Les possédées du diable (1974)

Director:

Jesus Franco

Writers:

Jesus Franco
Nicole Guettard
(more)

Release Date:

February 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Plot:

A man is tormented by an ex-lover, Lorna, who is some kind of witch. She has a strange power over a number of women in the film, including the man's daughter, Linda.

Plot Keywords:

Daughter | Possession | Vacation | Birthday | Cockroach

Cast

Pamela Stanford	...	Lorna Green
Guy Delorme	...	Patrick Mariel
Lina Romay	...	Linda Mariel
Jacqueline Laurent	...	Marianne Mariel
Richard Bigotini	...	Hotel Porter
Catherine Lafferière	...	Mad woman
Howard Vernon	...	Maurizius, Lorna's butler
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jesus Franco	...	Doctor
Raymond Hardy	...	Doctor's assistant
Caroline Rivière

Directed by
Jesus Franco		(as Clifford Brown)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Robert de Nesle
Jesus Franco		(as Jesus Franco Manera)
Nicole Guettard		(as Nicole Franco)

Produced by
Robert de Nesle	....	producer

Original Music by
André Bénichou
Robert de Nesle

Cinematography by
Étienne Rosenfeld

Film Editing by
Gérard Kikoïne

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Richard Bigotini	....	assistant director (as Richard de Conninck)

Camera and Electrical Department
Howard Vernon	....	still photographer (as Mario Lippert)

Distributors

• Cine III (1976) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Frontier Amusements (1977) (Canada) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Mangue-Pistache (1991) (worldwide) (all media)
• Mondo Macabro (2010) (USA) (DVD)
• Video Search of Miami (2009) (USA) (DVD) (subtitled)

Also Known As:

"Linda" - USA (dubbed version)
"Lorna . . . the Exorcist" - USA (restored version)

Runtime:

81 min | Sweden:97 min (heavily cut)

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Sweden:15 | USA:X

Movie Connections:

Remade as Incubus (2002)

It's all about crabs...

No, this is not another European cash-in on "The Exorcist", unlike what it's title may suggest. It is, however, the most disturbing and shocking Jess Franco film I've seen. Hell, it is one of the most disturbing horrors I've seen, which is surprising considering this is a virtually bloodless film. It's horror relies, instead, in it's totally demented instances of psychosexual hysteria that can also be found in works such as "Possession" or "Dr. Jekyll and his Women". Franco haters tend to dismiss his work as amateurish and crude, and this criticism can be applied, in a way, to this film in particular. However, in this case, it works in favor of the film, coming across as making it's raw, gritty atmosphere all the more authentic. André Bénichou's haunting, experimental score also adds a lot to it. And for those who think Lina Romay has little to do in the director's works other than having to masturbate in close-ups, her performance here is a truly stunning tour-de-force that has to be seen to be believed, up there with other portrayals of sexually frustrated women in horror films, such as Catherine Denueve in "Repulsion" or Mimsy Farmer in "The Perfume of the Lady in Black". Her sex scenes with the equally bewildering Pamela Stanford (the titular villain), though graphic, are anything but sexy, and her final, extended "intimate" sequence is bound to make your jaw drop to the floor, not only because of what is shown, but also because of it's context. And that's not even the film's most shocking bit to begin with (anyone who's seen the film know about THE particular scene I'm referring to, and I dare not spoil it for those who haven't seen it). "Lorna the Exorcist" seems to have some kind of popularity with Franco haters, so I beg you to give it a shot. Even if you don't like it at all, one can't deny it will haunt you for days to follow.