The Devil's Nightmare
a.k.a. La plus longue nuit du diable / Succubus
1971 · Directed by Jean Brismee · Belgium / Italy
The Devil’s Nightmare is a real gem. Erika Blanc plays a succubus who preys on a group of stranded tourists staying overnight in a castle owned by a German baron. Aided by his loyal staff, the Baron plays host to the tourists and, unbeknownst to him, to the succubus.
The usual tropes expected in the best Eurosleaze horror are all present: nudity, lesbian sex and bloodletting. Erika Blanc is suitably seductive even when she goes full-on demon. She despatches the group one by one, but is unable to seduce the young theologian, whose pact with the devil to save the souls of the victims literally nosedives.
The soundtrack by Alessandro Alessandroni is suitably experimental, as you expect from the Italian maestro, and is accompanied by “Julia”, who provides the ethereal vocals.
I have been aware of it for some time as it has come up on film threads. The print on Tubi was near perfect, the dubbing was favourable and there were no identifiable jarring edits, which can be an issue in these streamed versions of Euro exploitation films. Definitely a big improvement on “James the Orangutan” and Mary Woronov sleepwalking through Silent Night, Bloody Night. This felt like a real diamond in the rough.
I wouldn’t see it in a cinema though, as one character would only cause loud laughter from parts of the audience that is not necessary. Go find it and let me know what you think. It is definitely not a giallo, but it works within our orbit of Euro cult film appreciation.
Gallery
Trailer
From the score
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Alessandro Alessandroni – Devil's Nightmare (main titles)
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Alessandro Alessandroni – the full soundtrack
