Search - The Antichrist on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Violence, Brief Nudity, Nudity, Adult Situations, Questionable for Children, Adult Language Movie Release: 1974 DVD Release: 08/06/2002 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 52 mins Studio: Anchor Bay Members Wishing: 1 Genres: Horror, Thriller

Alberto De Martino's imitative occult horror film, photographed by Aristide Massaccesi (aka Joe D'Amato), is probably the best of numerous Italian copies of The Exorcist which flooded theaters in the mid-1970s. Carla Gravina stars as Hipolita, a paralyzed young woman with serious mental problems stemming from the death of her mother. Her crisis of faith and the intervention of a well-meaning psychologist lead Hipolita to remember her past life as a witch during the Inquisition. Eventually, Hipolita becomes possessed and starts seducing local men, only to break their necks. Eventually, she sleeps with her brother, makes a local sorceror lick vomit from her hand, and levitates out the window. It takes an exorcism performed by an aging monk (George Coulouris) and the family housekeeper (Alida Valli) to restore order. De Martino and the talented cast manage a few chilling moments despite the predictable storyline, and Gravina is quite good in the lead. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

Carla Gravina - Ippolita
Mel Ferrer - Massimo Oderisi
Arthur Kennedy - Bishop
George Coulouris - Father Mittner
Alida Valli - Irene

The widescreen, anamorphic transfer of The Antichrist is true to its source, which is not a good thing when the original film is somewhat washed out. The is evidence of enhanced reproduction -- take a look at the awful, untouched TV "Trailer" in the "Extras" menu for comparison -- but the quality isn't anything to write home about. The sound is OK, but the reckless music, which tries to hard to be scary, collides with the sound effects in several scenes. A 10 minute featurette called "Raising Hell" includes subtitled interviews with too-serious director Alberto De Martino, who at one point confesses to his own discomfort with one of the sacrilegious images in the film (and as he's saying that, of course the image is shown, which is just being honest). Composer Ennio Morricone is also interviewed, and in his brief segment he credits co-composer, the late Bruno Nicolai, with doing much of the heavy lifting. The "Poster and Still Gallery" include production shots, lobby cards, theatrical posters and a few frames from the film. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide