Les Demoniaques

  

"I want to feel Their bones breaking between my finger"

Jean Rollin has great intentions, like those of his first films, for "Les Demoniaques " defined by himself an expressionist movie. He tries to do a good work with a good story that is inspired by the classic adventure's movies, with a good location and he is looking for aesthetics, a good cinematography in (almost) every frame.

Unfortunately, this title brings with it a cursed fate and "Les Demoniaques " it's  a film not one hundred percent successful. Part of the blame can not be attributed to French director but is the sum of unfortunate events which undermine the quality.

First of all, the title is changed from "Les Diablesses" due to copyright reasons, then the producers Wallman  and Quérut aim to save as much money as possible. Sometimes the cast and crew,  wanted by the production doesn't enter into symbiosis with Rollin, is sorry because he can't works with Castel twins and at the end of production he has to be hospitalized for too much stress.

All negative vibes, evident at certain times and perhaps guilty of some absurd choices that break down the film. We take for example the beautiful Joelle Coeur, really bautiful, who passing eighty percent of the film with her tits in her hand and the rest with someone who touches them. A great vision, no doubt, but too redundant and absurd when she has an hysterical crise and she pullout the already lightweight dress, or when she have sex on the rocks with the chief of the pirates.

And there are pirates among the protagonists of the a story that has as its main theme in the revenge of two girls raped by them, and they ask help to a dark force that lives in a ruined church. Their vengeance is relentless, announced by the host or the madam of a tavern (which also ruin the surprise!) a place in which women are obviously half-naked .

The bad guys then end up in a classic meat grinder of human lives, falling one at a time and in a  not credible manner not credible. The devil, however, as it is often called the being that lives in the church, as well enjoy himself it's beautiful and as usual he does nothing for nothing.

The cast aside Joelle Coeur here the third and last participation in a Rollin's film, has a faithful French director, Mireille Dargent that as in "Vierges et Vampires " re- interprets a clown. To the well-known French actor Paul Bisciglia the role of a pirate.

Technical Specifications

Original title: Les Demoniaques

Alternative Titles : Les Demoniaques ( Revenge of the Virgins ) (Australia) , Espasmos de muerte (Spain) , Deux vierges pour Satan , Les diablesses , Tina , the perverse naufrageuse (France) , Oi daimonismenes (Greece) , The Isle of demonic ( Italy ) , Curse of the Living Dead , demoniacs ( International)

Directed by: Jean Rollin

Cast: Joelle Coeur , John Rico , Willy Braque , Paul Bisciglia , Lieva Leone, Patricia Hermenier , Louise Dhour , Ben Zimet , Mireille Dargent

Country: France / Belgium

Duration: 91 '

Production Company: Général Films , Les Films ABC , Nordia Films