| Exorcism (1974) Dir: Jess Franco Cast: Lina Romay, Jess Franco, Catherine Laferriere, Nadine Pascal Not Rated, Approx: 94 mins. Synapse Films DVD |
| Matt's Rating: *** (out of 5) |
| Reviewed by Matt Serafini 02/24/02 |
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| Jess Franco's films range in quality, he has his highs and his lows and this little piece of misogyny falls somewhere in the middle, perhaps more on the positive side of things than on the negative. Fans of euro sleaze will definitely enjoy this one, it's quite an exploitative film but what really surprises about Exorcism is that it's actually saying something. Perhaps there are films less crude and more competent that has conveyed themes similar to Exorcism but those who enjoy immoral sleaze typical of Mr. Franco should have a great time with this one. Loaded with nudity, sex, torture, orgies, and sadistic killings and moving at a slow pace, those familiar with the director's work will know what to expect here, plenty of exploitation mixed with some ineptly staged murders. Mr. Franco moves in front of the camera to star as Paul Vogel, a somewhat deranged individual who writes sleazy fiction for a French sex magazine. When Vogel's editor stages a series of phony satanic rituals to excite a group of bored, upper class citizens, Vogel becomes convinced that all those involved with the rituals have succumbed to demonic possession. Before long Vogel takes to the streets hunting down the participants and slaughtering them in an attempt to free their souls from damnation. It's revealed that Vogel is an ex-priest removed from the church due to his extremist beliefs. He is a man disgusted by immorality plaguing today's society. Everywhere Vogel looks he sees the devil and vows to put a stop to him by doing his part in 'cleansing' those who have been 'taken' by him. Frequent Franco collaborator Lina Romay is also onboard as Anna, who Vogel becomes obsessed with 'saving'. Exorcism is part typical Franco and part atypical Franco, if you'll follow me here. It's pretty much a standard yarn with lots and lots of nudity (mostly provided by Romany and Catherine Laferriere) and some rather unconvincing gore effects. What really stands out is the fact that Franco's Paul Vogel is a rather interesting character. Hard to take 100% seriously, the character is at least interesting to watch. Vogel's old world Catholic beliefs melding with 1970's Europe is too much for this guy to handle but of course he's not exactly a victim either. Vogel is a twisted individual that gets off on torturing his female victims like a member of the Spanish Inquisition. We're also treated to our share of cutout characters, from the wooden victims of Vogel to the extremely dull detectives. Even Lina Romay's Anna is hardly more than a nice set of tits. I'm not carping though, all of the lesbianism, group sex and kinky whippings do make for interesting viewing and help to offset the silly killings and the hilariously awful climax (complete with the phoniest gunshot you've ever heard and some hilarious dialogue). All in all Exorcism is Franco in a nutshell, some moments that are really well done combined with moments that are laughably awful. Exorcism is well worth the watch if Franco is your cup of tea or you're just hard up for some exploitation. There are several versions of this film existing all over the world (like a lot of Franco's stuff) from a hardcore porn version to a release titled Demoniac here in the US which drastically changed the story to paint Vogel as an escaped mental patient murdering hookers! The Synapse DVD release is a pretty good little package though. It's a widescreen print and includes an audio commentary by Franco himself! It's pretty hard not to like this film (unless Jess Franco isn't your cup of tea-and that is obviously true for very many people) as it's got a lot going for it. Thought it's impressive at times, it's just rather hard to take any of it very seriously but in my opinion, that's part of the fun. |