User Reviews

It becomes clear almost from the outset that with this film Bava is out to mess with our heads and narrative cohesion isn't a priority, so it's best just to sit back and enjoy the ride, knowing you're in good hands. While viewing a strange fresco in a town on holiday, Lisa becomes distracted by the sound of music and in a small shop off the beaten track finds a music box with some creepy figurines spinning on top. She tries to buy it but learns that it belongs to the shop's only other customer: Telly Savalas, who greatly resembles a figure on the fresco that was described as the devil! Telly for some reason is carrying a life-sized figure of a man and finds it highly amusing when Lisa runs off.

Lisa soon gets lost and after wandering around the strange streets, has to ask someone for directions, and that someone is Telly Savalas! This is where Bava starts really messing with us as the dummy in his hands is obviously actually played by an actor - but only in certain shots. Things get even more confusing when Lisa encounters a live version of the dummy who falls down a flight of stairs and dies. Eventually Lisa ends up getting a lift from a bickering couple (the wife of whom is having an affair with her chauffer) and they all end up at the usual huge mansion/castle inhabited by angry man Maximillian, his blind mother Alida Valli, and chirpy butler Telly Savalas, complete with Kojack lollipop. The house is full of Bava's favourite prop: creepy dolls, and things just get stranger and stranger for here on out.

There's no point in detailing any more of the plot, but it involves murder, mysterious characters locked in rooms surrounded by slices of cake, people becoming dummies and Telly Savalas breaking the ankles of a corpse in order to fit it into a coffin. I was never really sure what was going on at all due to all the mind games Bava was playing. He even has certain characters follow the exact same path through the house using the exact same camera angles which just adds to the surrealism, and through it all Telly Savalas acts like that whole thing is some bizarre comedy. It all works for me though!

He also has the light shine deliberately off of Savalas' head quite often too, films the action from above or below, and uses an awful lot of colour wherever he can. My favourite set was the mock-funeral that is later smashed to pieces by one of the characters. I wasn't expecting the film to be off the wall as much as it was and was nicely surprised.

Perhaps it was this film that Umberto Lenzi and Lucio Fulci had in mind when they directed the House of Doom series in the late Eighties? I was getting a severe House of Clocks vibe from this film.

Lisa and the Devil features many of Bava's trademarks; a devilish atmosphere, superbly chilling use of lighting and a general foreboding feel to the movie that gives the impression that something bad will happen. However, the movie is also fairly messy; there are too many ideas in the film and all together it comes out more than a little confusingly. The version I saw was the Redemption release of "Lisa and the Devil", which is not to be confused with badly intercepted release, "The House of Exorcism". The plot follows the story of Lisa, a young lady that gets lost in an ancient city in Spain. She then hitches a ride with a couple and their chauffeur, but they end up breaking down and happening on a house inhabited by a blind woman, her strange son and a creepy housekeeper. What follows is a nightmarish and morbid ride that touches on themes such as love, lust and death.

Mario Bava is a master of the horror genre, many of his films have inspired whole areas of cinema, most notably "Bay of Blood", to which slashers owe their existence and "The Girl Who Knew Too much", which is often credited as the first Giallo. But I feel that this is one of his lesser efforts. That's not to say that this is a bad film by any means, it features a lot of nice elements, particularly the spooky sequences with main characters and their dead ex-lovers, which almost touches on necrophilia, and therefore gives the film a very morbid and nasty feel. The actors in the movie are also fairly accomplished; it features Elke Sommer, who also starred in Bava's atmospheric shocker, "Baron Blood", among other films and Telly Savalas, who gives a great turn as the creepy butler of the house. But it seems to have too many ideas going on, and a lot of them aren't really explained, which left me feeling confused.

Overall, Lisa and the Devil is a good horror movie with much to admire, most notably the superb creation of atmosphere from Mario Bava but I feel that if it had concentrated less on putting lots of ideas into it, and more on concentrating on the ones it already had; then it would have been a better film.

Well I finally managed to get to see 'Lisa And The Devil' as Bava originally intended it, rather than the very dodgy 'House Of Exorcism' version I had previously seen, and the original is ten times better! Stripped of the tacked-on possession scenes and Robert Alda's priest role, the movie reveals itself to be a superior, atmospheric and stylish "nightmare on celluloid" movie. It reminded me a little bit of Jean Brismee's 'The Devil's Nightmare' in places, and at other times the work of Jean Rollin, without the overt eroticism. It's surreal touches and foreboding feel with probably appeal to fans of David Lynch or Herk Harvey's 'Carnival Of Souls' more than hardcore horror nuts. The cast are all good, but Telly Savalas gives a standout performance just on the right side of over the top, and Elke Sommer appears much more believable as the confused protagonist of this movie, rather than the unconvincing Linda Blair wanna-be of 'House Of Exorcism'. All in all one of Mario Bava's most original and interesting movies. Recommended.

During the sightseeing in Toledo, Spain, the tourist Lisa Reiner (Elke Sommer) sees an ancient painting of the devil on the wall and leaves her group for a moment; however she gets lost in the narrow streets. Later she gets a lift with the wealthy Francis Lehar (Eduardo Fajardo) and his wife Sophia (Sylva Koscina). However, their car breaks and stops in front of an old manor. While the driver George (Gabriele Tinti) tries to fix the car, the trio is hosted by the blind owner (Alida Valli) and her son Maximilian (Alessio Orano) that invites Lisa to spend the night in the mansion. During the dinner, they are served by the butler Leandro (Telly Savalas) that resembles the image of the devil of the painting. Lisa seems to be living a strange nightmare, recalling her love from a past life, and trapped in the house with that bizarre family.

The stylish and surrealistic "Lisa and the Devil" is a weird and spooky ghost story developed in a nightmarish atmosphere. The movie is visually very impressive and despite of the flaws and inconsistencies in the ambiguous screenplay, it startles many times. Elke Sommer is extremely sexy and Telly Savalas is very frightening. The conclusion is a little disappointing. My vote is seven.

Fortunately I saw "Lisa and the Devil" first; the opportunist commercial version released in USA with the title "The House of the Exorcism" on the trail of the success of "The Exorcist" is terrible and destroys the creepy atmosphere of the original movie. The good thing is the greater eroticism and exposure of the naked body of Elke Sommer. My vote is four.

Title (Brazil): "Lisa e o Diabo" ("Lisa and the Devil")

Note: On 11 June 2015 I saw this movie again.

Lisa (Elke Sommer) is a young woman as tourist in a Spanish old city named Toledo . She then is lost and taken by a marriage (Sylva Koscina and Eduardo Fajardo) and their chauffeur (Gabriele Tinti) . They find shelter into a luxurious mansion where inhabits strange characters , a countess (Alida Valli) , his son (Alessio Orano) and the butler (Telly Savalas).

The picture belongs to Italian horror genre , Mario Bava along Riccardo Freda (Secret of Dr Hitchcock , Vampires , The spectre) and subsequently Dario Argento (Deep red , Suspira , Inferno) are the fundamental creators of Latin terror genre . Mario Bava directed excellent horror movies (Mask of demon , Black Sunday , Black lace , Planet of vampires) and mediocre (Baron of blood , Bay of Blood , Shock) horror films . These movies are characterized by slick edition , usual zooms , special overblown use of colour in a glimmer red blood and utilization of shock-images . The film gets an attractive and enjoyable casting , a gorgeous Elke Sommer (The prize) , an enticing Sylva Koscina (Miguel Strogoff) , a veteran Alida Valli (The Paradine trial) and a sympathetic devil with lollipop included played by Telly Savalas (Kojak) . Magnificent and colorful cinematography by Cecilio Paniagua with intervention by the same Bava like is habitual in all his movies , as he's usually cameraman . The musical background was composed by Joaquin Rodrigo with his famous 'Concert of Aranjuez' and the score by Carlo Savina . There is another version called ¨House of Exorcism¨ for the American market adding some images about a priest (Robert Alda) , rip off from ¨The exorcist¨ , making spells , enchantment , exorcisms which results to be embarrassment and ridiculous . The motion picture will appeal to Mario Bava's hardcore fans .

Lisa and the Devil makes me think of Susperia. In fact, I think those sheer curtains with the appliqués that hang around the 4 poster bed were later used in Susperia. I've seen that film so many times I recognize those.

Anyway, Lisa and the Devil is very low on dialog and big on atmosphere. Much like Susperia, we have the strange lighting, gaudy set pieces, beautiful sets and props, many rooms with fancy wainscoting and molding, and acting that is just slightly off. Dubbing that doesn't quite match up in a subtle way and eerie, dreamy music while the actors stare off into the distance or right into the lens of the camera.

Dialog? Striped down to minimum. Story? Simple enough with a woman straying from her tourist group in a foreign city, wandering alone because she has heard some chimes. But what happens to her? She becomes ensconced in a surreal setting with people living in an old, Gothic mansion. But is it all real? Or is it all in her head? Are the murders really happening or did they happen many years ago?

It's up to you to decide what the ending means. You'll probably enjoy the ride but don't expect anything too, too intense or deep here.

Call me a philistine if you like, but I don't blame the producer for trying to salvage something from this incomprehensible mess by re-editing it with some exploitative new Exorcist-style footage. Mario Bava's original version is regarded by many as a classic of surreal, dreamlike horror, but I found it a crushing bore from start to finish.

Elke Sommer stars as tourist Lisa Reiner, who, after becoming lost in a Spanish town, gets a lift from a couple passing by in their car. When the vehicle breaks down, the passengers accept the hospitality of a family in a nearby manor, while the driver tries to fix the damage. During the night Lisa has many strange encounters with the bizarre family and their even stranger butler (played by Telly Savalas, sucking on a lollipop, just like Kojak).

Since I found the tedious story very hard to follow, I won't go into any more detail than that, other than to say that I think it was a ghost story. A long, drawn out, boring ghost story with a the occasional striking visual and some nice music. Oh, and a bloody silly ending!

As oft repeated here: the version titled "Lisa and the Devil" is the more serious of the two versions of this film. "Lisa" captures perfectly that nightmarish atmosphere that Italian filmmakers such as Bava and Argento seem to have such a knack for creating. This is one of the first films I ever saw that relied on visual narrative instead of a solid script to make its point, and even at an early age this really held my interest. Of course, the argument could also be made that this film suffers from slow pacing and a telegraphed conclusion, but I still think the movie is gorgeous, and Elke Sommer is a delight.

But don't let that stop you from checking out "House of Exorcism", either! This takes the film to the other end of the spectrum, exploiting the loose narrative by forcing a possession plot that finds Elke's character now confined to a hospital bed doing her best Linda Blair impression. Everyone involved with the making of these scenes had to have known they were trashy, including Elke herself, so it's a riot to see how game she was to go over the top. She just cuts loose & goes for it, mugging for the camera, vomiting toads, and dripping lots of green bile (natch).

Compared to "Lisa and the Devil", "House of Exorcism" is an absolute abomination, but the producer was a demented genius in forcing the issue of the possession subplot, since the film in its original form was far too "art house" to make any money on the drive-in circuit. If you get ahold of the special edition DVD with both cuts of the film on it, be sure to listen in to the commentary track, which features some great chat from Alfred Leone (the film's producer) and Elke Sommer herself. The opportunity to view both versions of the film gives the viewer a unique opportunity to experience two radically different visions of one film: first as a sumptuously filmed dreamlike masterpiece, then as a masterpiece defiled, hacked to pieces for an exploitation thrill.

This is the first Mario Bava movie that I've ever seen, and if it's any indication, I'm going to like the rest of his movies. While traveling in Spain, Lisa Reiner (Elke Sommer) gets lost. She hitches a ride with a couple and they end up in a house inhabited by a blind woman, her strange son, and the housekeeper (Telly Savalas). Everything seems normal at first, but bizarre things begin to happen, and we eventually discover that there are many things about each character that we don't know.

Much of the horror in "La Casa dell'esorcismo" (the American title is "Lisa and the Devil") comes from camera angle and blurred shots, creating the sense of descent into terror and madness. The whole movie was a little bit silly, but it's actually quite interesting. Telly Savalas is lascivious as ever, and Elke Sommer is really one hot babe. I definitely recommend this movie

While touring a medieval European village, Lisa Reiner (Elke Sommer) gets separated from her tour group and ends up needing transportation out of town. As luck would have it, a car breaks down nearby which has a chauffeur named "George" (Gabriele Tinti) and two occupants, "Francis Lehar" (Eduardo Farjardo) and his wife "Sophia Lehar" (Sylva Koscina) who offer to give her a lift. Unfortunately, the car breaks down again and all four are compelled to accept accommodation in a large house out in the countryside. It doesn't take long for them to realize that the residents are very strange. Especially the butler, "Leandro" (Telly Savalas). At any rate, rather than spoiling the movie for those who haven't seen it, I will just say that this is a rather macabre film which I found to be both slow and confusing. And while I enjoyed the performances of Elke Sommer, Sylva Koscina, and Telly Savalas, the disjointed plot noticeably hampered what could have been an outstanding movie. As a result, I give it an average rating.

Lisa (Elke Sommer) who is a tourist gets lost from her group in an ancient Spanish city, but she come across a couple Mr Frank Lehar, his wife Sofia and chauffeur and gets a lift off them. Though, its short-lived as the car breaks down near an old villa. So they are invited to spend the night in the old, dark villa. The mansion's occupants are acting all strange and the dreary atmosphere takes hold. One by one, they meet their doom and Leandro (Telly Savalas) the villa's butler seems to have something to do with it. Could he be the devil himself who's toying with these guests or is it all a nightmare?

Well, this was the first film I've seen of director/writer Mario Bava and I got to say I was truly amazed by it. Bava's "Lisa and the devil" is a slickly well-crafted surreal thriller that messes with our minds with its simply fetching details and a disquietingly grim atmosphere. It's one very picturesque film that holds superb composition and such flair in the lighting, backdrop, score and atmosphere. From the elegant scenery of the ancient city to the old fancy villa that holds such a morbid awe and to what builds on that is a strikingly eerie, but delicate score. While the brood atmosphere is sheer alienating and the fluid camera-work truly does capture that disorientating mood. The villa is covered with colourful artwork and luxurious furniture, which fills every room. The film is gracefully shot with plenty of zooms and also catching reflections and silhouettes. The location photography was excellent. These sublime images and score really built on the absorbing texture and peculiar state of the film. Plus under all that are an elegantly erotic undertone and a film that flows with pure originality.

Premise is incredibly absurd and there's hardly no characterisation. Maybe there was too much going on in the flawed story, as it was downright confusing at times to know what was actually happening because the story would lead to a dead end. Overall it just felt like a blur. Though, yet again maybe it was meant to be like that? You are definitely lost and put off-balance just like Lisa is to what's reality and what's not. It's a baffling mystery that you could say comes across as rich poetry and art and you also pick up on little subtle hints throughout the story. The dialogue is rather sparse, but interesting if a little cheesy at times. You could probably say not much is going on with Lisa just wandering around the villa and there's a fairly slow pace to it all to begin with, but this is an atmospheric and physiological builder. Some scenes did drag on for too long and sometimes it gets a bit too sappy, but these things didn't take away from the film. The horror isn't that horrific, but it plays more on the images, sounds and atmosphere. Definitely the second half of the film is when it starts to get exciting and even more unnerving. This is when Bava tightens the screws with some well-designed shocks and jolts. By achieving some haunting images and a heart-stopping finale, literally. As each one the characters give into jealousy, hatred, lust and finally into their own demise. The characters turn out to be nothing more than pawns in this story and you question who's pulling whose strings. Most of the acting does come across as rather one-note or melodramatic. Telly Savalas steals the film as a lollipop sucking butler, who seems to have some hidden agenda and playing with these people's souls. His performance is sinisterly impressive in a manipulative nature and his dialogue is always a play on words. The gorgeous Elke Sommer shines in her role. Her dialogue might be pretty limited but her presence is enough to fit the bill.

Incredibly lavish film-making that is particularly dreamlike and a marvel to look at. When it ends you'll be left scratching your head.

Tourist Lisa (Elke Sommer) gets lost in Spain. She accepts a ride from a rich man, his wife and a chauffeur. They break down in front of a mansion with a blind woman (Alida Valli), her gorgeous son (Alessio Orano) and their butler (Terry Savalas). They stay for dinner and really strange things start to happen. The movie looks great. It has beautiful sets, tons of atmosphere (LOTS of fog) and creepy lighting. But the film moves VERY slowly and it's really confusing until the last half-hour when things start to come together. The big problem is the movie isn't scary. It's a HORROR film, but you'd never guess. There are a few gory, scary murders but that's it. Most of the acting is bad except for Savalas (who's enjoying every minute of it) and Orano (so incredibly handsome and giving a fine, low-key performance). If you like beautiful, quiet, slow, nonscary horror films, this is for you.

The reditied "House of Exorcism" is much much worse. "Lisa" had a (mostly) understandable plot..."House" doesn't. New footage of Sommer being possessed is intercut with footage from "Lisa" and it doesn't work. It's totally incoherent. Sommer is very good played a possessed woman (I was surprised at some of the things she said) but it can't save the film. To be avoided at all costs.

I love Italian films from the 60s and 70s. I picked up Lisa and the Devil on DVD and then realized that the House of Exorcism is a re-edited, totally different version of Lisa and the Devil. I feel like I need to see the House of Exorcism now.

If you like Bava films, then you will surely enjoy Lisa and the Devil. This is a surreal piece of film making in that you are not quite sure what is reality and what is in the mind of the characters. There is no over the top gore, but Bava uses camera work and generates a creepy atmosphere. I may not reccomend

this film to Mario Bava "first timers" or "gore hounds". While I love to watch a Fulci or Bruno Mattei zombie fest anyday, I still enjoy a classic Bava film the same way I enjoy classical music. They both hit a chord, but a different chord.

This was my third time watching this most personal of Bava's works: whether it is due to the fact that the last two occasions proved problematic (the original Image Entertainment DVD experienced an audio glitch during playback that nearly blasted my TV speakers, while there were constant audio-related issues on the Italian-language track of the copy I acquired of the movie's Raro Video edition!) or the shadow that always loomed large over it in the shape of the execrable re-edit THE HOUSE OF EXORCISM (1975), I have never been really taken with the film as many others seem to be!! Truth be told, watching the featurette "EXORCISING LISA" soon after, I was sort of glad to realize that I was not quite alone in this – as both assistant director and the director's own son Lamberto Bava (who always felt the end result, even in its true incarnation, was impenetrable and somewhat unresolved!) and Bava scholar Alberto Pezzotta (suggesting that the time of Gothic Horror had passed and that, other than merely ethereal, it was elegiac and self-referential!) disclaim its masterpiece status!! Incidentally, though the script is attributed to the elder Bava and producer Alfred Leone on foreign prints (as a matter of fact, throughout my ongoing Bava centenary tribute, it has been a constant irritation to find English credits on Italian-language editions of his pictures!), it was actually penned by other hands – including Roberto Natale, who also puts in an appearance in the 25-minute doc!! Incidentally, while ostensibly an original, elements from it could be traced to several short stories dutifully namechecked during said featurette as well as Tim Lucas' audio commentary…

Mind you, the movie is undeniably intriguing (in my review of the director's KILL, BABY…KILL! {1966}, also co-written by Natale and a film whose stature seems to grow with each viewing, I mention how LISA owes a debt to it in the desolate narrow streets/decaying villa settings and the general nightmarish vibe) and, yet, it comes off as strangely aloof: one does not really connect with any of the characters throughout…especially, as with A BAY OF BLOOD (1971), these largely seem to be on hand merely to ratchet up the 'body count' department (did we really need an additional love triangle to the mind-boggling quintet – taking into consideration that Elke Sommer here undertakes a dual role – already involved?!). The score by Carlo Savina (with generous but effective sprinklings of Joaquin Rodrigo's famous "Concierto De Aranjuez") is a major asset, as is the bemused presence of Telly Savalas (obviously assuming the latter half of the titular parts, scheming and manipulating the various figures around – in both their human form and lookalike mannequins – as if they were pieces on an invisible chess board…while under the guise of an overworked and, seminally, lollipop-sucking butler!). The rest of the cast, however, are only so-so: Alessio Orano is, fatally, unsympathetic as an impotent necrophile(!); Alida Valli, on the other hand, is imposing as ever playing his aristocratic and over-protective blind mother; and Espartaco Santoni is decidedly baffling as the latter's husband and the former's rival for love of his own spouse Sommer (his comings and goings, sometimes literally from death to life, eventually grew irritating!); while Sylva Koscina, Eduardo Fajardo and Gabriele Tinti, as already intimated, are at once underused and downright redundant! Typical of Bava, too, the movie's look cannot be faulted (despite having a Spanish d.p., with a penchant for shooting in soft-focus, forced on him), effortlessly moving between the modern-day 'bookends' and the period milieu of its central narrative.

By the way, given that I am going through the director's filmography in a non-linear fashion, it becomes interesting to note parallels between efforts that one would probably overlook if they were to be viewed chronologically; recently, for instance, I picked up on how SHOCK (1977) is pretty much a reworking of THE WHIP AND THE BODY (1963) and even HATCHET FOR THE HONEYMOON (1970) in its depiction of a deranged protagonist coming to terms with a crime that had been all but blocked out of its consciousness. Having just re-acquainted myself with the latter prior to my screening LISA, which I took as Bava's most Buñuelian work (in view of its leading man's affinity with the latter's Archibaldo De La Cruz), here we have an ending – the Devil adopting modern means of transportation – which recalls the Surrealist maestro's slyly abrupt way of concluding his SIMON OF THE DESERT (1965)! Since both Bava films were actually shot in Spain, could it be that the cultured yet self-effacing Italian was drawn to checking out the oeuvre of the country's most celebrated celluloid son at some point during their making? That said, Lucas claims the device – along with the film's inherent oneiric tone – was actually a direct allusion to Roger Vadim's "Carmilla" adaptation: different strokes for different folks, I guess! The audio commentary did sometimes go overboard in trying to match the poetic quality of the picture: the last rose of the season plucked by Orano for Sommer at one point apparently stood for Bava's own last gasp at making an international name for himself – if you say so, Tim…but, then, I was grateful to learn that Bava appreciated the work of Georges Franju and, indeed, it had never occurred to me before that he recruited two ladies from his films, i.e. Valli (from EYES WITHOUT A FACE {1960} – her mannered death scene being even incorporated in the finale here) and Koscina (from JUDEX {1963}), for LISA!

In the end, while not quite among the director's greatest, the film under review is still vastly preferable to its bastardization THE HOUSE OF EXORCISM…which, regrettably, will follow presently in my (41-strong but by-now inevitably winding down) Bava marathon.

Since last seeing this almost five years ago, I have acquired a wonderful Blu-ray version that includes this and the much maligned re-edit House of Exorcism. At the time of my original review there was no separate listing for the latter film so I had to merge the two pieces. Now all is good I have deleted the original review. So, the first thing about this release is that the problems with sound I originally had are gone and the visuals glow even in those dark H P Lovecraft inspired scenes in woods with mould and broken statues. The wonderful soundtrack is also clear and bright. The film itself is still somewhat problematic and I did feel my eyelids begin to droop at one point, only to be brought back with the absurd but likable over acting of Telly Savalas. Basically, this is a little short on coherent narrative flow whilst the spouting of the lady of the house and her son suggest something going on of which we are not aware. So, unfortunately, whilst everything looks and sounds great, we flounder before the seeming significant tale unfolding, which can be off putting. Ironically, the oft hated re-edit, if a little heavy handed puts right some of these omissions.

Lisa (Elke Sommer) is a tourist in an ancient city. When she gets lost, she finds an old mansion in which to shelter. Soon she is sucked into a vortex of deception, debauchery and evil presided over by housekeeper Leandre (Telly Savalas).

Luca Palmerini calls this an "underestimated Gothic masterpiece." Jim Harper is less praising, also identifying it as "an atmospheric and stately Gothic horror", but saying it "would never have been a box office success". Those words are odd, as I suspect very few great Italian films have become successful in terms of their profits.

There is another version of this film called "House of Exorcism", which was meant to cash in on the success of "The Exorcist". Some aspects seem more like ripping the original off than simply cashing in -- the puking of the pea soup, for example. Watching this version is like watching a completely different film -- so much was edited out of Bava's film and new stuff added in, I am surprised this was allowed to happen. Palmerini rightly says the changes "massacre the original film."

This movie was bizarre, completely inexplicable, and hysterical to watch with friends while drinking in a big empty house. I really love the opening stuff with Lisa wandering about lost in a gorgeous city. I want to be a beautiful stranger lost in some exotic European locale, though maybe not in a low budget horror flick. Definitely get the ending where there are the strangely non-sexual sex scenes that were cut out (in my DVD copy anyway). Don't attempt to understand it, just go along and watch out for the weird bits...which is everything. Don't watch this if you actually want plot or characterization or anything at all to make sense. Pretty beautiful, though you may just give up on this and decide to watch an actual horror movie, like say, Dead Alive.

Lovely tourist Lisa becomes lost in a European town and soon finds herself at an isolated estate where she's plagued by bizarre and frightening occurrences. The handsome master of the house seems to think Lisa is the reincarnation of his dead lover, a phantom stranger may or may not be a ghost, and the smug family butler is possibly the devil himself!

Lisa and the Devil is perhaps the most unique of the great Mario Bava's horror films. It broods with the lavish and colorful direction that the great filmmaker was well known for and it has a terrifically weird atmosphere. The story is a compelling mosaic of mystery, murder, and otherworldly surrealism as it provides for one effectively nightmarish journey. The fluid camera-work is excellent, the Gothic scenery and sets are nicely captured, and the haunting music score is perfectly pitched to give this film a stylish and chilling atmosphere.

The cast is also quite good. Gorgeous Elke Sommer gives a strong performance as bewildered Lisa. Dashing Alessio Orano is terrific as the master of the house. Veteran actress Alida Valli is great as the blind countess. However the biggest show-stealer is Telly Savalas as the charismatic and possibly fiendish butler. The supporting cast is also quite solid.

Lisa and the Devil is simply a must-see for all fans of Bava and particularly for fans of surrealist horror. It's a truly original horror gem and one of Bava's greatest works.

Footnote: Avoid a terribly re-edited and re-worked version of the film re-named House of Exorcism. This was a poorly constructed version of the film forced onto the market after distribution problems. Stick with the film that Bava intended to make instead!

**** out of ****

Being a major fan of Bava and getting the DVD with both versions on it, I of course delved into the original Lisa version, which is being praised as loudly as the Exorcism version is being pulled down. The film seemed very confusing and not in a good way, and once it ended, I felt a bit embarrassed in front of some friends who had come along to view it. After the company left, I thought I'd have a look at the alternative version. All of a sudden it made much more sense. The fact that the poor girl is hallucinating, being fed (by the Devil) images of being stuck in the past, was vastly more interesting than the "ethereally surreal and dreamlike" (read: boring) straightforward story seen in the original version. I have no background information about what exactly happened and who cut, re-edited or added scenes to this film, but let me stand out as a lone wolf to champion the version many people tend to hate. It's bonuses are simple: fast-moving, structurally more diverse, and - last but not least - it gives major scenes for Elke Sommer to act! Whereas she simply looks good in the original, here with the added exorcism scenes she acts for her money's worth and does quite well. There's also the added sub plot of the tormented priest, told in flashbacks, which isn't bad either. In fact, the story gets really multi-layered, similar to films like Saragossa Manuscript, and creates a minor mind trip worthy of remembering.

Telly Savalas - I like this guy! He's always cool (and not just in Kojak). And he's just as cool in this film as ever.

What this film is lacking is... a faster pace I think? Better dialogue? A better script? Yea maybe all of that. The casting is fine and the Gothic setting is nice but everything else is drab, dry just dull. I found this film, well, boring generally speaking - it has a few good moments but that's about it. I'm really surprised I wasn't overly crazy about this one - maybe I expected more out of the film. I really wanted to like this film, but I don't.

3/10

"Lisa and the Devil" obviously has a decent amount of style and smart approaches to some scenes, but it doesn't change the fact that it's a boring movie devoid of scares and characters to root for. Telly Savalas is great as the devil figure, but everyone else is uninteresting to say the least. Synopsis of the movie could lead you to believe that the movie is about a woman in a haunted house being stalked by the devil, but that is very far from the truth in this mishmash of Bava's old ghost movies and a thriller. Main theme is also kinda cool. Ending scene is great. Other than than, the movie doesn't have a lot going for it and it should be watched only by most hardcore Bava or horror movie fans. 6.5/10!

With Telly Savalas and Elke Sommer... I thought there would be more to it. The beginning comes off creepy. But the rest is a hodgepodge of murder and resurrection that didn't make much sense. I did like the old time Hammerish atmosphere though.