The Possession of Virginia

This is a somewhat mild and disinterested supernatural "thriller" that seems more interested in providing a little nudity and a groovy vibe until it wakes up towards the end. The acting is above average (and I even liked the rather flat, nonchalant English dubbing), the main performers (who went on to significant careers) are attractive, but the film just doesn't take itself seriously enough to create any real atmosphere or tension--every time the sinister "little old lady" turns up, she's treated as whimsically as if she were Miss Marple. The busy soundtrack is a somewhat bewildering music of forward-thinking funk/soul, Francopop, and a lot of other stuff, with the occasional fun scene at a discotheque or party. But generally it's a pleasant, too-sluggish exercise in which clearly all those involved had too much contempt for the genre to care about treating it seriously. My rating would have been a four, but then the climactic Satanic orgy/rite works up quite a froth of psychedelic-erotic excess, and the subsequent double-twist coda provides another real uptick--not enough to redeem the whole film, but enough to send you out smiling.

"The Possession of Virginia" is a pretty rare Satanic horror mystery which involves two apparent suicides,a pact made with the Devil and a private investigation of a journalist named Paul.Somebody kills his cat via poison.There is also a psychedelic orgy of Satan worshippers that is admittedly sleazy.Unfortunately the action moves at snail's pace and some scenes are truly boring.The only English video release of this film under the title "The Possession of Virginia" has been heavily censored.However I have seen an uncut French version of "Satan's Sabbath".So if you are a fan of Satanic horror sub-genre you may give this one a chance.I was a bit disappointed,though.5 out of 10.

Pilon (leading man in most Quebec films of the 70's) is caught up in a secret cult that wants him dead. The film is dubbed and contains some gore, but the canadian video print is the TV print so the ending is butched and edited to the point of not making the film any sense. (the film doesn't even have a end credit) This film does have that morbid Canadian feel to it, that gives it a creepy edge.