Le démon dans la chair

"Il demonio" follows Puri, a young peasant woman in a small Italian villa who is obsessed with Antonio, a married man. Puri's sickly fixation on Antonio leads her to practice witchcraft in an attempt to direct him to her, but instead, she becomes subject of a witch-hunt when she becomes apparently possessed.

This obscure Italian shocker predates mainstream possession film such as "The Exorcist" (by ten years!), and, while it is not as gratuitous as that film or the others in its wake, "Il demonio" is no less a powerful, artful exploration of obsession, superstition, and evil. One of its most intriguing components is that it consistently toes the line between "is it real?" and fully committing to being outright supernatural--at times, it appears that perhaps Puri is being persecuted for her zany (though ostensibly harmless and ineffective) attempts at witchcraft--at others, however, the reality of the situation is not so clear.

In either case, the character of Puri is a tragic one, as her mental illness is either misunderstood, or, perhaps, leads her to fall prey to a demonic force. Daliah Lavi's performance as Puri glues the film together, as she is both tragic and pitiful--Lavi's acting never goes too far over the edge, but it comes tantalizingly close. The film is further bolstered by its gorgeous, expressionistic imagery, with stark black-and-white photography pinning the characters against vast landscapes, at times resembling something you might see in an Ingmar Bergman feature.

The screenplay does feel a tad clunky in its final act, but its resolution brings it full circle in a befitting (albeit downbeat) manner. All in all, "Il demonio" is a powerful film that consistently leaves the audience turning it over in their heads. Ambiguity is very well utilized, and Lavi's riveting lead performance is key--be it a case of the psychological or the spiritual, "Il demonio" is potent no matter how you read it. 9/10.

I have to admit that I have never watched someone throw a dead cat at someone else in a film before. I'm not sure if the dead cat was a metaphor for something or other, because The Demon struck me as one of those horror films that has one foot stuck in the Art-house, so everything may just represent something else.

What I gathered from the film is that the populace of rural Italy are a very superstitious bunch who are not very good at coping when one of their own exhibits the signs of severe mental illness. I'm guessing these days if someone had walked in on young Purif piercing her chest with a needle, gathering the blood in cotton, then burning it, then giving it to a young man to drink in some wine, they may have called in a Doctor rather than accuse her of being a witch.

The young man in question is Antonio (Wolff) and he is due to marry a more stable girl, much to Purif's dismay. Purif doesn't do herself any favours however by giving Antonio the wine, watches him drink it, then shouts something like "Ha! You're drinking my blood!" It may surprise you that Antonio goes ahead with the wedding anyway.

The director here goes out of his way to show that the people in this village have just as many strange routines as Purif, from hiding a blessed scythe under Antonio's wedding bed, or shouting at an oncoming storm to break and feed the crops with rain. Not a lot goes right for these folks and naturally they begin blaming the wild eyed girl who goes around saying she has a demon inside her.

I guess the question is: Does Purif have a demon in her? Antonio wakes up covered in boils, the candles in the church start burning low, a boy is found drowned and the last person to see him was Purif. I'd probably know the answer but the only word I understood during the final narrative was the word 'free'.

This is a good film that leaves it up to you to decide if it's a horror or not. There's plenty of scenes that must have shocked way back then (Purif's raped twice by dirty old men, she does a crazy spider walk while being exorcised, also tries to strangle a nun), so I'm not sure why this one is so obscure.

Brunello Rondi's remarkable drama takes a very naturalistic approach to its tale of Witchcraft and Possession in Southern Italy. An attractive young woman, Puri (Daliah Lavi) seems to be in the throes of Amour Fou with a young man, Antonio (Frank Wolff). When he tells her he's getting married, Puri's rage turns into casting an evil spell on Antonio, his marriage and future offspring. Puri's rantings give way to bouts of apparent possession, speaking in tongues and contortions of her body*. She is condemned as a witch and presented to the local priest for exorcism.

Rondi, a long-time screenwriting collaborator with Federico Fellini (including two Oscar nominations) fashions his film as a folk horror tale in the vein of a WICKER MAN, KWAIDAN or THE WITCH. What is real and what isn't is far less important than an exploration of an unfortunate soul and the locals who cast her out. Rondi's script is replete with specific local Italian traditions and rituals which provide added layers into his examination of the intersection of superstition and religion and how they seemingly over-ride any compassion for the woman's mental health and stability. Cinematographer Carlo Bellero's stunning Black & White camerawork pits Puri against the forboding barren landscape capturing her feeling of isolation from her people and home. Piero Piccioni's score is quite good. None of this would truly work without a superb performance by Lavi (who is best known in the U. S. for the original CASINO ROYALE and TWO WEEKS IN ANOTHER TOWN). She brings an earthy intensity and her background in dance allowed her to perform her seemingly superhuman stunts.

IL DEMONIO is a dark but uniquely fascinating example of tragic folklore on film.

* This 'Spiderwalk' has drawn comparison the William Peter Blatty and William Friedkin's THE EXORCIST released a decade later.

With stark but glorious chiaroscuro and solid performances, Il Demonio is a creepy trip through a world of ritual, magic, and superstition. Ms. Lavi drives the film with her terror and passion. I felt like I was peeking into a world in which logic was replaced by myth. What an experience.

A tough and, at times, heartbreaking film about a witch who places a spell on the man she loves so he'll break up with his wife and be with her and all the horror and drama it causes her and the entire town. Filmed in stark black and white, The Demon still packs a punch and showcases a very different kind of horror - the horror of humanity, group think, and mob mentality.