GamerTab That was an excellent one.

GarnettTeenage The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

Sharkflei Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

Aubrey Hackett While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Stevieboy666 A bus load of tourists spend the night at an impressive Gothic castle, the home to Baron von Rhoneberg who has a family curse due to an ancestor making a pact with the Devil centuries before. The Baron also dabbles in alchemy, which doesn't add much to the plot but is a good excuse to have a laboratory complete with human skeleton, etc. Not long in and two young sexy members of the group indulge in some lesbian love making. This isn't particularly graphic. This is by no means a classic of European Gothic horror but it's still an enjoyable watch. There's plenty of creepy atmosphere, some gory deaths and a few beautiful young women in the cast, including the stunning Erika Blanc. Daniel Emilfork gives a great performance as Satan in human form, very creepy.

Nigel P 1971. No wonder so many horror films released at this time sank without trace. No DVDs, no VHS releases. The only time to catch these films was by seeing them at the cinema (or waiting for a possible television showing years later) – and there were so many. 1971 was like an Indian summer for horror – something of a last gasp, but a hugely prolific one.This Belgian/Italian offering is directed by Jean Brismée and also known as 'La Terrificante Notte del Demonio'. It boasts a terrific soundtrack composed by Alessandro Alessandroni (with mesmerising vocals from his sister Giulia.) Following a harrowing scene were, during a World War 2 air-raid, a woman dies delivering a child which is then stabbed to death by Baron von Rhoneberg (Jean Servais), we are brought up to date when a bus load of lost tourists arrives at the Baron's castle, in search of somewhere to stay for the night. He is an alchemist in the grip of a curse involving a deal with the Devil, who has demanded the eldest daughter of each generation becomes a succubus.As the tourists are shown to their rooms, the sinister butler Hans (Maurice De Groote) gives them a gruesome history of each room – such morbid, relentless tales become somewhat ludicrous in the telling; there is barely a curtain or a slab of stone that doesn't hold some macabre secret – and each time, a claw-like pattern is left at the scene.Into this classic setting, the tourists – including a feuding husband and wife, two attractive young women who discover they are lesbians (leading to inevitable softcore scenes), and a Richard Chamberlain-like priest – then meet a new guest. Lisa Müller (Erika Blanc) immediately attracts attention from the men and a certain jealousy from the women. Blanc's sultry, pout-some presence and typically exotic, revealing clothing – as well as the way she moves lizard-like amongst them – sets her apart from the ordinary. Could she be the legendary succubus? Her transformation from lithe, mysterious seductress into a mad-eyed, chiselled malignant spirit is hugely effective, a triumph of minimalist make-up and a powerhouse performance. Scary and deadly as she is, she isn't quite the main monster here, for Satan himself appears. Another supremely frightening performance, this time from the skeletal (Daniel Emilfork) ensures we don't forget the appearance of the Devil in any hurry – it is he who orchestrates events that land the tourists into the castle in the first place, and then to a more permanent state in a twist ending.Ironically, only Müller and the priest (Jacques Monseau) remain at the end. Only after reading a synopsis of 'The Devil's Nightmare' did I realise a further detail to this excellent, underrated euro-film – each death represents one of the Seven Deadly Sins, with the Priest volunteering to sacrifice his soul to save the others, representing Pride. A highly recommended low budget frightener.

Wuchak THE DEVIL'S NIGHTMARE (1971; 93 minutes; Belgium/Italy) THE PLOT: Seven people are forced to spend the night in some eerie castle. 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, envy/jealousy and pride).COMMENTARY: Wow, this is a real hidden gem of Gothic horror. It has a great cast & story and was filmed in a real castle. The people and the sins they indulge in are as follows: Pride - Alvin, the Seminarian Envy - Corinne (the hot brunette), the collector of men Gluttony - Mr. Ducha, the Tour Driver Lust - Howard Foster, Corinne's last addition to her collection Anger - Mr. Mason, the constant complainer Greed - Nancy Foster, the gold seeking angry wife Sloth - Regine, the (hot) sleepy blonde Some, of course, are guilty of more than one main sin, such as: Nancy Foster, the angry wife: 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 literally swimming in gold).Corinne: lust (lesbianism & adultery).Regine: lust (lesbianism).A handful of observations: If the bus driver was really THAT gluttonous wouldn't he be a lot heavier? (Like Fat Bast*** from Austin Powers).If Regine (the blond) were really THAT lazy how could she possibly have that ultra-hot body? Although the priest-in-training 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 seminarian willingly sacrifices himself to perdition to prevent the other six from being damned. This is an example of agape love and displays a Christ-like heart. Paul the apostle had the same spirit as evidenced in Romans 9:3. *** END SPOILER *** But doesn't Alvin know you can't make honest deals with the "father of lies"? No one can argue that the film glorifies the various negative behaviors because *** SPOILER ALERT *** they all end up dying for their sins. *** END SPOILER ***HIGHLIGHTS: As noted, 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. (Their NATURAL curvy-ness is refreshing in comparison to too many modern American actresses who often appear nigh anorexic and artificial, if you know what I mean). It goes without saying that, if you have a lust problem, you might want to skip this one, especially in light of a fairly overt lesbian scene.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. I almost never get frightened by horror films, but when Erika morphs into the succubus and hideously contorts her face, it's pretty chilling.TECHNICAL INFO: Some versions of the film have a tasteless porno-horror "intro" tacked on. This lengthy "intro" is not part of the original picture and simply has no business being there; in fact, it horribly mars it. No doubt it 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 (used on the VHS): "The Devil Walks at Midnight." FINAL WORD: Since this is a European film 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 is human nature and the continual conflict between spiritual and carnal qualities with which we can all relate. The film also powerfully addresses the self-sacrificial nature of agape love.Make no mistake, this is a powerful piece of Gothic-horror cinema, perhaps even a masterpiece.The film runs 95 minutes and was shot at Château d'Antoing, Antoing, Hainault, Wallonia, Belgium.GRADE: A (keeping in mind its age and origins)

FilmFatale "The Devil's Nightmare" is Eurotrash about seven travelers trapped in a castle. But the castle's resident family is cursed: every firstborn daughter is a succubus! And there are Nazis! Mostly, this movie is an excuse for gorgeous Erika Blanc to run around in Frederick's of Hollywood style outfits as she plays the succubus. And as such, it succeeds.The travelers are supposed to represent the Seven Deadly Sins, but we only get gluttony, greed, lust and wrath. Maybe the blonde is supposed to represent vanity, but she gets scared to death by a python, so that goes nowhere."The Devil's Nightmare" is very awkward and talky and slooow, but I won't deny that it has a certain sleazy charm and watchability in spite of its shortcomings.Did I mention that Erika Blanc was hot?