THE ANTICHRIST

(A.k.a. THE TEMPTER; L'ANTICRISTO; BLASPHEMY)

Ippolita (Carla Gravina) was crippled at age 12 in a car crash caused by her father, Massimo (Mel Ferrer). The crash left Ippolita without the use of her legs and killed her mother. For his part, Massimo has been wracked with guilt ever since.

We first meet Ippolita and Massimo at a shrine where they hope that contact with a statue of the Virgin Mary will bring back the use of Ippolita's legs. Unfortunately the surrounding mass of religious nuts gets a little too much for Ippolita to bear and Massimo drags her away, taking her back to the safety of their huge home (though not before they - and we - get to witness a God-fearing nut throw himself off the top of a nearby dwelling).

Back home, Ippolita retires to her room, not wanting the pity of brusque housemaid Irene (Alida Valli) or wicked stepmother-to-be Greta (Anita Strindberg).

Ippolita is so upset to be back at home in her wheelchair, and so concerned with her father's growing infatuation with Greta, that she goes to visit her uncle for comfort. Her uncle, Bishop Ascanio (Arthur Kennedy) tells her that she "must have faith" when they inevitably debate over the existence of God, then suggests that her possessive streak towards her Dad is "abnormal". Some comfort he provides!

But Ascanio is clearly perturbed after his tryst with Ippolita and meets with his brother Massimo shortly afterwards to discuss the best way forward. He suggests that Ippolita is psychologically disturbed and recommends that Massimo holds a dinner party, where they can "accidentally" introduce psychiatrist Marcello (Umberto Orsini) to her.

Massimo promptly arranges this and Ippolita soon guesses that Marcello has been introduced to her by design. Regardless, she retires with him to a quieter part of her father's estate and they discuss her issues. Suggesting that her paralysis is perhaps a mental disability, Marcello has persuades Ippolita to try hypnotherapy. This prompts a flashback to the accident itself.

Feeling rather pleased with himself, Marcello then asks Ippolita to go "beyond your childhood", encouraging her to regress under hypnosis to a possible former life. This time the flashback is more sensational, revealing that Ippolita was formally a blonde witch convicted at the stake. Crikey.

Marcello meets with Ascanio and Massimo the following day to give them his "hypothesis". He suggests possession, which in turn prompts Ascanio to reveal secret papers that reveal their family have been prone to possession throughout the generations. In particular, he points to one ancestor who not only looks like Ippolita but lived and died in strikingly similar circumstances …

But Massimo is not happy to think of his daughter being possessed. As she lies in her bed oblivious to the conversations being shared by he, Ascanio and Marcello, the question rises - is she simply mad? Or is there a demon inside her? Or is merely her family genes?

Thankfully the pace finally picks up around this point (37 minutes in, to be more precise) and the film gradually becomes more fun finding out. The funny stuff begins with Ippolita suffering a surreal dream while disrobing herself on her bed. From thereon in, the film picks up steam and becomes more visually satisfying throughout its increasingly baroque set pieces.

Of course, the counter to this is that the carefully laid backbone of a plot is soon thrown to the wind as the final hour of the film gets more episodic and less comprehensible as a result. It doesn't matter too much, as the primitive FX, minor gore and sleazy nudity keep things ticking over nicely.

A nihilistic last-minute finale is obvious given the 1974 origins of the film, and it's clear to see that director Alberto De Martino has taken the box office success of THE EXORCIST as his springboard for the madness that escalates here. If anything though, the OTT imagery in THE ANTICHRIST is more akin to the strange, flesh-obsessed visuals of Ken Russell's THE DEVILS.

In many ways, THE ANTICHRIST is more enjoyable than THE EXORCIST. It's certainly less portentous and therefore arguably more sincere, accepting that it's a cheap exploitation flick and rarely trying to be anything but. It's shorter, and it has a more animated female lead.

Visually the film is schizophrenic. The dream sequences are ethereal and Gothic, displaying at times great flair. Exterior shots and long tracking shots of beautiful interior designs recall Argento in his heyday. But unfortunately, this is all offset by De Martino's lack of interest in conversation passages of the film. Consequently, when people are speaking the direction is as flat as an episode of COLUMBO.

The cult casting is great, a real treat for fans of Euroschlock. Even though everyone in the film looks either drugged (Valli; Ferrer) or slightly embarrassed (Kennedy). Gravina is the only real disappointment, lacking charm as Ippolita and therefore destroying any hopes of eliciting sympathy from the audience.

But, being realistic about why you'd sit through this 103-minute cheesefest, Gravina looks good naked and knows how to scream a lot. The horror scenes are melodramatic and sometimes even effective, while the hokum religious speak is always amusing and ham-fisted enough to avoid it ever being preachy.

A mess, but a fun one. THE ANTICHRIST is uneven and sporadic, which is a shame ultimately as there are moments approaching genuine blasphemous brilliance.

The film is presented uncut in anamorphic 1.78:1 and looks good, with bright colours and reasonable sharpness. It's not the cleanest print, with the occasional specks being evident, but an improvement on previous presentations.

The English mono track is decent enough, with no discernible problems to report of.

A static main menu leads into a static scene-selection menu allowing access to the film via 8 chapters.

There are no extras on this disc.

A decent presentation of an enjoyably ridiculous film. THE ANTICHRIST surprises with moments of visual wonder and exploitation marvel, but is an uneven ride. Worth watching simply for the great cast though.

Review by Stu Willis