Lisa and the Devil

I wanted to watch something so I blindly chose:

Lisa and the Devil (1973).

I was aware of this horror title but I knew nothing about this movie. Turns out it is co-written and directed by the legendary Mario Bava, who has appeared on this blog at least four times.

This is the story: Lisa Reiner (Elke Sommer) is on holiday in Toledo, Spain. There she sees a famous fresco called “The Devil takes the dead”, which disturbs her. The devil is portrayed as a leering, bald man and Lisa quickly wants to go somewhere else. Wandering away from the tourist group, she finds a small shop selling all kinds of things. The owner is apparently also a maker of mannequins and to her horror the owner is talking shop with a customer who is a dead ringer for the devil from the fresco. This is Leandro played by Telly Savalas. Lisa flees from the shop but gets lost and can't find the tour group.

Suddenly a well dressed man appears and talks to her as if they are old friends, calling her Elena. She flees again and encounters a wealthy couple and their chauffeur. She begs them for help and the husband, Francis, agrees to give her a ride. Soon the car breaks down outside an ancient villa and they are invited to stay the night. To Lisa's shock, the butler of the house is non other than Leandro! Soon people are killed, and the mystery deepens. Why do some people call her Elena? Why is Max, the son of the countess who owns the villa so in love with her? Is Leandro the devil himself, or just a butler with a very sardonic and macabre sense of humor? You'll have to watch it to find out.

Since this is a Mario Bava movie it came as no surprise to me that Lisa and the Devil is a gorgeous film. Shot after shot are beautiful and actually the best part of the movie. There can be no doubt that Bava was a master craftsman, and he proves it here yet again.

The actors range from very good to decent. Savalas, Sommer and Alida Valli (the countess) are excellent, while Alessio Orano (Max) and Eduardo Fajardo (Francis) are more hammy and less enjoyable.

Overall, Lisa and the Devil is a mixed bag for me. The story could have been a lot better, with the middle dragging surprisingly much. With the focus on the story being Lisa, I would have liked it if she would have done something besides run around in a state of panic and confusion as well as fainting a lot, but alas.

I'm not the kind of movie watcher who wants everything explained down to the last detail, but I find that Lisa and the Devil leaves a bit too much of the story a mystery. Watching it you can easily accept some things as fact but only by not asking any more questions.

On the other hand, the atmosphere is excellent and Telly Savalas steals every scene he's in. Fun fact: Savalas had just quit smoking, so he used suckers (or lollipops) as a substitute, so Leandro cheerfully sucks on the candy while “taking care of business”. This trait was something he moved over to his most famous role, the TV detective Kojak.

So, do I recommend this movie? Yes and no. If you are on a Bava completionist journey, then I think you're going to have a good time, but I fear most casual viewers are going to be bored. Lisa and the Devil is not a bad movie, but it could also be a lot better, though it has to be admitted that ending was surprisingly good considering the slow story.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time and until then, have a great week!