, and in this lonely state are drawn to similarly lonely living folks whom the devil uses as bait to "catch" these spirits or souls. Lisa (Lana Wood) is just such a lonely woman, pining away at her beach house while being neglected by her busy with work husband Burt (Tom Hallick).

In a cheap effect imitating Al Adamson's 1977 "Nurse SherrI" film, a purple animated squiggle enters Lisa's bedroom one night and she is raped by some invisible entity. Next time, instead of invisible the spirit is personified by a dark, romantic man clad in black (Kabir Bedi). While both husband and daughter Michelle (Sherry Scott) are disturbed by Lisa's reclusiveness, she's getting it on almost constantly with the mysterious intruder.

With corny paranormal phenomena and hallucinations accelerating, plus the appearance of a black cat familiar, friend and mystic Anne-Marie (Britt Ekland)( tries to help, and local California priest Father Stratten (John Carradine) offers his advice. Meanwhile, a mysterious woman Belline (Elsie-Anne) tries to recruit Michelle to the devil's work.

Payoff is a gory death for Anne-Marie's husband (Don Galloway), very improbably killed by a guillotine that just happens to be stored in Lisa's basement. Fiey basement climax has Bedi the spirit nobly leaving Lisa and going to Hell.

With poor special effects (a monster that looks like a big pulsating eye and dream sequences which are blurry and eye-straining), filmmaker James Polakof is in big trouble. Problem is exacerbated by photography or printing which makes the interior scenes look too dark. A good cast is the film's drawing card, with Wood impressive in her frequent simulations of sexual passion and Bedi, currently costarring in "Octopussy", perfectly cast as the silent, Valentino-esque romantic stranger. Other roles, including top-billed Britt Ekland, are strictly functional.

Anyone who had not seen this film, but had heard about its various titles, may expect something interesting and worthwhile. The reality is that this is a turgid, slow moving, load of nonsense! First of all, the soundtrack is quite abysmal, and the background sounds tend to drown out the dialogue, which is no great shakes anyway. The editing is quite appalling, and the film lurches from scene to scene without any great pattern to it. The ending is quite ludicrous, although after sitting through 90 minutes of dross, it is a welcome relief to the viewer. In all in, a sad effort which only merits two points courtesy of the lead, Lana Wood!!

Satan's Mistress (1982)

** (out of 4)

Lisa (Lana Wood) is a bored housewife who has become sexually unsatisfied in her relationship. Before long she begins to have dreams of a sexual encounter with a mysterious man who might be much more sinister than she realizes.

SATAN'S MISTRESS has been released under a number of titles including DEMON SEED, DEMON RAGE, FURY OF THE SUCCUBUS and DARK EYES. No matter what you want to call it, this here is pretty much a show for fans of Wood. If you were disappointed that she didn't pop out of her suit in DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER then you'll be happy to know that she's fully nude throughout this picture. Obviously with the plot and all the sex and nudity, this here is pretty much a sleazy horror picture and on that level it works.

We've seen countless possession movies but I will give this one credit in that it at least tries to be good. I say that because a lot of low-budget horror movies know there will be an audience out there for them so they can deliver crap if they want to and usually fans will except it. This film really wants to try and scare the viewer by delivering some psychological elements with the story. The film never wants us to know if the lead character is crazy or if she's normal. It's never clear if she's really having this sexual relationship or if it's all in her head. Is this man Satan himself or some sort of ghost?

Director James Polakof doesn't really succeed in what he tried for but, again, I give him credit for trying. The film is never suspenseful and it's also fair to say that the movie doesn't quite grab you like it should. What makes the film work is the fact that it is rather sleazy with there being several sex scenes and of course there's Wood willing to take it all off. There's full frontal nudity throughout the film and for the most part I thought she delivered a fine performance. Britt Ekland plays her psychic friend and John Carradine shows up as a Priest.

SATAN'S MISTRESS is a mildly entertaining film that at least tried to be something more than a low-budget exploitation movie. Again, I give it credit for at least trying but even in its failure it still remains an entertaining picture for what it is.

Bickering couple Lisa (Lana Wood, sister of Natalie) and Carl (Don Galloway) move to an isolated beach house in an attempt to save their marriage. This doesn't work and lonely Lisa soon finds herself attracting a horny spirit (Kabir Bedi) that frequently seduces her and tries to possess the couple's daughter Michelle (Sherry Scott). Psychic best friend Ann-Marie (Britt Ekland) senses something is wrong and tries to stop it. This reminds me of the similar MAUSOLEUM but without the cool green lighting and effects. There isn't really much to this standard horror from director James Polakof as the first hour consists mostly of Lisa moaning and groaning as the General Zod looking spirit gives her the sexy eyes. There is a rather nice decapitation in here, but I had to deduct cool points since no one questions why there is a guillotine in the basement of their new home. The beach location is nice though and offers some early 80s location eye-porn. John Carradine has 4 minute bit as a priest who mutters some nonsense about "the devil attacking us when we are at our weakest."