The Antichrist (1974) User Reviews

Rip-off Yes, But Still a Decent Film

[CMRKeyboadist · 7/10 · 29 December 2005]

I remember seeing this movie when I worked at one of my local video stores back in 1998. The description of the movie on the box was rather hilarious as it is obviously bashing itself by saying "Move over Linda Blair". Yes, this is one of the many rip-offs of the famous Friedkin directed film "The Excorcist". Now, just because it was a blatant rip-off does not mean that it wasn't a decent film.

First of all, this movie has a very good and creepy soundtrack done by Ennio Morricone. If it weren't for the soundtrack this movie would not have been very good. Second, one of the leading stars in the movie is the infamous Mel Ferrer who has been in many Italian horror flicks in the later part of his acting career. Third, the atmosphere of this movie is actually very well done. It was done well enough to keep your interest high.

Unfortuanitly, the down parts of the movie are when the lead actress who gets possessed starts talking just like Linda Blair in "The Excorcist" and she also starts vomiting green crap all over the place just like in "The Excorcist". But if you are a fan of this genre of film making than you can overlook these blatant rip-offs. All in all, I liked this movie. It is nothing great but still enjoyable and worth watching. 7\10 stars

Pretty good "The Exorcist" imitation.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 7/10 · 2 December 2003]

Alberto De Martino's "L'Anticristo" is definitely one of the better Italian possession flicks.Carla Gravina is excellent as a wheel-chair bound,sexually frustrated Ippolita.The photography is stylish and the score by Ennio Morricone and Bruno Nicolai is outstanding.The special effects are quite mediocre,but there is a nice amount of sleaze to satisfy fans of Italian horror.The infamous goat orgy scene is rather unpleasant and hard to forget.So if you like Italian horror movies give this one a look.7 out of 10.Recommended.

The Best and Creepiest of the Italian Exorcist-Rip-Offs

[Witchfinder-General-666 · 7/10 · 3 November 2011]

William Friedkin's Cult-milestone THE EXORCIST (1973) spawned quite a number of European rip-offs, or at least of European films that treated the subject of daemonic possessions. As far as European Exorcist-rip-offs go, Alberto De Martino's L'ANTICRISTO aka. THE ANTICHRIST of 1974 is doubtlessly the creepiest and best I've seen. (There is one Italian movie with a similar possession topic, which, in my opinion, is better than this one, Massimo Dallamano's great IL MEDAGLIONE INSANGUINATO aka. THE NIGHT CHILD of 1975. That movie is far too different to label it an Exorcist-rip-off, however.)

The possessed here is not a little girl but a young woman, Ippolita (Carla Gravina) who has been paralyzed since the car accident that killed her mother. Since her paralysis has no medical foundation, her father (Mel Ferrer) assigns a psychiatrist to help his daughter. The hypnosis therapy, however, has unwanted results...

The storyline is not merely based on THE EXORCIST, but has similarities to a classic Italian Horror formula: An innocent young woman being possessed by an evil ancestor who is her spitting image (and, in this case, even has the same name). The innocent/evil female double role was started in Italian Horror film in Mario Bava's 1960 masterpiece LA MASCHERA DEL DEMONIO (BLACK Sunday/THE MASK OF Satan), which first brought Italian Horror film to international attention. Barbara Steele became famous for such a double role in that film, and continued to play comparable roles in several other Italian Gothic Horror movies. In L'ANTICRISTO, it is Satan who, centuries after possessing an ancestor who was subsequently burned at the stake, takes possession of a wheel-chair-bound young woman.

The film is a good example for the stylistic and visual elegance of Italian Horror cinema. The settings are beautiful and eerie alike, the camera-work (done by the one and only sleaze-filmmaker Joe D'Amato) is great. The score is a collaboration of masters Ennio Morricone and Bruno Nicolai, needless to say that its brilliant and increases the thick atmosphere. The film has a good ensemble cast including Mel Ferrer, Arthur Kennedy, the great and beautiful Cult-regular Anita Strindberg, Alida Valli, who would appear in the probably most famous Italian Horror film, Dario Argento's masterpiece SUSPIRIA (1977) three years later. Carla Gravina is believable in the lead and the eerie-looking George Couloris fits well in the role of the Exorcist.

Some people seem to dislike the somewhat bizarre first 5 minutes of the movie, but I actually found them to be highly atmospheric. In my opinion, the film got slightly less interesting in the second half, when some of the EXORCIST references became too obvious. The only real complaint one could have are the clumsy effects when objects and people are floating in the air; from today's point of view, they should probably just have left these sequences out, but then, any cult-cinema lover will be willing to look past that in the light of the great style, atmosphere and creepiness of the rest of the film. Overall, this is a very stylish slice of Satanic Horror and highly recommended by yours truly, especially to my fellow fans of Italian Horror.

Creepy movie plenty of horrible and disgusting images

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 30 September 2008]

This filthy and spooky movie results to be a wildly popular ¨Exorcist¨ imitation , concerns Hipolita (Carla Gravina), she's an invalid young with unsettling problems from his mother died for a car crash in an accident along with her father (Mel Ferrer) and then she resulted paralyzed . She only has understanding for his brother (Remo Girone) . Her mental problems and intervention a doctor (Umberto Orsini) lead to an act of possession by an ancestor framed as a witch by the Inquisition . Eventually she's deeply possessed and starts seducing a young and other local men in order to murder them . Hipolita becomes possessed and a strange exorcism seems to be the only solution to stop the craziness and heal the young invalid . An exorcism carried out by a Father exorcist (George Colouris) turns out to be the mean to save her , but the surprising events go awry . What it says is what it means. Deliver her from evil. From the bowels of hell, the serpent has risen, to pour foul evil upon the world

This exploitation picture displays eerie horror , witchcraft , grisly killings , bestiality , satanism and lots of blood and gore . Most often films made to cash in on another hugely box-office ¨The Exorcist¨ tend to be inferior to the template but I have to say, as far as rip-offs of the Freidkin's classic go, ¨The Antichrist¨ is on the better end of the spectrum . Large cast with American actors working in Italy , such as Arthur Kennedy , Mel Ferrer and George Colouris . Revolting , scary scenes and nasty images take place on orgy scenes with goat included . Packs luxurious scenarios with a lush corridor plenty of sculptures and careful cinematography showing glamorous sets by known cameraman/director Joe D'amato , though cheesy special effects on the levitation scenes . Creepy and terrifying musical score composed by classic musician Ennio Morricone and conducted by Bruno Nicolai .

The motion picture was well directed by Alberto De Martino , though it has some flaws , gaps and failures . Martino was an Italian craftsman , working from the 60s in all kind of genres , B-movies and exploitation flicks . As he directed Peplum (Secret seven , Spartan gladiators , Invincible gladiator , Valley of stone men) , Spaghetti Western (Django shoots first , Providence , Charge of seven cavalry) , Warlike (Dirty heroes) , European spy genre (OK Connery , Operation Lady Chaplin) , and Terror (Miami Golem , Horror , Holocaust 2000) , among others. Rating : 6/10, acceptable and passable , though sometimes embarrassing .

Hilarious and entertaining.

[Moshing Hoods · 18 February 2002]

Great stuff. The Italian exploitation rip-off bandwagon didn't miss a beat on any genre, and here we have THE EXORCIST acting as the "inspiration" for a horror picture. Naturally, the sleaze is turned up enormously and the result is a truly entertaining piece of cinematic scuzz. I think the other reviewers have covered the majority of the fun stuff that goes on herein, but I'd just like to add that the movie is nicely put together and photographed, and the hilarious dialogue is sufficiently hammed up by the actors. Plus, it's great to see Arthur Kennedy in ANY movie!

My highlight of the film was when the "possessed" woman seduces a German exchange student- truly hilarious.

I personally found the oft-revered THE EXORCIST to be laughable and ludicrous. L'ANTICRISTO simply goes even further, and if you are equipped with an imagination and a sense of humour, I can think of a lot worse ways to spend an hour and a half.

God is not available at the moment...but Lucifer will gladly possess you!

[Coventry · 7/10 · 3 May 2006]

After one failing attempt approximately a year ago, I really wanted to give this movie another chance, if it were only to struggle beyond those confusing and headache-inducing opening five minutes this time. If you consider watching "The Antichrist", bear in mind that the intro is extremely hectic and unappealing but the movie quickly improves after that. We open at some sort of pilgrimage location where a Holy Mary statue supposedly cures crippled people and where a man possessed by demons jumps off a cliff. This introduction is overlong and the photography is really ugly. After that, however, we're more properly introduced to the female lead character. Ippolita is bound to a wheelchair since a car accident at the age of twelve and her lonely existence causes her to lose all faith in God. She becomes an easy target for Satan to possess her body & soul, especially when she also turns out to be the reincarnation of a 16th Century witch that was burned at the stake (hypnosis brought that up). Overnight, Ippolita transforms into a Satan-puppet who seduces young schoolboys and dreams about wild sex with a guy in a goat mask who feeds her toad heads! Her loving father, brother and priest uncle do whatever they can to save poor Ippolita's soul, but the Devil within her is strong and not at all planning to leave without a 'good vs. evil' battle.

Another reviewer righteously pointed out already that it's way too easy to label "The Antichrist" as being just another Italian "The Exorcist" rip off. It only turns into a shameless imitation halfway through the story, when Ippolita moves furniture with her mind and says naughty things similar to the lines Linda Blair driveled in "The Exorcist". The least we can do is refer to this exploitation gem as a "Rip-Off DeLuxe", as Alberto De Martino really bothered to add new ideas and even a couple of very interesting sub plots, such as the incestuous relationship between Ippolita and her brother and the alternative voodoo-treatment by a sleazy-looking religion guru. There are quite a few redundant sequences and the slow pacing often gets on your nerves but "The Antichrist" really isn't such a bad film overall. The only truly embarrassing moments occur when the film tries to look EXACTLY like "The Exorcist", with green vomit and rotating heads etc… Compensating for these flaws are a cool soundtrack, fairly adequate performances and a handful of stylish scenes near the middle of the film. Particularly the orgy-hallucination is hauntingly beautiful and more fascinating than any random sequence in William Friendkin's "The Exorcist".

...not THAT bad...

[humanoidzombie · 5/10 · 12 September 2002]

A lot of people would have you think that this movie has no value, but I found it to be, in a lot of ways, more ambitious than THE EXORCIST. True, it is a complete ripoff, and it is virtually devoid of any atmosphere of fear. BUT... Technically speaking, the film is more "out there" than THE EXORCIST, boasting some blue-screen effects and frantic editing, not to mention some utterly surrealistic sequences that take it to another level. The whole thing stays cold, but you'll find yourself having a bit of fun anyways -- if you like seeing puke flying about that is!...

Flawed "Exorcist" rip-off that entertains

[DVD_Connoisseur · 6/10 · 19 November 2006]

"L' Anticristo" is far from being a perfect horror film but it does manage to entertain. Made purely to cash in on the success of "The Exorcist", Alberto De Martino's "The Antichrist" is a relatively high-budget Italian possession movie with a talented cast and some ambitious (if a little dated-looking) effects. With a soundtrack by Ennio Morricone and Bruno Nicolai, plus cinematography by Joe D'Amato, this is a polished affair with real talent being thrown at it. It's not surprising, therefore, that the film is successful in some areas.

The film's strong points are the acting, a genuinely unpleasant possession and the soundtrack. Carla Gravina is excellent as the aristocrat who is possessed and proceeds to leak green soup and waggle her tongue like there's no tomorrow. Combined with great potty-mouth demon dialogue and a startling appearance, the possession is both startling and unintentionally humorous in equal measure.

I won't go into detail but after watching this film, I'll never look at a goat in the same way again.

Worthy of a rental if you're looking for an alternative horror film, this should provide an entertaining evening's viewing, providing you're in the right mood.

6 out of 10.

Skip It

[bensonmum2 · 3/10 · 19 December 2005]

Dismissing The Antichrist as a rip-off of The Exorcist is too easy. Sure it was designed to cash-in on The Exorcist's success, but it's not the first movie to ride the coattails of another movie. Just look at all the sequels that Jaws spawned (Piranha, Tintotera, Crocodile, etc.) for an even better example. My problems with The Antichrist have nothing to do with comparisons to The Exorcist. Instead, I think that The Antichrist is a mess of a movie on its own.

I suppose that for a movie of this type to be effective, it helps if the audience cares or has some sort of feelings for the characters. Other than the main character, Ippolita Oderisi (Carla Gravina), we never learn enough about them to care what happens to them. As for Ippolita, she's so unlikable that I couldn't have cared less whether she was possessed or not. She's a bitter woman with no redeeming characteristics that I could discern. Even before the possession, she seems to relish making everyone's life miserable. And why should it bother me that she is possessed by the devil? She asked for it - literally. So, she got what she wanted. I had no sympathy for this woman, and without that, the movie doesn't work.

There are other problems with The Antichrist beyond whether or not I cared about the main character. The acting is plain old bad. Even somewhat accomplished actors like Mel Ferrer look like their starring in the local amateur hour. In one scene, I swear he looks embarrassed to be anywhere near this film. The only actor of any consequence who comes off with any dignity in tact is Anita Strindberg and that's just because of her limited screen time.

I suppose that I'll leave it at that and not write anymore about the other areas where the movie fails. Writing about everything I had a problem with in The Antichrist is like shooting fish in a barrel. I could target the special effects, a score that's not up to Morricone's high standards, or the cheap attempts to gross-out the audience, but you get the idea.

Totally awesome junk

[BandSAboutMovies · 7/10 · 23 October 2020]

The beauty of Morricone is that for every big budget or quality film that he did music for - The Hateful Eight, Days of Heaven, Once Upon a Time In America - you can find scores he did for movies that aren't as well thought of, from giallo like What Have You Done to Solange? and A Lizard in a Woman's Skin to outright ridiculous films like Butterfly and, well, this movie.

And I love it.

I love every single minute of it.

Ippolita (Carla Gravina rocking a Mia Farrow haircut) is a paralyzed young woman with major issues, all because her mother has died. So her shrink does what any psychologist would do in 1974: he sends her brains back in time to remember when she was a witch getting killed during the Inquisition. That ancestor takes over and before you know it, our heroine is screwing and destroying men. It's time for this movie to stop ripping off Rosemary's Baby and start being The Exorcist!

Also released as The Tempter, this was directed by Alberto De Martino, who also made the amazing poliziotteschi/giallo hybrid Strange Shadows In an Empty Room and the downright weird superhero film The Pumaman, not to mention Miami Golem.

There's a decent cast, with Mel Ferrer, Arthur Kennedy, George Coulouris, Alida Valli (Miss Tanner!), Anita Strindberg (Your Vice Is A Locked Room and Only I Have the Key), Umberto Orsini (Jean from the Emmanuelle movies) and Mario Scaccia (The Perfume of the Lady In Black) all on hand.

There's way more nudity and sexuality than the majority of American The Exorcist clones, but this is Italy and Aristide Massaccessi is the director of photography. That's Joe D'Amato, in case you didn't know, so when Ippolita says cock numerous times and there's a lengthy Satanic orgy, one of the few I can think of set to tunes by Morricone (that said, he did so many films* that I'm sure there's at least one more key party for the First of the Fallen set to his music), you can just say, "Hell yeah, the Italians might be all repressed Catholics, but they sure know how to make a Satan movie."

The scene in the ruins at the end? That's the kind of stuff my dreams are made of. More movies should be this unabashedly out of control, you know? Another great example of this level of craziness is another De Martino ripoff that somehow has great Hollywood actors in it, 1977's Omen Xerox film, The Chosen, also known as Holocaust 2000.

*Notable Morricone soundtracks that I love include Danger: Diabolik, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, Short Night of Glass Dolls, Who Saw Her Die?, The Fifth Cord, My Name Is Nobody, Autopsy, Exorcist II: The Heretic, Orca and so many more.

Alberto De Martino's lame rip-off of The Exorcist.

[BA_Harrison · 4/10 · 29 October 2006]

Ippolita, a sexually frustrated (and fairly unlikeable), wheelchair bound young woman, feels that she has been forsaken by God. Under the watchful eye of Dr. Marcello Sinibaldi, she undergoes hypnotic regression in an attempt to restore her ability to walk. However, when it is revealed that an ancestor of hers was burnt at the stake as a devil worshipper, the psychologically fragile Ippolita becomes a prime candidate for diabolic possession. Cue projectile vomiting, levitation and blasphemy as director Alberto De Martino ladles on the bargain basement FX in this pretty poor Exorcist rip-off.

Despite lavish cinematography by Joe D'Amato, an effective Ennio Morricone soundtrack, and a willingness to go the extra mile to upset (most notably in the notorious orgy/ritual scene, in which a goat receives an implied ass tonguing, and a blink-and-you'll-miss-it image of Christ with a huge erect schlong!), L'Anticristo remains a second rate production that bores more than it disturbs.

You would think foul-mouthed, green-puke spitting females with a tendency to float around their room automatically make a film worth watching, but, hampered by leaden pacing and some dreadful effects, De Martino's movie is a chore to sit through.

A Great Horror movie for mature viewers only.

[american218 · 10/10 · 13 December 2010]

A scary 1974 movie with shocking horror scenes that might offend most Christians. These horrific scenes helped to serve the movie.There is exploitation of women as in most Italian Horror movies.It Should Be Rated NC-17 for some explicit content and unseen rare violence. In 1974, it was really rare to see such shocking scenes.For this reason, it was previously banned in many countries.The ban made people more zealous to see and buy this movie out of curiosity. Honestly,it is more horrible and shocking than the Exorcist, but quite as good as the Exorcist.Recommended for those who are 17 years old or above this age. I advise people to buy the DVD and enjoy this great horror movie,especially horror fans who will not regret purchasing this movie. As for religious Christian people,some scenes might shock you,so you got to beware!. For people who can not watch this movie,all you have to do is search for this movie free on line,this is a substitute.You could download it too. Good luck!

Pretty good as Italian "Exorcist" imitations go.

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 23 April 2017]

Carla Gravina plays Ippolita Oderisi, a young woman who's been physically disabled due to a long ago accident. At present she is suffering a lack of faith, feeling abandoned by both God and her father Massimo (Mel Ferrer), who's hooked up with a younger woman (Anita Strindberg). A psychiatrist (Umberto Orsini) is called in to help her, but he only makes things worse by hypnotizing her. She is able to recall a past life, centuries ago, when she was persecuted as a witch. Now she's easy prey for Satan himself, who possesses her. Ultimately, a professional exorcist (George Coulouris) is brought in.

"L'anticristo" wins no awards for originality, but for a (mostly) uninspired "Exorcist" cash-in, it's actually pretty good. Certainly, less patient horror fans will be squirming in their seats, as the story is stretched out to almost two hours long. (It was trimmed of approximately 16 minutes in North America, where it was called "The Tempter".) Fortunately, director / co- writer Alberto De Martino takes the story, and its themes of faith, seriously, and directs his cast toward performances that help to get the viewer involved. Still, it's gratifying when, after an hour has gone by, he and his crew start pulling out all the stops for the sake of an entertaining show. There are plenty of practical effects, and some hilariously bad effects as well. Of course, we also get a fairly familiar demonic sounding voice, who utters the usual amusing obscenities, and Ms. Gravina spews up a generous amount of bile. Whatever the film may lack in creativity, De Martino makes up for that with a decent sense of showmanship.

This is a reasonably trashy film, for those who enjoy the sleazier side of Italian genre cinema, boasting a "goat orgy" as a highlight.

The cast gives it 100%, especially Gravina. Ferrer (Tobe Hoopers' "Eaten Alive"), Coulouris ("The Skull"), and Arthur Kennedy ("The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue") lead a solid supporting cast, also including Alida Valli ("Suspiria"), Mario Scaccia ("The Perfume of the Lady in Black"), and Remo Girone ("Live by Night").

All in all, a fun enough spook show.

Seven out of 10.

The WORST special effects that I have ever seen!!!

[lthseldy1 · 3/10 · 24 February 2005]

When I went in the video store to look for a horror video I found this piece of flop that unfortunately blew me away with the words "the best special effects" and I decided to give it a try. Boy was I wrong! This movie was more laughable with it's "special effects" than scary. I could just imagine the poorly paid crew and staff pushing furniture across the floor and moving paintings on the other side of the wall in the midst of a demonic presence. A handicaped woman who looses her handicaped during her demonic attacks suddenly becomes a tool for Satan and all we see is poor acting and laughable hallucinations borrowed from movies such as "Rosemary's Baby", "Exorcist" and numerous other titles that tried to copy them as well. This is one of the worst of demonic horror movies that I have seen; slobbering all over herself like she has rabies and the mocking of sexual scenes with the Devil. Give me a break.

Italian rip-off of "The Exorcist"....pretty hard to endure.

[barnabyrudge · 1 December 2003]

Alberto de Martino is an Italian director who likes to rip-off big box office hits from America and England. He borrowed from the Bond movies for his spy flick Operation Kid Brother; he borrowed from The Omen for his dreadful Holocaust 2000. The Tempter (a.k.a The Antichrist or L'Anticristo) was made in between the other two movies I've just mentioned, and is Martino's inevitable plagiarism of The Exorcist. What's extraordinary is that good professional actors like Carla Gravani, Mel Ferrer, George Coulouris and Arthur Kennedy (yes, the Yankee reporter from Lawrence Of Arabia!) were persuaded to slum it in a shambolic production like this.

Gravani plays Ipolatta, a young wheelchair-bound woman who demonstrates psychic abilities. A psychiatrist persuades her to try out regressive hypnotism to cure her disability; she agrees to give it a try, but inadvertently unlocks memories from a previous life in which she was burnt at the stake for satanism. To make matters worse, she is also possessed by the devil and becomes a foul-mouthed, vomit spouting, sexually hungry bitch! An exorcist (Coulouris) is brought in to rid her of the demon within.

The Exorcist was one of the scariest films ever made, but this dismal clone is just tasteless and boring. The bouts of sex are purely there to give the film a degree of appeal to adolescents who get aroused by the possibility of a glimpse of tit. They certainly don't add to the atmosphere of the film. The so-called horror sequences are rendered hopelessly laughable by pitiful special effects. Still, the image of a toad having its head torn off and a woman performing oral sex on a goat's anus is enough to put you off your lunch for a day or two, and Gravani frequently lapses into revolting drooling which looks (intentionally?) like semen. If that's the kind of imagery which floats your boat, you might enjoy this. However, most viewers (myself among them) will be rightly repelled by this stupid potboiler and will find it a real challenge to sit through.

More effective horror movie than the original Exorcist

[ernesti · 7/10 · 27 August 2012]

There doesn't seem to be many genres or ideas that hadn't been explored or exploited by the Italian film makers. Amusingly L'anticristo manages to be more effective horror movie than the original Exorcist that it just makes its counterpart look quite lame.

There's so much more feeling in this movie and more depth to the characters than in many of the movies in this genre. I think the main character is more likable than the child in The Exorcist because she has her own weaknesses and traumas that lead the way to her possession. The movie engages to watch it completely to see what happens to her.

For being released in 1974 this movie still has a modern look in it but of course its special effects look quite goofy to tell the truth. But its flaws can be forgiven for the fantastic score composed by Ennio Morricone.

This movie is at the same time very tormenting and powerful but also hilarious and entertaining. So being a rip off doesn't mean that it's necessarily a bad movie. Watch it to see a different adaptation of the possessed by the devil story.

This weird, strange first half is really good until the foolishly stupid second half that tried to be "The Exorcist".

[hu675 · 7/10 · 5 October 2005]

Ippolita (Carla Gravina) is a stunningly beautiful young woman, who is paralyzed and having doubt in God (Especially in Faith). Ippolita has some serious mental problems, since she vividly remembers the death of her mother. Her well-meaning psychologist (Umberto Orsini), who believes in re-incarnation. The psychologist find that Ippolita had another life as a Witch during the Inquisition. Eventually, she becomes possessed by a demon and she seducing local men in the city, only by murdering them. Only an exorcism could save her soul.

Directed by Alberto De Martino (Blood Link, Djanga Shoots First, Holocaust 2000) made an interesting, arresting horror film for the first hour until it's turns into a shameless rip-off to "The Exorcist". Despite an strong performance by Gravini and dated but good special effects. The good cast helps (Including the late Mel Ferrer and the late Arthur Kennedy) ease certain idiocies moments during the second act.

DVD has an sharp anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1) transfer and an good-Dolby 2.0 Mono Sound. DVD has interviews with the director and co-music composer:Ennio Morricone (The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West, John Carpenter's The Thing-1982), T.V. Spot and Poster & Still Gallery. This film could have much more successful, especially in the second half. But Still, it is more stylish than expected with executional cinematography by the late:Aristide Massaccesi (Which Massaccesi is best known for directing Hard-Core Porn Films as Joe D'Amato). Also known as "The Tempter", which runs 96 minutes. Since the DVD is the original 112 minutes uncut Italian version. It is worth a look. (***/*****).

Well-shot rip-off

[Groverdox · 5/10 · 21 October 2018]

As far as "Exorcist" rip offs go, "L'Anticristo" isn't as bad as "Beyond the Door", which is small praise indeed. It benefits in numerous scenes from the cinematography of one Aristede Massaccessi - otherwise known as trash purveyor Joe D'amato. This is the guy who was so eager to cash-in on Hollywood success stories that he would generally go into production on a movie as soon as he heard that one like it was being produced in America. He wouldn't even wait to see the finished product.

If you have ever had to sit through one of those cinematic turds, you might be surprised to hear that the man did indeed have talent. I still commend people to his best movie, "Buio Omega", which showed that within that money-grubbing exterior beat the heart of an artist - even if it was an artist who wanted to show you people's fingernails being ripped out.

But that's enough about D'Amato. We're here to talk about "L'Anticristo", the 1974 "Exorcist" cash-in. What is there to say about this movie? Not a whole lot, it turns out, except for the astoundingly silly premise. I'm not talking about the supernatural junk - obviously nobody expects that to be plausible. I'm talking about the film's supposed catalyst for its protagonist's possession. You see, she's a sexually frustrated paraplegic who lost the ability to walk in a car accident when she was a child. Why, or how, does she become 'possessed'? She endures a hypnosis session designed to help her walk again. How is hypnosis supposed to help her do that? Did the car accident merely cause her to forget?

The movie is a little more interesting than the typical "Exorcist" clone in that the woman in this story has been "possessed" by the spirit of a medieval witch, who she perhaps was in a past life. The scenes with the witch are interestingly shot, reminding me of Russell's "The Devils", and the scene where the woman meets Satan is also strikingly shot.

However, after these scenes the movie falls back onto its source material, with the requisite projectile vomiting and levitation, which can't do anything other than remind you how better the original movie was than the one you're watching.

It finishes with a chase scene in an ancient ruin, which is again well shot, and a welcome relief from the indoor scenes where the movie ticked off all the motifs "Exorcist" made famous.

Not bad

[badlieutenent · 7/10 · 10 July 2019]

This Exorcist rip off isn't so rip off. A big part of the plot is original and the special visual effects are great. The Joe D'Amato 's photography is perfect and Alberto de Martino mixes Italian Exorcism Culture and american horror.

Yes, It's THAT Bad!

[Oslo_Jargo · 1/10 · 10 March 2004]

After reading so many positive reviews to this awful stinker, I was compelled to set the record straight, this is a boring movie.

It has nothing to offer, no scares, no special effects, only laughter and disgust.

After wasting about 1 hour in a mind-numbing rehash of "what is mentally wrong with her?" dialogue, the devil possession finally ensues, and it is entirely lackluster.

It's quite obvious that everything was outright plagerized from the superior, The Exorcist (1973), only proving that the Italians can not make anything resembling a decent picture in the same quality vein.

The lead actress is weak, a whiner, and all she does is walk around like a pampered child.

The father, even worse, and I won't mention the cretinous brother, who has incestuous relations with his very own sister.

In all, avoid this, and don't bother like I did, expecting something worth a few scares.

The posters and the great reviews are absolutely erroneous.

Successful Exorcist clone from Italy

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 9 November 2016]

Out of all the EXORCIST rip-offs to follow in the wake of that 1973 classic movie's success, THE TEMPTER has probably the biggest budget and is the most well-made of the bunch. That's not to say it's the most entertaining but it's certainly the most lucid. Director Alberto De Martino (also responsible for the OMEN rip-off HOLOCAUST 2000) is definitely one of Italy's most underrated cult film directors on the strength of this film alone, as he delivers an artistic and often colourful production which looks gorgeous when seen letterboxed.

The film starts off seriously and remains as such until the halfway point, which is where the cheesy special effects and blatant EXORCIST rip-off scenes enter the fray, with all manner of levitating furniture, green bile splattering the faces of unfortunate cast members, and a couple of over-the-top exorcisms to top everything off, resulting in a jolly good time for the viewer. The special effects are of the cheap and cheerful variety, employing some rather unconvincing blue-screen effects a great deal, but there's a fine macabre gag involving a disembodied hand which is worth watching for.

A really scary credits sequence - with the title displayed twice for some unfathomable reason - bodes well as the film opens. As the first half is so deadly serious, things threaten to become a bit boring after a while, however. Only the excellent B-movie cast keeps you watching, but hang on because there's not that long to wait before a superb dream sequence involving a creepy black mass in the woods comes along, complete with a guy dressed as the Devil (a British Devil, no less) who causes our anti-heroine to do all sorts of nasty things like eat a toad's head and lap up spilt blood. Throughout, the movie is bolstered by an atmospheric soundtrack of screeches, wailings, and other unnatural noises and highlighted by a strong Ennio Morricone score, two elements which probably account for most of the movie's horror content.

As the possessed girl, Carla Gravina's performance is sub-par. She fails to make the audience like or identify with the character from the start and always seems weird and unnatural even before she becomes possessed. When the demon inside her really takes hold, her overacting knows no bounds, but at least she makes up for in volume and ear-splitting sadism what she lacks as a convincing audience-friendly actress. And what a supporting cast! The ever-reliable Mel Ferrer is on hand playing Gravina's distressed father, himself having an affair with the much younger Gretel (played by giallo lovely Anita Strindberg who strips off for the part). Then there's the inimitable Arthur Kennedy as the bishop who attempts an exorcism himself and spectacularly fails and Umberto Orsini as a dedicated doctor baffled by the case. The very distinctive-looking George Coulouris has the small Father Merrin-ish part and makes a good job of it, whilst Alida Valli is understated and effective as the middle-aged housekeeper caught up in the demonic manifestations. These elements combine to make THE TEMPTER, quite literally, one hell of a good time!

Absolute rubbish

[hortex boy · 1/10 · 13 June 2001]

I love horror movies but...........not this incompetant nonsense about some possesed woman. No budget, no effects except for a very fake frog death and some wonderful! foam from the womans mouth. Please look out for the floating furniture(WHO FILMED THIS SEQUENCE). Save yourself the trouble and go to the pub instead.

I have no idea why so many rate this so poorly.....

[christopher-underwood · 9/10 · 18 September 2005]

I have no idea why so many rate this so poorly, I enjoyed it on video when it lacked the satanic orgy, and love it even more now. The support acting may be lacklustre but Carla Gravina more than compensates in a towering performance as the wheelchair bound possessed one. And what possession, no half hearted measures here - full tilt, in your face, on your chin, verbal and physical, screaming and spewing, hard hitting stuff. It is true the film is a bit slow at first but there is the magnificent and horrifying opening scenes that take some recovering from. It has of course to be acknowledged that this would never have been made were it not for The Exorcist but let that take nothing from this super exploitation gem.

Pretty good Italian Exorcist cash in

[dworldeater · 6/10 · 5 October 2023]

In the 70"s there was a"devil craze"due to the success of Satan themed horror classics like Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist and The Omen. This film riffs heavily off of The Exorcist, but does it with a different style of filmmaking and a setting in Rome/The Vatican. It does have a good atmosphere with great sets and good camera work. The acting is also quite good and with the cultural differences and European style give this enough to set itself apart from the movie that this is trying to rip off. At the end of the day, it is a rip off and no it's not as good as The Exorcist, but it also is not that bad. In fact, you could do a lot worse in this genre and if you enjoy movies of this type then The Antichrist is worth a look.

The Exorcist rip-off from Italy, not bad in a silly sleazy way.

[poolandrews · 5/10 · 7 October 2012]

The Antichrist is set in Rome where businessman Massimo Oderisi (Mel Ferrer) lives with his lover Irene (Alida Valli), his son Filippo (Remo Girone) & paralyzed daughter Ippolita (Carla Gravina) who has been unable to walk properly since childhood when she witnessed her mother killed in a car accident. Her father Massimo has tried everything, from faith healers to psychiatrist's to no avail, Massimo will not give up however & ask's psychiatrist Dr. Marcello Sinibaldi (Umberto Orsini) to see if he can do anything for Ippolita. Dr. Sinibaldi is convinced that Ippolita's condition is mental & if she can overcome the mental issue then she would regain the use of legs, in an attempt to discover what is affecting Ippolita psychology Dr. Sinibaldi hypnotises her which releases regressed memories of one of her distant ancestor's who was a Nun but turned to Satan & was executed soon after for Witchcraft. Ippolita soon changes as she becomes possessed by the Devil who wants to be reborn through her, it's decided an exorcism is the only answer...

Originally released in the US theatrically under the title The Tempter this Italian production was co-written & directed by Alberto De Martino & is your basic rip-off that the Italians were so famous for during the 70's & 80's, to be fair to them they were pretty good at them & some terrific horror, gore, sci-fi, sleaze & trashy films exist because of this entire sub-genre. No-one made rip-offs like the Italians, I am not sure if that is a good thing or not but they sure made lots of entertaining films during this period. There's absolutely no prizes for guess that The Antichrist is a straight rip-off of The Exorcist (1973) which is rightly regarded as a classic, while it's fairly entertaining in a sleazy & silly way The Antichrist is a million miles away from being described as a classic. At just over 110 minutes the script takes a while to get going & it's 40 odd minutes into the film before Ippolita is astrally raped & becomes possessed complete with a hilarious flashback to some guy in a Goat mask having sex with her ancestor after he makes her lick a Goat's ass, no I am not making that up either. There's the green vomit, some head twisting (although in a twist not the possessed Ippolita) & lots of foul language directed to polite members of society including her father & lover whom she ask's if she likes his cock in her. While watching The Antichrist I got the impression that the makers were playing it deadly straight & some of these scenes come across as silly & a little funny at times (the floating hand scene has be be seen to be believed) which does lessen the impact a bit but if taken in the right spirit there's some fun to be had here. The script doesn't make any great statement about religion or faith or psychological conditions like it might have but that would have slowed things down even further so it's no great loss.

If you like your 70's & 80's Italian exploitation then The Antichrist will be right up your street but don't expect lots of gore, only one person is killed during the entire film although several Toad's are killed. There's a bit of nudity & sex including some incest which is then seemingly forgotten about after the cheap shock value is over. One thing that did impress me was the visuals, not so much the photography or direction but the locations & sets which are sumptuous, varied & striking. The blood red corridor lined with bust's that stare in all directions is ultra cool, the deserted streets of Rome & it's architecture is amazing, grand Churches & Cathedral's along with the Italian countryside, huge halls with walls covered by massive oil paintings & the climax set in one of those Gladitorial coliseum things The Antichrist surprisingly is a visually superb film.

Not that scary thanks to all the bright colours & slightly silly set-pieces The Antichrist is well made although the English dubbing is sometimes pretty bad, the cast is a mixture of English & Italian speakers so who know's how it was actually film? The five times Oscar nominated Arthur Kennedy & the highly respected Mel Ferrer probably need the money, why else would they be in this? I must admit I really disliked the lead actress here, I thought Gravina was unappealing & unlikable.

The Antichrist is a great film to look at with some brilliant sets & locations & it has some entertaining sleaze & exploitation but it's slow & predictable & it is just an inferior rip-off of The Exorcist although it entertains in it's own right I suppose. It could have been much worse that's for sure, fans of Italian exploitation should definitely give it a go.