Possible minor spoilers.
This sleazy Italian Exorcist rip-off is nothing if not weird. After a credits sequence that wallops us with the title not once but TWICE, we meet bitter, wheelchair-bound Ippolita Oderisi (Carla Gravina). After undergoing regressive hypnosis, she becomes possessed by the devil, grabs her crotch, vomits, attacks people, and performs various other antisocial acts. Toads are decapitated, green puke is consumed ("Lick it!"), and Ippolita's sex drive hits warp speed. Then, with a Rosemary's Baby transition, we are presented with the infamous "Orgy in Hell"--apparently hell is a misty purple forest where blue-skinned people have choreographed sex. So it's time to call in the exorcist...and another...and another...and Alida Valli, too!
The Tempter really isn't as bad as some would have it. It's not a great movie, but it's compellingly audacious, with a few visual flourishes (note the Argento-style red wall). The plot structure is sometimes confusing, as certain scenes appear to repeat (especially when Ippolita wears the same hideously ugly dress to dinner twice). A lot of the visual effects seem to be back-projected and look rather odd, and the makeups are quite effective. One highlight of the film is the hilarious dubbed obscenities spewed at every turn ("She is a big whore, your niece!"); one wonders how many liberties the translators were taking.
This solid stomach-turner--which many say was actually the first blatant Exorcist rip-off--is worth seeing for trashfiends. Yes, it's derivative and sometimes silly, but not without entertainment value and some originality. Some parts are actually pretty tense and scary. Keep an open mind, and you may enjoy this oh-so-Italian sexual scuzzball.
This sleazy Italian Exorcist rip-off is nothing if not weird. After a credits sequence that wallops us with the title not once but TWICE, we meet bitter, wheelchair-bound Ippolita Oderisi (Carla Gravina). After undergoing regressive hypnosis, she becomes possessed by the devil, grabs her crotch, vomits, attacks people, and performs various other antisocial acts. Toads are decapitated, green puke is consumed ("Lick it!"), and Ippolita's sex drive hits warp speed. Then, with a Rosemary's Baby transition, we are presented with the infamous "Orgy in Hell"--apparently hell is a misty purple forest where blue-skinned people have choreographed sex. So it's time to call in the exorcist...and another...and another...and Alida Valli, too!
The Tempter really isn't as bad as some would have it. It's not a great movie, but it's compellingly audacious, with a few visual flourishes (note the Argento-style red wall). The plot structure is sometimes confusing, as certain scenes appear to repeat (especially when Ippolita wears the same hideously ugly dress to dinner twice). A lot of the visual effects seem to be back-projected and look rather odd, and the makeups are quite effective. One highlight of the film is the hilarious dubbed obscenities spewed at every turn ("She is a big whore, your niece!"); one wonders how many liberties the translators were taking.
This solid stomach-turner--which many say was actually the first blatant Exorcist rip-off--is worth seeing for trashfiends. Yes, it's derivative and sometimes silly, but not without entertainment value and some originality. Some parts are actually pretty tense and scary. Keep an open mind, and you may enjoy this oh-so-Italian sexual scuzzball.