10/10/16

Night of the Devils


Sadly, I don't have time to review 1972's Night of the Devils (the "the" is optional), but I wanted to acknowledge it.  There are scads of ambrosial Italian horror films that get passed over in favor of the ones we've all digested.

This ditty was directed by Giorgio Ferroni, the man who delivered 1960's Mill of the Stone Women to our collective doorstep.  I didn't care for that picture.  I recall it slogging through my brain like the mantle cavity of a mollusk with puffy gonads.  Ah, but this spookshow is catered to my interests (wurdulaks, spellbinding redheads, quaint forest funerals, forced incest).  Speaking of wurdulaks, which is something I've always wanted to say, Night of the Devils is based on the same A.K. Tolstoy novella that Black Sabbath's "The Wurdulak" is (loosely) based on.

I'm referring to a vignette in a Mario Bava anthology, not a Black Sabbath song.  If you didn't already know that, retreat!  Anyway, this is an engaging, atmospheric vampire roguery. It's a slow burn, so you might have to hold its hand for awhile. There are spurts of dramatic gore, however.  Night of the Devils is worth a shot, is what I'm trying to impart.  Huh, I guess this could have been a Blood Capsule, but I have other content in the pipeline. Don't freak out.

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