Diabolicamente... Letizia

Diabolicamente... Letizia, directed by Salvatore Bugnatelli, is a wild ride through the realms of sex, the supernatural, and schlock. This 1975 Italian exploitation film embraces its B-movie status with gusto, offering a tantalizing blend of titillation, terror, and trashy thrills. It's a film that knows what it is and leans into its strengths, or lack thereof, with unapologetic fervor.

The plot revolves around Letizia, a teenager with mysterious psychic abilities and a penchant for mischief. After her mother's death, she moves in with a family and proceeds to wreak havoc with her "evil powers." Letizia glares menacingly, engages in odd behavior like rubbing toast on the maid's face, and generally wreaks havoc on the household. But beneath this campy exterior lies a film that struggles to find its footing.

The acting is suitably over-the-top, with Letizia's sultry presence exuding an intriguing mix of innocence and malevolence. Gabriele Tinti, as the male lead, sleeps his way through the female cast, adding a layer of salaciousness to the proceedings. The supporting actors embrace the film's absurdity, delivering performances that range from delightfully hammy to downright forgettable.

Where the film truly stumbles is in its attempt to balance its erotic and supernatural elements. The sex is neither explicit nor particularly captivating, falling short of the promise implied by its titillating title. The demons, though hinted at, never fully materialize, leaving the film feeling like a supernatural thriller that forgot to include the supernatural.

However, the film's shortcomings are part of its quirky appeal. The dodgy visual effects, including Letizia walking through walls, are charmingly outdated. The nihilistic ending is delightfully seventies, and the entire production exudes a sense of fun despite its inept execution. It's a film that demands patience and a certain appreciation for the bizarre.

In conclusion, Diabolicamente... Letizia is a messy, mesmerizing mishmash of sex and the supernatural. It fails to deliver on its erotic promise, and the demons remain largely implied. Yet, for fans of bad cinema, it possesses a certain hypnotic charm. It's a film that, much like Letizia herself, exudes a mischievous sense of fun, even if it's not particularly good at being naughty.

So, if you're in the mood for a sexy, silly, sinful seventies spectacle, this film might just hit the spot. Just don't expect a masterpiece-unless your tastes lean towards the gloriously gauche.

Those bloody teenagers and their psychic abilities! You do your best, invite them to stay when their mum dies, and what do they do? Start glaring at things evilly, rub toast on the maid's face, and cause a local doctor to miss his mouth when drinking water.

The girl is Letizia and she looks about as much like a teenager as I look like Beyonce, but let's go with the flow. She arrives at the villa of her Aunt Michela and her husband Gabriele Tinti, and although things start out simple enough, it becomes clear that something is a bit strange about Letizia. First, she comes on to the butler, but at the same time scares the crap out of him by transforming into some sort of demonic Bee-Gee! This affects his sex-life with maid Gassella, who Letizia also comes on to (with some erotic toast rubbing), which somehow causes Gassella to come on to the Aunt. The Aunt resists, but someone is hiding and taking pictures of the naughty deed!

Gabriele and the Aunt also take Letizia out for some dinner where they are met by a psychologist (turns out the Aunt has been having some sort of funny turns and may have had a breakdown in the past). Letizia gives him the evil eye, which makes the psychologist simply pour the water down the side of his face. Yes, Letizia has some sort of evil power, but what does she want with the family, and who is that guy hanging around the place, looking sinister?

What we have here is the plot of a late sixties giallo with a pinch of the Exorcist thrown in because this film was made in 1975. There's also a lot of nudity, and Gabriele Tinti gets to sleep with every female in the cast. You get a lot of dodgy visual effects as Letizia walks through walls etc, and a nihilistic ending that's pure seventies gold. Too much screaming though, way too much screaming.