Lisa and the Devil makes me think of Susperia. In fact, I think those sheer curtains with the appliqués that hang around the 4 poster bed were later used in Susperia. I've seen that film so many times I recognize those.Anyway, Lisa and the Devil is very low on dialog and big on atmosphere. Much like Susperia, we have the strange lighting, gaudy set pieces, beautiful sets and props, many rooms with fancy wainscoting and molding, and acting that is just slightly off. Dubbing that doesn't quite match up in a subtle way and eerie, dreamy music while the actors stare off into the distance or right into the lens of the camera. Dialog? Striped down to minimum. Story? Simple enough with a woman straying from her tourist group in a foreign city, wandering alone because she has heard some chimes. But what happens to her? She becomes ensconced in a surreal setting with people living in an old, Gothic mansion. But is it all real? Or is it all in her head? Are the murders really happening or did they happen many years ago? It's up to you to decide what the ending means. You'll probably enjoy the ride but don't expect anything too, too intense or deep here.

Lovely tourist Lisa becomes lost in a European town and soon finds herself at an isolated estate where she's plagued by bizarre and frightening occurrences. The handsome master of the house seems to think Lisa is the reincarnation of his dead lover, a phantom stranger may or may not be a ghost, and the smug family butler is possibly the devil himself! Lisa and the Devil is perhaps the most unique of the great Mario Bava's horror films. It broods with the lavish and colorful direction that the great filmmaker was well known for and it has a terrifically weird atmosphere. The story is a compelling mosaic of mystery, murder, and otherworldly surrealism as it provides for one effectively nightmarish journey. The fluid camera-work is excellent, the Gothic scenery and sets are nicely captured, and the haunting music score is perfectly pitched to give this film a stylish and chilling atmosphere.The cast is also quite good. Gorgeous Elke Sommer gives a strong performance as bewildered Lisa. Dashing Alessio Orano is terrific as the master of the house. Veteran actress Alida Valli is great as the blind countess. However the biggest show-stealer is Telly Savalas as the charismatic and possibly fiendish butler. The supporting cast is also quite solid.Lisa and the Devil is simply a must-see for all fans of Bava and particularly for fans of surrealist horror. It's a truly original horror gem and one of Bava's greatest works.Footnote: Avoid a terribly re-edited and re-worked version of the film re-named House of Exorcism. This was a poorly constructed version of the film forced onto the market after distribution problems. Stick with the film that Bava intended to make instead!**** out of ****

Unfairly neglected and forgotten, Mario Bava's "Lisa and the Devil" was to become one of the most acclaimed examples of Italian horror, and quite possibly, ranked among such works as "Hour of the Wolf" and "The Shining" as one of the genre's most complex and thought-provoking efforts. Unfortunately, due to the greed of it's producer Alfredo Leone, the only international distribution the film would get (if you can still label it a same film), was the awful butchered 'producer's cut' - "House of Exorcism" - a sleazy, mean-spirited and cheesy "The Exorcist" rip-off, that randomly spliced bits and pieces of Bava's film into the mix. "Lisa..." however, was the polar opposite of "House", and when it was finally rediscovered in it's original form, nobody wanted to see it expecting it to be no different from it's re-cut version. Thankfully, the film gained something of a cult following, even if it was not enough to make it acchieve it's deserved status. A film more reminiscent to the works of Jean Cocteau and Luis Bunuel than it's horror contemporaries, "Lisa and the Devil" is a barroque, nightmarish ride through what may well be Hell, as we follow a lost tourist - Lisa (the gorgeous Elke Sommer), finding shelter at a spooky villa owned by the mysterious Contessa and her son (Alida Valli and Alessio Orano), and soon finds herself caught in a grizzly web involving necrophilia, incest and murder, all of which is controlled by the sinister butler Leandro (Telly Savalas), who may or may not be the Devil himself. Often shifting between scenes of undeniable beauty and poetry, to moments of pure Gothic horror, this is Bava's lyrically macabre mediation on love, life and death - a theme which he wanted to work on for many years. Indeed, this is the Maestro's most personal film, and one can really see how much emotion has been put into it, as it is a viewing experience that touches deep down into the human heart. It seems as if each and every work he made before this (particularily his 1966 classic "Kill Baby, Kill") was simply a "rehearsal" so that he could finally put it all together in his ultimate masterpiece (the same thing can be said of Bava's other obscure opus "Rabid Dogs", which suffered an even worse fate than this one). Every small detail is precisely calculated, from the multi-layered story and the garrish visual style, all the way to the soundtrack. Carlo Savina's variations on Rodrigo's "Concerto de Aranjuez" (addmitedly, not a very suitable song for a horror film) makes one think te song was made precisely for this film alone, fitting perfectly with it's morbidly beautiful, melancholy-ridden tone. Bava played this song in between takes to get the actors into their characters, and it's quite clear that they just flow with the music wonderfully, hightening the film's emotional factor. Speaking of acting, the film also makes great use of it's talented cast. I can't say Sommer is able to act much, but she definitely looks the part, and can really convey the idea of being a stranger unwillingly trapped in a hellish universe. Telly Savalas steals the show as the occasionally eerie, but quite sympathetic antagonist, and it's obvious he's having the time of his life performing in this one (his improvised monologue near the end of the film is clear example of this). Allida Valli is just plain creepy as the Countess, who has the weirdest mother-son relationship ever since "Psycho". Sylva Koscina is great as the frustrated, adulterous housewife, and Alessio Orano does his best Vincent Prince impersonation as the lonely and clearly disturbed "mamma's boy" - Maximillian. Needlessly to say, it is overall, an amazing film, and my personal favorite horror film. It's not really for everyone, but I can only hope this can one day receive it's deserved recognition.

This film is credited as "La Casa dell'exorcismo"/"The House Of Exorcism" here, but Mario Bava's original version is the one called "Lisa e il diavolo"/"Lisa And The Devil". Mario Bava, arguably the greatest Horror director of all-time, created his most bizarre work in 1972 with "Lisa And The Devil". In order to attract a wider audience in the United States, the film was only released in a re-edited form, as "The House Of Exorcism", which added some elements and did not even give full credit to master Bava. Sadly enough, the original Bava cut was not released until after his death. Fortunately enough, it is available now. This is a review of Bava's original version, "Lisa And The Devil".While not one of my absolute favorites by the great Mario Bava, "Lisa And The Devil" is arguably one of his most underrated films. The film does not quite reach the brilliance of earlier Bava masterpieces like "Black Sunday" ("La Maschera Del Demonio", 1960), "The Whip And The Body" ("La Frusta E Il Corpo" (1963), "Blood And Black Lace"("Sei Donne Per L'Assassino", 1964), or "Kill Baby... Kill" ("Operazione Paura", 1966), nor that of his latter day highlight, the stunning Crime Thriller "Rabid Dogs" ("Cani Arrabiati", 1974). Even so, "Lisa And The Devil" is an elegant and mesmerizing Horror film that is absolutely sublime in many aspects. The whole approach of "Lisa And The Devil" is more bizarre, surreal and merely psychological than in his other films, and furthermore uses the Satanic formula which was immensely popular around the time. While "Lisa and The Devil" is a bit slower than his other early 70s efforts, such as his last Gothic Horror film "Baron Blood" ("Gli Orrori Del Castello Di Norimberga", 1972), the film maintains a wonderful atmosphere of insanity and doom.Due to the film's bizarre nature, "Lisa And The Devil" is probably the Bava film that makes a proper plot synopsis most difficult. This is not a bad thing, though, as every Horror fan should experience this film for himself (or herself) anyway. The film begins when tourist Lisa Reiner (sexy Elke Sommer) leaves her tourist group, and is suddenly stuck in a beautiful but eerie city center of Toledo. Unable to find her tourist group, Lisa, as well as a bunch of other people find refuge in an eerie mansion, where an old countess (Alida Valli) lives with her son (Alessio Orano), and a very sinister housekeeper (Telly Salavas)... I do not want to give anything away, but I can assure that "Lisa And The Devil" is a film that creates a hypnotic and nightmarish atmosphere like hardly another. The incredibly sinister Telly Salavas gives this film a cult-status and there is a lot more. The cast includes several familiar faces for Italian Cult buffs. Elke Sommer and Silvya Koschina are lovely to look at and they also are also great in their roles. The great Alida Valli, best known for her roles in two Horror-masterpieces, Dario Argento's "Suspiria" (1977) and Georges Franju's "Eyes Without a Face" ("Les Yeux Sans Visage", 1960), is once again superb as the old countess. The cast also includes Eduardo Fajardo ("Django") and Italian Exploitation regular Gabriele Tinti. The absolute greatest performance (by far) in this film, however, remains that of Telly Salavas who is ghoulish and great beyond comparison. As all Bava films, "Lisa And The Devil" is wonderfully photographed in beautiful yet exceptionally eerie Gothic settings. The city of Toledo is a terrific setting for a film like this, and the eerie mansion is the most uncanny and melancholic setting imaginable. The score by Carlo Savina is great and very eerie, and perfectly emphasizes the mood of a nightmarish fever dream. Aditionally to the nightmarish atmosphere, the film also has several genuinely terrifying shock-moments. As stated above, "Lisa And The Devil" is not one of the absolute greatest films by Mario Bava, but it is definitely a great one. The film is a little more slow-paced than Bava's other work, but its nightmarish atmosphere is exceptional. A mesmerizing film that no Horror fan can afford to miss!