My quick rating – 6.4/10. Something I haven’t done in quite a while. Shuffle mode. Only new releases ot me, no genre restrictions, just one simple filter. Under two hours. And what did the movie gods give me? Lisa and the Devil, from 1973, the same year I was born. Coincidence? Of course. Don’t be stupid. So the algorithm felt the need to remind me I am old. Luckily, this film was dubbed, so I don’t need those new glasses. More surprisingly, it was a Mario Bava flick I hadn’t seen before.
The story follows Lisa Reiner (Elke Sommer), a tourist visiting Toledo, Spain, who spots an ancient image of the devil. She promptly does what our final girls have been doing for decades. Wander off alone. She gets lost, hops in a car with strangers, and ends up stranded at a mysterious mansion occupied by a bunch of weirdos. In other words, getting what she deserved. We also see a butler named Leandro (Telly Savalas) who looks a lot like the devil she saw earlier. As nightmares, past lives, and bizarre encounters begin piling up, Lisa starts wondering what the hell she got herself into.
One thing I never get tired of is those classic gothic horror shots where somebody peers out a doorway while thick fog swirls dramatically around them for no logical reason. Nobody asks where the fog came from. Nobody seems concerned that it only exists within a six-foot radius of the front entrance. It simply does its job, so don’t question it, dammit.
Somewhere along the way, I stopped paying attention to the plot and started watching what Bava was doing with the camera. That sounds like a criticism. It isn’t. A wine bottle shatters, and the action continues through a reflection. A simple exchange of cake becomes a carefully choreographed movement through the frame. It doesn’t scream for attention. Why should it, since every shot feels deliberate? It’s the kind of filmmaking that reminds you why Bava remains such an influential figure in horror cinema.
The settings are just as impressive. Between the music and the visuals, the whole thing feels like somebody else’s uneasy dream. Sometimes I wasn’t entirely sure what was happening. It didn’t matter. Things just worked.
Telly Savalas is also impossible to ignore. Even in this bizarre gothic horror story, he’s walking around sucking on lollipops. Apparently that habit wasn’t just a Kojak thing. Seeing him wander through this surreal nightmare while casually enjoying candy somehow makes him even more unsettling.
Of course, Mario Bava‘s name alone is horror royalty. If it doesn’t sound familiar, his A Bay of Blood laid the groundwork for countless slashers. If you wonder where those ideas for Friday the 13th came from. He is the man. Watching Lisa and the Devil, it’s easy to see the craftsmanship that earned him that reputation.
I felt like the story focused on atmosphere over clarity, at times. This is a film built on mood, visuals, and unsettling imagery over straightforward answers. And that genuinely satisfying ending? I have to say shuffle tossed me a forgotten gem that was well worth the trip back to 1973.
