Lisa and the Devil (1974)

Dir: Mario Bava

Elke Sommer parades around a gothic mansion in a series of gorgeous outfits in this most surreal and personal Mario Bava film. There's a soapish web of family secrets, dead lovers littering the house like dustmites and Telly Savalas as a spooky mannequin-bothering butler who may or may not be the Devil. The dreamlike nature of the film makes it hard to really discern exactly what's happening (and if you get a bad DVD transfer like the R1 Image Entertainment one it's even harder as the audio track is virtually inaudible) but there's something to it nevertheless. The photography is beautiful, Sommer and Savalas play their parts perfectly and some of the weird imagery is unforgettable. Shame it's marred by the fact that there really isn't a decent print available anywhere. This one really needs a lovingly restored Blu Ray version to happen soon so it can be enjoyed as intended; a beautiful kaleidoscopic nightmare. **1/2