The House of Exorcism

Rating:
Summary: I EXORCISE YOU FROM THIS HOUSE FOREVER!
Review: This DVD double feature of LISA AND THE DEVIL and the remix HOUSE OF EXORCISM is the only way to see Mario Bava's masterpiece! Anyway, LISA AND THE DEVIL is a dazzling horror movie made the only way that Mario Bava could possibly direct it. It's like PSYCHO by way of the Brothers Grimm: Lisa Reiner (Elke Sommer), a tourist lost in Toledo, Spain, encounters a blind Contessa and her unbalanced son and their lollipop-sucking butler (Telly "Kojak" Savalas), along with a whole mess of bizarre occurances. This movie defies all logical explaination; you must see it to believe it. Telly Savalas is the highlight of the movie; he steals every scene he appears in (This is where he discovered what would become Kojak's trademark!).
As for HOUSE OF EXORCISM, it is one of the better Italian imitations of THE EXORCIST, with a great performance by Robert Alda as the priest who must deal with a possessed Lisa. Unfortunately, the re-editing takes away much of the mysticism of LISA and often comes off as ridiculously humorous. However, this movie comes with a commentary by Sommer and producer Alfredo Leone which is a must for Bavaphiles and film buffs alike.
Of all the Mario Bava movies that have come out on DVD that I own, I have to say that LISA AND THE DEVIL/HOUSE OF EXORCISM is the most essential. I also recommend the following: Dario Argento's SUSPIRIA, Lucio Fulci's THE BEYOND, Don Coscarelli's PHANTASM, and of course, Sam Raimi's THE EVIL DEAD. In fact, watch all of these together for some real spooky horror-movie fun!

Rating:
Summary: Great 70's Horror
Review: This film is really impressive in that it sets up a mood which flows through the entire movie. While "Lisa and the Devil" moves along at the speed of a PBS documentary "House of Exorcism" has great pacing and I found myself always wondering what was going to happen next. It is also sexier than "Lisa" since a couple scenes (Including one by Elke Sommer) are lacking in "Lisa". The romantic music of Rodriguez is put to good use here in establishing an atmosphere along with a great use of color. Highly recommended example of 70's euro-horror and Elke Sommer fans.

Rating:
Summary: Bava's best and worst at once
Review: This is a marvelous DVD; the kind you wish they'd issue for many films, exhibiting the director's original vision and the butchery that was eventually released.

LISA AND THE DEVIL, as you surely know, is the "true" film and it is a marvel. A beautiful, haunting film that moves along with the pace of a dream and, indeed, the film itself is a dream of sorts. Much like David Lynch's LOST HIGHWAY, the viewer cannot discern reality from fantasy, and due to the beauty of the film, s/he does not want to. You simply enjoy the ride. Marvelous sets, superb direction, themes of incest, murder, and necrophilia reminiscent of PSYCHO make for possibly the best Bava film available.

HOUSE OF EXORCISM, on the other hand, is an abortion. A disgusting example of a butchered vision thrown together to feed to an audience hungry for films like THE EXORCIST. On its own, not even worth watching for the sake of comparison. What makes this two-fer disc worthwhile, though, is the commentary track on HOUSE... by producer Leone and Elke Sommer. Leone gives a marvelous account of both the filming of LISA... and the extra footage shot 18 months later for HOUSE... Leone himself basically says, "We did it for the money. We couldn't sell LISA..."

Well, buy this film for LISA AND DEVIL. You're not likely to find any other film like it. Hell is a nightmare. You wake up just to find it's beginning all over again.

Rating:
Summary: HMMM???
Review: This is an exceptional film. I am not going to explain myself as I don't have the foggiest as to what the film 'means' or what Mario Bava's case was with this one. It contains brilliantly staged setpieces, an exuberance of that wonderfully tacky seventies fringe movie atmosphere and makes absolutely no narrative sense whatsoever. This is one of the ultimate 'wee hours' movies. Watch. Proceed to scratch head.