La novizia indemoniata

Ah yes, trashy-looking movies revolving on wicked and sexually depraved nuns…you got to love 'em! "Nunsploitation" is the most absurd and pointless sub genre of horror cinema (closely followed by Nazi-exploitation and Dwarfsploitation) but also strangely fascinating and, if you've seen one, you develop an uncontrollable desire to see them all, even though the stories are hardly ever worth bothering for. This Mexican gem is a perfect example to state the theory! "Sátanico Pandemonium" has almost no plot at all; the acting performances are quite embarrassing and isn't even that bloody! This film is just pleasantly deranged, with an enjoyable tempo and pretty stylish set pieces. We're welcomed into a convent during the Inquisition-era where the beautiful sister Maria undergoes bizarre changes. Satan himself keeps on appearing to her and she starts doing very UN-catholic things, like mutilating herself and seducing young boys that are fishing. The more Satan controls her (simply by wandering around offering her an half-eaten apple…I suppose it's symbolism), the viler her acts get, resulting in the death of several innocent people. There are some incredibly tedious parts to struggle through, but overall this is elegant entertainment for trained exploitation fans. It's not a patch on other Nunsploitation-highlights, such as "The Devils", "Flavia – The Heretic" or "Alucarda" (also Mexican), but it has the right amount of naked female flesh, enchanting costumes and atmospheric music. Naughty nuns equal great fun!

SATANICO PANDEMONIUM is a "good nun gone bad" film from Mexico about Sister Maria (Cecilia Pezet), who, after an encounter with the Devil (Enrique Rocha), goes on a mad spree of sexual deviance and bloody homicide.

The main reason for this film's notorious reputation is due to Maria's lusting after an underage boy. This was pretty shocking for its day, but is less so in this era of desensitization via the internet and trash TV. Whether she's inside or outside of the convent, Maria is relentless in her search for debauchery, ultimately committing several murders to cover up her sins. It's fascinating to watch her transform from a Julie Andrews / Audrey Hepburn-type nun, into a full-on, eeevil maniac!

Unfortunately, the ending is a swindle, tacked on to placate the church and the censors...

Like most of these once-shocking exploitation movies, the buzz surrounding them today on IMDb comments and online forums is more captivating than the film itself. Blame it on our desensitized 21st century sensibilities but, for whatever reason, if this movie was shocking once, it's not any more, save for perhaps a few sheltered souls that are easily impressed. That's not to say it's a bad film. I just hate to see so many people seek these little known gems out with false expectations.

Another reviewer here says the main character (the nun who falls from grace) engages in "lesbianism, child seduction and heresy." Well, the first part is true, for what that's worth. The last part is a given, but then again heresy committed by a nun is not exactly a tall order. As far as "child seduction," well, here we have the reason why these films are so trumped up: modern day, brow-beaten, "politically correct" types who'll get their feathers ruffled at pretty much anything. There's no child seduction in this film, unless you consider a mildly attractive nun trying to seduce an shy and timid teenage boy who unrealistically rejects her purely for plot's sake, i.e. just to make the nun look even more lecherous.

The film moves slowly, the nudity is brief (and the protagonist's body is not exactly a knockout), the effects, though cheap, are well done, the one brief scene of lesbianism is almost arousing, and that's about it.

The film is worth watching for someone interested in a "study" of a nun's internal repressions and how they affect her view of the outer world (you are never quite sure if the events are happening or if she is deluded) but for anyone expecting some kind of feast of debauchery, ya better forget it. Unless, of course, you're a "politically correct" sissy like so many commentators here.

One of the most faithful nuns in her convent, Sister Maria finds herself obsessed by the Devil. Obsessed, not possessed, because Satan is an external force in this film. A strapping and vampiric lad, the Devil brings out Sister Maria's inner desires for both sex and blood. Plagued also by her devotion to God, she tries to fight these forbidden desires and lusts with prayer and penitence only to have them come back ten fold. Sister Maria is suddenly caught between Satanic submission or death.

Satanico Pandemonium is a good nunsploitation effort in the vein of, the more celebrated, Juan Lopez Moctezuma'a Alucarda. It has sex, nudity, lesbianism, child seduction, self mutilation, blood, and death(not necessarily in that order, of course). The ending is clever and surprising following a bloody and ravenous climax. If you're a fan of nunsploitation and offbeat cinema, do yourself a favor and check out Satanico Pandemonium. You won't regret it.

I watched this on Mondo Macabro's DVD of it, and the picture quality is very good - nice and sharp and colorful. For some reason it is a little scratchy in the last few seconds (perhaps appropriately enough, since Old Scratch himself is appearing at that moment).

A young pretty nun is wandering through the countryside picking flowers. She sees a naked man who greets her, and she runs away. When talking to a local boy, the man reappears in clothing this time, and he tries to get her to take a bite of a shiny red apple. She runs away again, and the devil (as he clearly must be) takes a bite of the apple while he watches her retreat.

The devil shows up against outside the convent window when the nuns are eating. He disappears, then appears as a small red thing (light, jewel, apple?), then even that disappears. The nun shows herself to be kind to the black nuns, who are discriminated against, and to be gentle and healing with animals.

When another nun comes to her room to declare her admiration and love for her, she immediately collapses on the bed accepting the seduction. Satan finally got to her. Her behavior becomes more satanic, as she seduces or kills people. Her clothing is frequently removed. Satan proves himself to be pretty powerful, while God seems absent.

The ending might have been a concession to censors, I'm not sure. There are a lot of nice extras on the DVD, including a short overview of nunsploitation and an essay on the subject, among other things. I haven't seen many such movies myself, apart from some weird nun movies like Alucarda, Dead Waters, and Demonia - hardly typical Catholic nuns.