La bambola di Satana (1969)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Ferruccio Casapinta

Genre:

Horror

Cast

Erna Schürer	...	Elisabeth
Roland Carey	...	Jack
Aurora Battista
Ettore Ribotta
Lucia Bomez		(as Lucie Bomez)
Manlio Salvatori
Franco Daddi
Beverly Fuller
Eugenio Galadini
Giorgio Gennari
Domenico Ravenna
Teresa Ronchi
Giovanni Ivan Scratuglia

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Company:

Italnord

Good atmosphere but not a decent plot to go with it

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.