Daliah Lavi's performance is basically the subway scene from Possession expanded to 90 minutes. Religious fervor mondo movie contact high and the b/w photography is phenomenal.
Directed by Brunello Rondi
Il demonio
Purif is distraught when her lover is betrothed to another. When she summons the old ways to curse him, her erratic behavior is interpreted as demonic possession, and the villagers turn against her with physical and sexual violence.
The Demon is showing in 1 cinema in New York City - next screening Saturday 31 October at 18:00 at BAM Rose Cinemas.
Next screenings: Saturday 31 October.
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Daliah Lavi's performance is basically the subway scene from Possession expanded to 90 minutes. Religious fervor mondo movie contact high and the b/w photography is phenomenal.
Going in league with Satan as the only sane response to patriarchal control.
What a tragic film that so eloquates a tormented woman's life in pain and then fractures her struggling mind to spin it into that she is a demon even though she has taken so much abuse and is not excepted by her love who still doesn't mind keeping her as a side piece until it's too much. It's really a movie about the abuse of a woman and making her the problem of a small community even though she really is the boil of the outcome from it. It's really beautifully shot in black and white with a stellar score but this movie should haunt you for it's smart early 60's portrayal of a women in comparison to religion and men during this time...
Purif is a young woman in a Southern Italian village whose erratic behavior following a rejected romance leads her community to accuse her of demonic possession.
It was directed by Brunello Rondi in 1964, known for his exploration of religious fervor and psychological turmoil in Italian cinema.
While it did not secure major international festival prizes upon release, it has since been recognized as a foundational early entry in the folk horror genre.
Yes, home video releases and streaming editions feature English subtitles translating the original Italian dialogue.
