The Demon1964
“A night she wakes up bound to the bed and with the bleeding body. The revenge of the devil will not delay!”
Directed by Brunello Rondi
🏆 1 win & 1 nomination
The premise
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.
Horror Vault's take
In a remote Italian village steeped in Catholic tradition and ancient superstition, a heartbroken woman turns to forbidden folk rituals after losing her lover to another. What begins as a desperate act of longing spirals into something far darker as the community around her grows suspicious and hostile. Daliah Lavi delivers a raw, fearless performance as a woman caught between her own anguish and the terrifying projections of those who fear her. This 1964 Italian drama-horror walks a haunting line between social realism and supernatural dread.
Content: Sexual Violence, Physical Violence Against Women, Religious Persecution Themes, Disturbing Crowd Cruelty
Where to stream
Cast
Daliah Lavi
Purificazione (Purif)
Frank Wolff
Antonio
Anna Maria Aveta
Sister Angela
Tiziana Casetti
Agata
Dario Dolci
Don Tommaso
Franca Mazzoni
The Mother Superior
María Teresa Orsini
Nun
Rossana Rovere
Antonio's Wife
Luciana Angiolillo
La Signora di Craco (uncredited)
Andrea Bosic
Priest (uncredited)
Nino Castelnuovo
Buca (uncredited)
Maria Ciriello
(uncredited)
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