Horror Extreme Movie Catalog

Image did a pretty good job at remastering this flick , sure there are flaws but still it looks very watchable. On vhs it was hideous to look at. They actually cleaned the print up considerably. It is a great gothic horror flick from 1970's with creepy performances from Erica blanc , and others including the guy who plays Satan himself. It has it's roots in classic horror and the story reeks of good atmosphere. What's great about this dvd is that gothic horror that takes place in a old castle with a good simple story is a rarity today. This is worth seeing for fans of that type of horror definitely.

THE DEVIL'S NIGHTMARE (aka THE DEVIL WALKS AT MIDNIGHT)

YEAR: 1971
RUNTIME: 93 minutes
COUNTRY: Belgium/Italy

THE PLOT: Seven people are forced to spend the night in some eerie castle in Europe. The devil sends a succubus to kill each one that indulges in one or more of the seven deadly sins (lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath [i.e. hatred, unrighteous anger & grumbling], envy/jealousy and pride).

COMMENTARY: Wow, this is a real hidden gem of gothic horror. It has a great cast and story and was filmed in a real castle. The people and the sins they indulge in are as follows:

(1.) Bus driver: gluttony.

(2.) Angry wife: greed, jealousy (although her husband gives her good reason to be jealous), envy (of the beauty of the other women) and anger (I don't think she smiles once, except when she's swimming in gold).

(3.) Husband: lust -- adultery.

(4.) Brunette: Lust -- lesbianism & adultery.

(5.) Blond: Sloth, lust -- lesbianism.

(6.) Old man: wrath -- excessive grumbling & negativity.

(7.) Priest-in-training: Although he flirts with pride (listen to him during the chess match) and lust (for the redhead) he evidently never commits a mortal sin (or, if he does, he humbly & quickly repents rather than revel in it like the others).

[MINOR SPOILER ALERT] Note that the minister willing sacrifices himself to perdition to prevent the other six from being damned. This is an example of agape love and displays a true Christ-like heart. Paul the apostle had the same spirit as evidenced in Romans 9:3. [END SPOILER].

HIGHLIGHTS: The film features three incredibly gorgeous women -- a blond, brunette and redhead, no less. The succubus is the redhead, played by Erika Blanc. All three are voluptuous; each possessing a very distinctive beauty. NOTE TO MEN: It goes without saying that if you struggle with lust you might want to skip this one, especially in light of a fairly overt lesbian scene (which they end up dying for, so no can argue that the film advocates the practice, no more than it advocates any other sin depicted, like gluttony, adultery, greed and grumbling).

Another highlight is Erika Blanc's subtle make-up as the succubus combined with her amazing ability to contort her face from stunningly sharp to utterly hideous. Seriously, I NEVER get frightened by horror films, but when Erika morphs into the succubus and hideously contorts her face, it's absolutely CHILLING.

TECHNICAL INFO: Some versions of the film have a tasteless porno-horror "intro" tacked on. This "intro" is not part of the original picture and simply has no business being there; in fact, it horribly mars it. No doubt is was tacked on by some latter-day producer in order to excite pre-pubescent boys ("Oooh, that's cooooool!"). The version featured with "Messiah of Evil" doesn't have this silly intro, but the sound quality isn't very good. I saw another version that has the intro but the sound quality was fine.

FYI: The original title translated to English is "The Long Night of the Devil" or "The Devil's Longest Night." I feel the title "The Devil's Nightmare" is weak and much prefer another alternative title "The Devil Walks at Midnight."

FINAL ANALYSIS: Since this is a European picture from the early 70s, it's understandably dated, dubbed and slow-paced. The viewer must keep this in mind to appreciate it. Many themes are touched upon: Does God exist? What about the devil and his demonic servants? Can he be trusted to 'make a deal' with? (Yeah, right). Is there such a thing as sin? And, if so, what are its consequences? Another fascinating theme touched upon is human nature and the continual conflict between spiritual and carnal qualities that we can all relate to. The film also powerfully addresses the incredible self-sacrificial nature of agape love -- love in it's highest and purest form.

Make no mistake, this is a powerful piece of gothic-horror cinema, perhaps even a masterpiece.