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Exorcism
Directed By Juan Bosch
Released: 1975
Starring: Paul Naschy, Grace Mills, María Kosty, and Maria Perschy
Running Time: 89 minutes
DVD Studio: BCI / Deimos
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After getting high at a black mass, Leila (played by
Grace Mills) and her fiancé, Richard, get into a car accident. Afterwards,
Leila begins to exhibit strange behavior and a change in personality. Her
mother, Patricia, asks Father Adrian (Paul Naschy), to come and speak to
Leila, who may only be reacting to her car accident or grieving over the
recent passing of her father. Father Adrian has trouble getting Leila to
speak to him and her overprotective brother, John, is no help either. When
John turns up dead and Leila’s behavior begins to worsen, Father Adrian
believes that she may be possessed by an evil spirit.
I have to confess that I have an inexplicable affinity for European clones
of The Exorcist.
For some reason these lighter versions of the film just strike a chord
with me. My favorites are
The Antichrist and the chilling
(and delightfully cheesy) Beyond The
Door. When I found out that Paul
Naschy had written and starred in a Spanish exorcism flick, I just had to
check it out.
Director Juan Bosch (The Killer With A
Thousand Eyes) brings this awkward
genre oddity to life. The film has a very atmospheric punch to it and an
undeniably European feel. The rickety plot is a little off (a possessed
dog and that confusing final shot) and oh man, those day-for-night
filters. The original Exorcist
is blatantly borrowed from but Exorcism
has its own agenda. Both the attention-grabbing soundtrack and the swaying
Satanists are just so dang wild.
Paul Naschy (Werewolf
Shadow) is excellent in this film and his character is
very well written. Father Adrian wants to help Leila and her family but
his approach is very gentle and caring. He doesn’t want to impose his
opinion on anyone unless he feels they really need help. And when it comes
time to kick some paranormal ass, well, the man does what needs to be
done.
Grace Mills does a fine job as Leila, a girl possessed by the spirit of
her dead father (not the devil for a change). The dynamic role of Leila
gives Mills a chance to go through a wide range of emotions and act her
butt off underneath a ton of nasty friggin’ makeup which she pulls off
superbly. The rest of the cast is decent but it’s really Naschy and
Mills’s show.
While not a great film by any means,
Exorcism is still holds a unique
place in the Naschy canon. It gives the actor a chance to show that he
could be subtle (and not turn into a werewolf) even when the film is not.
Unfortunately, the plot feels pretty rushed and there are some details
that need expanding. I think this would be a terrible starting point for
folks interested in Naschy (try Horror
Rises From The Tomb for that) but if
you’re down with “Exorcist Lite” movies like I am, then give this one a
spin.
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DVD Stuff:
Deimos has done an incredible job restoring
Exorcism.
The print is in full frame (its original aspect ratio) and looks nearly
immaculate. The image is sharp, the colors are deep, and there are hardly
any scratches or print damage of any kind to be found. Audio is very nice
as well with only some muffled dialogue in the English dubbing to contend
with. The Spanish audio with English subtitles is also available on the
disc. Extras include a trailer for Exorcism, an Interview with Paul Naschy,
a very cool poster gallery, and a stills gallery. There is also a booklet
featuring excellent liner notes by Mirek Lipinski of
The Mark
Of Naschy.
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Links:
Get this DVD from
Xploited Cinema.
Or check out
Deimos DVD.
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Quotes:
Father Adrian: “Demon from Hell, you’ll not deceive me. She is not guilty.
It’s you, because you’re inside her.”
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