A courageous french dvd editor released this early rare giallo from 1969, and it's a nice surprise, a blend of moody giallo (black-leathered masked criminal, sexy Erna Shurer, tough Roland Carey, jazzy psychedelic score, moody photography, light erotic scenes), of gothic (light torture scenes) and pure amateurism. Yes amateurism, the director is completely unkown, the fabulous documentary on bonus tells us it is the director of photography Francesco Atteni who really directed, but he was a very minor technician with few movies in his filmography, like there were so many in Italy. Even if this "Bambola di Satana" hasn't got the level of early giallos by Mario Bava, Romolo Guerrieri (with Caroll Baker), Umberto Lenzi (again with Caroll Baker, unforgettable) or Emilio Miraglia, it still suits for giallo fans.
9 Reviews
Slight but enjoyable, like bel paese cheese
Bezenby21 December 2017
As we all know by now, Italy has several million huge castles within its borders and all of them are either filled with soul dead hipsters bent on murdering each other, or incestuous siblings, or men in drag who murder women, or are just plain haunted by either Barbara Steele or someone related to her, or maybe Barbara Steele haunting herself. The Doll of Satan tries to mix up most of these elements to keep things going, but then forgets to add a bit of spice to the mix.
Elizabeth has just been bequeathed one of these huge castles by her late uncle and is heading there with her hipster boyfriend to check out what's going down. The lady in charge there, Claudine, seems to think that Elizabeth's uncle wanted to sell the house, which is all new to Elizabeth. Worse still, Claudine puts the willies up Elizabeth by telling her of the ghost of a past relative, also called Elizabeth, and that the ghost of her lover stills walks the walls of the castle. Oh, and by the way Elizabeth, have you noticed that new torture dungeon downstairs? Claudine got it from Ikea.
Throw in a mysterious lover for Claudine and a ton of dodgy characters up to something (a guy in a bar, a hippy lady who draws pictures in the countryside, a friendly neighbour who stops Elizabeth walking into quicksand (?)), a black gloved killer who doesn't really kill many people at all, some erotic dreams and an insane person kept in a locked room and you're really ticking a lot of boxes here. You're also taking a lot of time throwing all these details in and although the film looks great, it's kind of good but not great too.
The vengeful dog bit was great though! The film needed more eccentric bits like that. No giallo fan is going to hate this film, but then any casual viewers will probably end up wondering what the fuss is all about. If you're going to show you're granny this, as people often do with gialli ("Hey gran - let's watch Iguana with the Tongue of Fire!") DO NOT get this film mixed up with Satan's Baby Doll. That's one you'll want to watch on your own. With some Kleenex.
Elizabeth has just been bequeathed one of these huge castles by her late uncle and is heading there with her hipster boyfriend to check out what's going down. The lady in charge there, Claudine, seems to think that Elizabeth's uncle wanted to sell the house, which is all new to Elizabeth. Worse still, Claudine puts the willies up Elizabeth by telling her of the ghost of a past relative, also called Elizabeth, and that the ghost of her lover stills walks the walls of the castle. Oh, and by the way Elizabeth, have you noticed that new torture dungeon downstairs? Claudine got it from Ikea.
Throw in a mysterious lover for Claudine and a ton of dodgy characters up to something (a guy in a bar, a hippy lady who draws pictures in the countryside, a friendly neighbour who stops Elizabeth walking into quicksand (?)), a black gloved killer who doesn't really kill many people at all, some erotic dreams and an insane person kept in a locked room and you're really ticking a lot of boxes here. You're also taking a lot of time throwing all these details in and although the film looks great, it's kind of good but not great too.
The vengeful dog bit was great though! The film needed more eccentric bits like that. No giallo fan is going to hate this film, but then any casual viewers will probably end up wondering what the fuss is all about. If you're going to show you're granny this, as people often do with gialli ("Hey gran - let's watch Iguana with the Tongue of Fire!") DO NOT get this film mixed up with Satan's Baby Doll. That's one you'll want to watch on your own. With some Kleenex.
Good atmosphere but not a decent plot to go with it
The_Void9 August 2009
This Giallo came somewhat early in the cycle, and these days is near on impossible to find. The film takes place in and around an old castle and the story focuses on the classic idea of people being killed for an inheritance. La Bambola di Satana is directed by Ferruccio Casapinta, who it has to be said, does a really fine job in terms of the style and atmosphere. The production values are very good and the director makes effective use of his setting and the castle itself is stylishly presented. However, the story is not always so interesting and that's what ultimately brings the film down. The plot focuses on Elizabeth; a young girl that returns to her family home for the reading of her uncle's will. However, upon arriving at the castle; she is introduced to some strange people and told of the various legends surrounding the place. It's not long before Elizabeth starts to have some strange experiences and she soon realises that this all has to do with her claiming her inheritance, and begins to investigate.
The film stars Erna Schürer, who is great in the lead role. Her look suits the style of the film like a glove; and the fact that she's very easy on the eyes is a major bonus. The plot of the film is basically good; but the way it's presented isn't. It's all rather choppy and can be hard to follow at times; which makes the film rather tedious. Director Ferruccio Casapinta (this his only film credit) also takes on the 'less is more' view in terms of the murders, and despite the fact that a few characters are killed; the film is practically bloodless, which is a shame - especially considering the rather cruel Blood and Black Lace that was released five years before this film. The music is rather nice, however; Franco Potenza's score is weird and disorientating, creating a nice atmosphere. The film also features a few torture scenes; but again, they are not particularly brutal. It all boils down to a well worked, if rather confusing ending. Overall, this is worth a look but really isn't one of the best Giallo's I've seen and is for fanatics only.
The film stars Erna Schürer, who is great in the lead role. Her look suits the style of the film like a glove; and the fact that she's very easy on the eyes is a major bonus. The plot of the film is basically good; but the way it's presented isn't. It's all rather choppy and can be hard to follow at times; which makes the film rather tedious. Director Ferruccio Casapinta (this his only film credit) also takes on the 'less is more' view in terms of the murders, and despite the fact that a few characters are killed; the film is practically bloodless, which is a shame - especially considering the rather cruel Blood and Black Lace that was released five years before this film. The music is rather nice, however; Franco Potenza's score is weird and disorientating, creating a nice atmosphere. The film also features a few torture scenes; but again, they are not particularly brutal. It all boils down to a well worked, if rather confusing ending. Overall, this is worth a look but really isn't one of the best Giallo's I've seen and is for fanatics only.
What was the relevance of the late baguettes?
BA_Harrison7 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The Doll of Satan has one of the worst pre-credits scenes ever, doing absolutely nothing to make the viewer want to continue watching: a man drags another man's body along the ground, after which a delivery boy is admonished for being five minutes late with an order of baguettes, followed by a couple driving along a road in a convertible car. It's not exactly a thrilling or cohesive start to the film. Still, it's a pretty good indication of what is to come: a muddled, gothic-tinged, giallo-esque mystery that delivers very little in the way of genuine intrigue or excitement, from a novice film-maker who clearly has no idea what he is doing (this would be writer/director Ferruccio Casapinta's only movie).
The basic plot is straight out of a Scooby Doo episode, right down to the villain wearing a lifelike rubber mask to fool the other characters. Erna Schurer plays Elizabeth Ball Janon, who inherits her late uncle's supposedly haunted castle, which she is tempted to sell after a few unsettling nights in the place (frightening apparitions and spooky sounds pushing her to the brink). No prizes for guessing that someone is trying to scare her into putting the castle on the market so that they can get to a valuable treasure hidden within (in this case, uranium deposits in the castle catacombs).
The villain of the piece is willing to kill to secure their precious radioactive prize, but the murders in this film are totally devoid of blood. Capasinta offers up a little nudity by way of recompense (Elizabeth has a couple of erotic dreams in which she is naked), but there's not nearly enough sleaze to alleviate the boredom. Even a torture scene is frustratingly coy (and turns out to be another of Elizabeth's dreams).
Extra points are awarded for having the killer pushed onto a spear at the end by a vengeful pooch, but even then, I'm only giving this one a rating of 3/10.
The basic plot is straight out of a Scooby Doo episode, right down to the villain wearing a lifelike rubber mask to fool the other characters. Erna Schurer plays Elizabeth Ball Janon, who inherits her late uncle's supposedly haunted castle, which she is tempted to sell after a few unsettling nights in the place (frightening apparitions and spooky sounds pushing her to the brink). No prizes for guessing that someone is trying to scare her into putting the castle on the market so that they can get to a valuable treasure hidden within (in this case, uranium deposits in the castle catacombs).
The villain of the piece is willing to kill to secure their precious radioactive prize, but the murders in this film are totally devoid of blood. Capasinta offers up a little nudity by way of recompense (Elizabeth has a couple of erotic dreams in which she is naked), but there's not nearly enough sleaze to alleviate the boredom. Even a torture scene is frustratingly coy (and turns out to be another of Elizabeth's dreams).
Extra points are awarded for having the killer pushed onto a spear at the end by a vengeful pooch, but even then, I'm only giving this one a rating of 3/10.
The Doll of Satan
BandSAboutMovies14 December 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Erna Schürer (Scream of the Demon Lover) is Elizabeth Ball Janon, who has gone back to her family's castle - along with her not-to-be-trusted boyfriend Jack Seaton (Roland Carey) and their friends Gerard (Giorgio Gennari) and Blanche (Beverly Fuller) - to claim her inheritance.
The only movie from director and writer Ferruccio Casapinta, this finds everyone in the castle battling over what Elizabeth should do with the place. Her uncle's secretary Carol (Lucia Bomez) says that's what he wanted while his lawyer Mr. Shinton (Domenico Ravenna) says the opposite. Then there's Paul Reynauld (Ettore Ribotta) and Claudine (Aurora Batista), who claim that Elizabeth's uncle had already sold the castle to them.
It all seems like something out of safe detective fiction until that evening when Elizabeth goes to bed and starts having wet dreams about Jack being taken over by a ghost and treating her to some BDSM in the basement, all while Carol stops being the librarian type and gets taken by a secret lover. And would someone get that dog to stop barking?
This was probably directed by cinematographer Francesco Attenni. A lot of it is basic by-the-numbers detective giallo fiction pre-Argento, but man, there's also a moment where a Satanic gang lashes Elizabeth to a giant cross and then rips her dress off and she seemingly crosses that line from afraid to aroused. We wouldn't have the poster art without this scene and while I wish that the rest of the film kept this demented and debauched feel, you can't have peaks without valleys.
The only movie from director and writer Ferruccio Casapinta, this finds everyone in the castle battling over what Elizabeth should do with the place. Her uncle's secretary Carol (Lucia Bomez) says that's what he wanted while his lawyer Mr. Shinton (Domenico Ravenna) says the opposite. Then there's Paul Reynauld (Ettore Ribotta) and Claudine (Aurora Batista), who claim that Elizabeth's uncle had already sold the castle to them.
It all seems like something out of safe detective fiction until that evening when Elizabeth goes to bed and starts having wet dreams about Jack being taken over by a ghost and treating her to some BDSM in the basement, all while Carol stops being the librarian type and gets taken by a secret lover. And would someone get that dog to stop barking?
This was probably directed by cinematographer Francesco Attenni. A lot of it is basic by-the-numbers detective giallo fiction pre-Argento, but man, there's also a moment where a Satanic gang lashes Elizabeth to a giant cross and then rips her dress off and she seemingly crosses that line from afraid to aroused. We wouldn't have the poster art without this scene and while I wish that the rest of the film kept this demented and debauched feel, you can't have peaks without valleys.
The Doll of Satan
Tweekums27 November 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Following the death of her uncle Elizabeth inherits his castle. She heads there and is told that her uncle had been planning to sell the castle. She considers doing so but is somewhat hesitant. She learns of the castle's past; this involves the tale of a ghost and a dungeon kitted out with medieval torture equipment. As she sties to sleep she is plagued by erotic and somewhat disturbing dreams... she has no idea that she is being drugged by those wishing to buy the castle.
This Italian horror film was clearly made on a fairly low budget; this is both the film's weakness and part of its charm. The effects aren't great and in fight scenes you can see that punches frequently miss by several inches. There aren't many deaths and those that are feature almost no blood even when somebody is impaled! There is a fair amount of gratuitous nudity although it is quite moderate. The acting is what one would expect from this sort of film; it may not be the best but somewhat overacting suits the genre. Overall hardly a must see but is fun enough if you are a fan of giallo films or of '60s horror.
These comments are based on watching the Film in Italian with English subtitles.
This Italian horror film was clearly made on a fairly low budget; this is both the film's weakness and part of its charm. The effects aren't great and in fight scenes you can see that punches frequently miss by several inches. There aren't many deaths and those that are feature almost no blood even when somebody is impaled! There is a fair amount of gratuitous nudity although it is quite moderate. The acting is what one would expect from this sort of film; it may not be the best but somewhat overacting suits the genre. Overall hardly a must see but is fun enough if you are a fan of giallo films or of '60s horror.
These comments are based on watching the Film in Italian with English subtitles.
A better movie that i thought
stefanozucchelli10 April 2022
Colorful and atmospheric Italian giallo.
HumanoidOfFlesh19 April 2010
Elisabeth visits the ancestral castle for the reading of her late uncle's will.But the legend of the castle's ghost is only one of her problems-she starts having disturbing erotic nightmares and is abducted by a hooded figure who imprisons her in the torture dungeon.These vivid dreams are in fact nightmares and not a carefully stage-managed reality designed to drive her mad or to her death.Her boyfriend Jack suspects that someone is after her inheritance and begins his own investigation...Very colorful and atmospheric Italian giallo set in a medieval Italian castle with catacombs and torture devices.The killings are very tame and bloodless,there is a black-gloved killer stalking his victims and a little bit of soft eroticism.The wolves howling outside in the dark add a lot to the atmosphere.8 out of 10.
A vastly underappreciated, sweetly sadistic Gothic fantasy.
Weirdling_Wolf10 November 2022
With a cob-webbed plot creakier than Miss Marple's bowling shoes, and a deliciously Scooby Doo'd twist, director Ferruccio Casapinta's audacious hybrid of Gothic black-gloved giallo, and pulpy Edgar Wallace castle-set calamity proves to be a bit of a camp classic in spite of itself! While nowhere near as phantasmagorically perverse as, Polseli's 'Black Magic Rites!', or Bianchi's sleazy 'Satan's Baby Doll', it has a engagingly skewed Gothic vibe many Euro-schlock seekers may find irresistible! Distractingly perky blonde Elizabeth Ball Janon (Erna Schurer) inherits a forbidding castle estate worthy of Frederick Usher himself, and even before the delectable Schurer has sinuously slinked into her slinkiest of nighties, some sinister, castle-creeping creep has slipped poor Elizabeth a mickey, and she suffers the most terrible visions, her S&M tormented think sponge begins to soak up all these saucy shenanigans as some prototypically elusive Giallo misfit attempts to surreptitiously snuff out all the guests; but just who is the shadow stalking snuffer, and what exactly might their murderous agenda be?
'La Bambola Di Satana' aka 'The Doll of Satan' is a wickedly warped, captivatingly kitsch whodunnit, while ultimately a little tame, its satanic nature, no less diminutive than petite scream dream Schurer, but Ferruccio Casapinta's swinging sixties, ominously outlandish, pop-gothic mystery, with its en suite, fully loaded torture chamber, hot and cold running lunatics, 24hr meth lab, conveniently located burial plots, and tantalizingly torrid terror plots guarantees your shuddersome stay in the hysterically horror-haunted Ball Janon castle will be a far from uneventful experience! Beguilingly steeped in kinky atmosphere, this endearingly quirky 60s Italian creepshow is certainly not without its charming eccentricities, and the fabulously funky, ear-wormingly groovy score by Franco Potenza is one of the more maddeningly compelling aspects to Casapinta's vastly underappreciated, sweetly sadistic Gothic fantasy.
'La Bambola Di Satana' aka 'The Doll of Satan' is a wickedly warped, captivatingly kitsch whodunnit, while ultimately a little tame, its satanic nature, no less diminutive than petite scream dream Schurer, but Ferruccio Casapinta's swinging sixties, ominously outlandish, pop-gothic mystery, with its en suite, fully loaded torture chamber, hot and cold running lunatics, 24hr meth lab, conveniently located burial plots, and tantalizingly torrid terror plots guarantees your shuddersome stay in the hysterically horror-haunted Ball Janon castle will be a far from uneventful experience! Beguilingly steeped in kinky atmosphere, this endearingly quirky 60s Italian creepshow is certainly not without its charming eccentricities, and the fabulously funky, ear-wormingly groovy score by Franco Potenza is one of the more maddeningly compelling aspects to Casapinta's vastly underappreciated, sweetly sadistic Gothic fantasy.
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