Le maréchal de l'enfer

(1974 Devil's Possessed/ El mariscal del infierno DUBBED HORROR THRILLER/ HISTORICAL

A cross between "The Adventures of Robin Hood" and evil MacBeth starring Paul Naschy who was also credited as a writer as he plays the Baron, Gilles de Lancré allowing himself to be manipulated by his evil wife, Graciela (Graciela Nilson) upon listening to their alchemist's Sille (Mariano Vidal Molina) mythical way of using common peasants and farmers as a sacrifice toward his eternal life with hero, Gaston de Malebranche (Guillermo Bredeston) staging a rebellion. Low budget and does not offer anything new to the genre.

I tend to love everything the great late Paul Naschy (R.I.P.) ever was in. While not all films starring Naschy are great, they all have a specific charm that can be found nowhere but in Naschy-flicks, and they are always entertaining. There is no rule without exception, however, as "El Mariscal Del Infierno" aka. "The Devil's Possessed" (1974) proves. While the film does have the specific Naschy-flick-charm, it sadly drags far too much and gets really, really dull in-between. Naschy stars as the evil Baron Gilles De Lancré, who oppresses the people and uses black magic and bloody rituals to stay in power. When Gaston de Malebranche (Guillermo Bredeston), who fought side by side with Gilles De Lancré against the British, learns about the Baron's evil behavior, he decides to turn against his former comrade in arms and help the people free themselves from the satanic Baron's tyranny...

Directed by León Klimovsky, who is best known for directing Naschy in "La Noche De Walpurgis" ("The Werewolf Vs. The Vampire Woman", 1971), the film was scripted by Naschy himself. Naschy often scripted his own films, and one must say that he mostly did a better, more original job than it is the case here. "El Mariscal Del Infierno" is mostly built up as a historical adventure rather than a Horror film, and it gets quite boring throughout the middle. It often resembles the Sword and Sandal films from the 50s, only that this film is set in medieval times. The Satanic part was probably only added because the great Paul Naschy's name is linked to the Horror genre. The film has its good parts: Paul Naschy giving weird speeches, Paul Naschy looking weird, Paul Naschy doing Satanic stuff, Paul Naschy torturing innocent victims, etc. But sadly, most of the film concentrates on the boring hero and the good guys, and these moments are boring. The female cast members are nice to look at, but, unlike most Naschy films, this one features no nudity and sleaze. There is some gore, but it mostly looks clumsy and isn't as fun too look at as it is the case with most other Naschy films. Overall, "El Mariscal Del Infierno" is only worth a look for my fellow Naschy-enthusiasts. There are dozens of films starring the Spanish Horror deity which should be seen before this one, such as "El Jorobado De La Morgue" ("The Hunchback of the Morgue", 1973), "La Orgia De Los Muertos" ("The Hanging Woman", 1973), "El Espanto Surge De La Tumba" ("Horror Rises From The Tomb", 1973), "Latidos De Panico" ("Panic Beats", 1983), "Rojo Sangre" (2004), or any of the 'Waldemar Daninsky' werewolf films. R.I.P. Paul Naschy. Legends never die!

The Devil's Possessed (1974)

** (out of 4)

Barón Gilles de Lancré (Paul Naschy) is an evil King who is searching for a jewel that will give him eternal life. When he's not doing that he's torturing people in a variety of ways so that they know who the boss is and that they should never try and cross him.

THE DEVIL'S POSSESSED is yet another Spanish horror movie that takes witchcraft and makes a full feature out of it. If you've seen MARK OF THE DEVIL then you've pretty much seen this movie as elements of it are thrown in with a touch of THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD. This film is certainly far from being a bad movie but at the same time the genre is just so crowded and this film really doesn't do anything to set itself apart.

I think the best thing going for the film was its visual look. The atmosphere is just right and I thought that the director really nailed the setting. You really do feel as if you're watching a movie that captured the era just right. Director León Klimovsky does a very good job at making this film look a lot better than its budget would have normally allowed. The cinematography is quite good as is the music and overall it has a very professional look. I'd also add that Naschy is quite good in his role.

So, what's wrong with the film? I'd say it's just too bland for its own good. If you're familiar with the genre then you know there have been countless films like this. The problem here is that everything is just rather bland and there's nothing here that really jumps out at you. There's no real gore or major violence so those seeking that are going to be disappointed. The story doesn't offer anything original enough to make it stand out. Again, THE DEVIL'S POSSESSED is a mild entertainment but there's much more interesting films out there.

Not the greatest film to remember Paul Naschy by.

Gaston (Guillermo Bredeston) is probably the worst swordsman I have ever seen. Zorro would be ashamed! His only salvation came as the competition was just as bad.

This film is described as adventure and horror. Forget the horror - there is none. No nudity, no blood, no monsters; just a Robin Hood adventure against an evil Baron (Paul Naschy) who wants to be King.

The main feature of the film was seeing Graciela Nilson, who only made four films in two years and disappeared to our regrettable loss. Where did she go?

The clash of odd synth tones with old world castles and flutes is what keeps me tuned into this colorful piece of nonsense. Brutal murders of families, magic and alchemy, satanic rituals, horrible treatment of human kind. Well, that's about it but I enjoyed the humor of the absurdity of the film.