Satânico Pandemonium

"Satánico Pandemonium" is probably best known as the name of yummy Salma Hayek's character in Robert Rodriguez' "From Dusk Till Dawn". What remains unknown to many, however, is the fact that when writing the script, Quentin Tarantino adapted the name from the title of this ingeniously deranged piece of Mexican Nunsploitation Horror. The main protagonist, a sexy nun, by the way, does things that easily compete in weirdness with feeding on bikers and truckers, I may add. People interested in Horror/Cult-cinema will sooner or later find out that Mexican Horror cinema has a very specific charm. This is especially the case with the fistful of weird Mexican Nunsploitation flicks, most prominently "Alucarda" (1978). And while "Satánico Pandemonium" of 1975 is not nearly as ingenious a film as "Alucarda" it is definitely a wonderfully deranged little film that is highly recommendable to Exploitation-lovers. "Satánico Pandemonium" delivers the elements we love about Nunsploitation cinema - lots of female nudity, lesbianism, all kinds of perversions, occultism, violence and gore, and, not least, an enormous portion of religious nastiness - all that in a highly bizarre manner. These elements are highly entertaining for my fellow Exploitation fans, and can easily make the viewer forgive that the plot is almost non-existent and most of the performances are awful. "Satánico Pandemonium" is about the kind-hearted nun Sister Maria (Cecilai Peztez) - certainly the sexiest nun I've ever stumbled upon - who, after the lord of the flies appears to her, changes her pious behavior radically... The film delivers all the sleaze and weirdness one could desire in a Nunsploitation flick. In-between it sometimes gets quite boring, however. Still the film is deranged and bizarre enough to be a delight to genre-lovers. Overall, "Satánico Pandemonium" is not one of the best Nunsploitation films I've seen (it has the coolest title though), but it is weird enough, and more than recommended to fans of deranged Exploitation. My rating: 6.5/10

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.

I found this film rather interesting. It's as cheesy and campy as it could be, acting is rather bad, poorly plotted and special effects are simply ridiculous. However, I got hooked by it. It is a top expression of exploitation cinema (I mean, here in Mexico this flick was named "La sexorcista") full of fake blood, male audience oriented soft core lesbianism and ludicrous dialogs that seem to be copied from a Siglo de Oro play (Spanish Renaisence Theatre).

If you like exploitation films, give this one a try. It has its "artistic" aspirations but, as the director might have, you will forget them rather quickly. Fun fact: Here in Mexico, actor Enrique Rocha has grown a respectable reputation as a prime soap opera actor. By the way, one thing that really impressed me in this one was the lighting. For a 70's Mexican movie it is incredibly well lit!

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.

Satánico Pandemonium, also known as La Sexorcista, is a Mexican nunsploitation film that straddles the line between eroticism and the macabre. Directed by Gilberto Martínez Solares, it's a peculiar entry in the genre, both visually appealing and fast-paced. Here's what works and where it falls short:

Despite its low budget, Satanico Pandemonium boasts inherent beauty. The interior and exterior shots evoke a sense of vintage charm, reminiscent of classic horror films like Nosferatu. The film's visual appeal is one of its strongest points.

The plot revolves around a lily-white nun tormented by visions of Lucifer. Guided by these dark visions, she commits blasphemous acts-seducing young shepherd boys, engaging in lesbianism, and even murder. The film's irreverent dialogue and surrealistic ending add to its uniqueness.

While the story may seem a little silly, Satanico Pandemonium captures the spirit of 1970s exploitation cinema. It's a delightful mix of smut and art, with moments that will make you smile. The pacing keeps you engaged, even if some plot holes remain uncorked.

Weirdophiles won't find groundbreaking material here, but the film's vintage charm and over-the-top elements make it worth a watch. If you appreciate nunsploitation films that blend eroticism with the macabre, give this one a shot.