Out of all the EXORCIST rip-offs to follow in the wake of that 1973 classic movie's success, THE TEMPTER has probably the biggest budget and is the most well-made of the bunch. That's not to say it's the most entertaining but it's certainly the most lucid. Director Alberto De Martino (also responsible for the OMEN rip-off HOLOCAUST 2000) is definitely one of Italy's most underrated cult film directors on the strength of this film alone, as he delivers an artistic and often colourful production which looks gorgeous when seen letterboxed.
The film starts off seriously and remains as such until the halfway point, which is where the cheesy special effects and blatant EXORCIST rip-off scenes enter the fray, with all manner of levitating furniture, green bile splattering the faces of unfortunate cast members, and a couple of over-the-top exorcisms to top everything off, resulting in a jolly good time for the viewer. The special effects are of the cheap and cheerful variety, employing some rather unconvincing blue-screen effects a great deal, but there's a fine macabre gag involving a disembodied hand which is worth watching for.
A really scary credits sequence - with the title displayed twice for some unfathomable reason - bodes well as the film opens. As the first half is so deadly serious, things threaten to become a bit boring after a while, however. Only the excellent B-movie cast keeps you watching, but hang on because there's not that long to wait before a superb dream sequence involving a creepy black mass in the woods comes along, complete with a guy dressed as the Devil (a British Devil, no less) who causes our anti-heroine to do all sorts of nasty things like eat a toad's head and lap up spilt blood. Throughout, the movie is bolstered by an atmospheric soundtrack of screeches, wailings, and other unnatural noises and highlighted by a strong Ennio Morricone score, two elements which probably account for most of the movie's horror content.
As the possessed girl, Carla Gravina's performance is sub-par. She fails to make the audience like or identify with the character from the start and always seems weird and unnatural even before she becomes possessed. When the demon inside her really takes hold, her overacting knows no bounds, but at least she makes up for in volume and ear-splitting sadism what she lacks as a convincing audience-friendly actress. And what a supporting cast! The ever-reliable Mel Ferrer is on hand playing Gravina's distressed father, himself having an affair with the much younger Gretel (played by giallo lovely Anita Strindberg who strips off for the part). Then there's the inimitable Arthur Kennedy as the bishop who attempts an exorcism himself and spectacularly fails and Umberto Orsini as a dedicated doctor baffled by the case. The very distinctive-looking George Coulouris has the small Father Merrin-ish part and makes a good job of it, whilst Alida Valli is understated and effective as the middle-aged housekeeper caught up in the demonic manifestations. These elements combine to make THE TEMPTER, quite literally, one hell of a good time!
The film starts off seriously and remains as such until the halfway point, which is where the cheesy special effects and blatant EXORCIST rip-off scenes enter the fray, with all manner of levitating furniture, green bile splattering the faces of unfortunate cast members, and a couple of over-the-top exorcisms to top everything off, resulting in a jolly good time for the viewer. The special effects are of the cheap and cheerful variety, employing some rather unconvincing blue-screen effects a great deal, but there's a fine macabre gag involving a disembodied hand which is worth watching for.
A really scary credits sequence - with the title displayed twice for some unfathomable reason - bodes well as the film opens. As the first half is so deadly serious, things threaten to become a bit boring after a while, however. Only the excellent B-movie cast keeps you watching, but hang on because there's not that long to wait before a superb dream sequence involving a creepy black mass in the woods comes along, complete with a guy dressed as the Devil (a British Devil, no less) who causes our anti-heroine to do all sorts of nasty things like eat a toad's head and lap up spilt blood. Throughout, the movie is bolstered by an atmospheric soundtrack of screeches, wailings, and other unnatural noises and highlighted by a strong Ennio Morricone score, two elements which probably account for most of the movie's horror content.
As the possessed girl, Carla Gravina's performance is sub-par. She fails to make the audience like or identify with the character from the start and always seems weird and unnatural even before she becomes possessed. When the demon inside her really takes hold, her overacting knows no bounds, but at least she makes up for in volume and ear-splitting sadism what she lacks as a convincing audience-friendly actress. And what a supporting cast! The ever-reliable Mel Ferrer is on hand playing Gravina's distressed father, himself having an affair with the much younger Gretel (played by giallo lovely Anita Strindberg who strips off for the part). Then there's the inimitable Arthur Kennedy as the bishop who attempts an exorcism himself and spectacularly fails and Umberto Orsini as a dedicated doctor baffled by the case. The very distinctive-looking George Coulouris has the small Father Merrin-ish part and makes a good job of it, whilst Alida Valli is understated and effective as the middle-aged housekeeper caught up in the demonic manifestations. These elements combine to make THE TEMPTER, quite literally, one hell of a good time!