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Released by: Redemption/Salvation
Released on: 8/26/2008
Director: Luigi Batzella
Cast: Rita Calderoni, James Harris, Renato Lupi, Iolanda Mascitti, Luigi Antonio Guerra, Barbara Lay, Augusto Boscardini, Alfredo Pasti
Year: 1974
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The Movie:
When the accurately if sensationalist sounding Nude For Satan begins, a doctor named William Benson (Stelio Candelli) gets into a minor car accident when he swerves to avoid hitting a beautiful woman at the side of the road. Oddly enough, a woman who looks identical to the one he just swerved to it rams her car into his own. Benson's car won't start after the incident so he decides to go to the nearest house in search of some assistance. It doesn't take him too long to notice that castle looming over the horizon and so that's where he decides to head, leaving the woman driver, Susan (Rita Calderoni), to wait with the cars.
When Benson arrives at the castle, he's greeted by a woman named Evelyn who is a dead ringer for the girl he saw on the side of the road. When Benson isn't back by morning, Susan decides to follow his tracks and she too winds up at the creepy old castle. What Susan finds is eerily similar to what Benson found - she meets a man named Peter who looks a whole lot like the doctor who is now nowhere to be found. Additionally, when Benson shows up there's a corpse on the ground and the house is a mess - when Susan shows up, everything is in order and tidy looking. As the two of them explore on their own, they soon realize that there's a lot more going on in the castle and with its inhabitants than either of them ever could have guessed…
As strange a film as the title would imply, this is a pretty heady and surreal work of gothic horror laced with plenty of Rollin-esque vamp-ish girl on girl scenes involving ladies wearing little more than various sheer drapes and capes. The film moves along at a good pace and while it doesn't always make the most sense, it is at least nicely photographed and filled with plenty of truly odd atmosphere. The editing and pacing has a nice rhythm to it and the eerie sets and lovely female cast members ensure that there's plenty of eye candy to ogle even if you won't always know just what exactly is going on.
The presence of the devil himself adds some camp value to the film. He's a cackling and maniacal sort, obviously as evil as can be, but he's so over done in regards to how he's portrayed here that winds up more amusing than frightening. Regardless, some odd twists and a continuous barrage of perverted images and weird murder set pieces give the film a dark tone that works nicely in its favor. While not the be-all, end-all of Italian gothic horror, it's well worth a look and has stood the test of time as an interesting piece of obtuse genre filmmaking.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The film is presented in 2.35.1 anamorphic widescreen which appears to be the film's proper aspect ratio. The transfer is interlaced and the image is occasionally a little muddy looking. Colors fare reasonably well and black levels stay strong though some minor compression artifacts are noticeable in a couple of scenes. Print damage is evident throughout but thankfully it's always minor, just nicks and scratches, nothing too serious. Detail varies in some scenes but this looks to have more to do with the way in which the film was shot and lit rather than with the transfer itself. All in all, this isn't a perfect transfer but it's acceptable enough.
Dolby Digital Mono tracks are supplied in English and Italian language with optional subtitles provided in English only. The audio tracks both contain a little bit of hiss here and there but are otherwise perfectly fine. The dialogue is easy enough to follow and the score sounds nice. Levels are properly balanced throughout and while these older mono mixes show their age, there aren't any obvious problems with them.
The only extras that pertain to the feature itself are the film's original Italian theatrical trailer and a still gallery of promotional shots. Aside from that, look for a contact info screen, trailers for four other unrelated Salvation releases, animated menus and chapter selection for the feature.
The Final Word:
Redemption/Salvation gives this tripped out slice of gothic Italian horror a nice, if a little flawed, region one re-release.