Review by Keri O’Shea.
Ah, 70s exploitation cinema, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways…the unapologetic cramming of sex, horror and any combination of pop culture references always makes for a fun watch, even when much within the film’s plot is oddly lacking. I like to think of these movies as trashy time capsules, and The Devil’s Kiss is no exception. As a representative of its ilk, it certainly has enough going on to entertain. If I outline the plot, you’ll see just what I mean.
Widow Claire Grandier – played by Spanish cult film actress and Naschy co-star Silvia Solar – is (comparatively) down on her luck since losing her husband. She has been reduced to giving psychic readings to entertain parties of bored aristocrats, and in this line of work she visits the castle of the Duke de Haussemont. Impressed and sorry for her (not to mention spooked by her predictions), the Duke offers her a room in the castle where she can advance the ‘research’ which she tells him about. How wrong he is to help her, though! Claire Grandier actually has a plan to avenge her husband’s death and a big grudge against the de Haussemont family, whom she blames: together with her companion, the malevolent Professor Gruber, they combine the dark arts with some bad science, recruit an alleged rapist dwarf (no, really) and set about creating… a killer zombie.
Now, if that doesn’t sound like a fun movie to you, then I don’t know what would.
Spanish exploitation cinema is perhaps not as exhaustively available as, say, the contemporary French or Italian material – but it more than holds its own, especially when you consider how hard it was to get these films made in the restrictive political climate of the time. Still, the good thing is that there’s still so much to discover. Even a genre big name like Paul Naschy, who most people know, has very few films available – but I think this will change, and it’s great to see films like The Devil’s Kiss are getting attention too.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t a good film by many conventional measures, but its brand of all-inclusive dementedness makes it worthwhile. There’s a nod to nearly every exploitation staple you can think of, from Satanism to sex, to crazed scientists and the obligatory go-go dancing, and a lot of striking scenes. It’s one of those films that would improve exponentially according to how many people you could get watching it – because you don’t need to concentrate on every nuance of the plot, and you can forgive how rambling and daft it is to focus on the best bits. The Devil’s Kiss obviously worked on the premise that it should be all things to all men, but this ‘dash of everything’ approach means the film is never dull.
Silvia Solar – who sadly passed away earlier this year – is a fun femme fatale here. A striking-looking woman for starters – all raven hair and kohl eyes – she also joins the hallowed ranks of exploitation actresses who play their roles utterly straight-faced. This earnestness adds something to the roles which wouldn’t be there if they were played ironically; Solar delivers her dour platitudes and occult ramblings with style. The supporting cast of miscreants are very strong too, and whilst the lack of budget is evident, this isn’t a bad-looking film either. If you like Gothic castles and hokey laboratories, then you’re laughing.
The Devil’s Kiss won’t change your life, but it’s a decent example of 70s Eurohorror and an entertaining ride – what it lacks in cogency, it makes up for elsewhere. The full release of this will contain liner notes from Stephen Thrower, no less, and as he’s a guy who has retained his enthusiasm for sleazy cult cinema in a way a lot of his contemporary talking-heads haven’t, I am interested to see what he has to say about this oddball movie.
The Devil’s Kiss is released to DVD by Arrowdrome on 17th October 2011.