The Devil's Nightmare (1971)

Director: Jean Brismee

Starring: Erika Blanc, Jean Servais, Daniel Emilfork, Jacques Monseau, Lucien Raimbourg, Colette Emmanuelle, Ivana Novak, Shirley Corrigan

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Can You Be Possessed By The Devil?

Plot: When a group of tourists (each of whom is associated with one of the seven deadly sins) gets stranded in the Italian countryside, a stranger offers them shelter for the night in his castle. But his family is cursed: The eldest daughter in each generation is destined to become a handmaiden of Satan. The horror begins when the current eldest daughter (Blanc) turns up and begins exploiting the guests' weaknesses to make them damn themselves.

My rating: 8/10

Will I watch it again? YES!

#48 on 42nd Street Forever Vol. 1 (part of the TRAILER TRASH PROJECT)
#107 on Drive-In Delirium Vol. 2 (part of the TRAILER TRASH PROJECT) 



At first I was dreading this as just seconds into it I remembered seeing this years ago and thinking that it bored the piss out of me. I was confused because this turned out to be a great atmospheric Belgian horror flick. Had I started this blog ten years ago I would have remembered that. This is one of those rare Euro Horror flicks from the 70s that really packs a punch. There's not a dull moment in the picture and it's thick with atmosphere...kind of like a Hammer Gothic horror movie but muted and more adult.


Erika Blanc needs to have my sucubus babies!



Nice outfits, huh? Don't worry, she looks just as amazing without them as she does in them. There's plenty of nudity for you Euroskin freaks. Some of it fits right into the story and some of it is there just to spice things up like when two of the women get very friendly after arriving at the castle.


Alessandro Alessandroni's score fits the bill perfectly and the variations on his haunting theme tune are used throughout to great effect.

Daniel Emilfork, as the caretaker, has a face that you will not forget and adds an extra layer of creepy to the picture.



I'm really stunned that this was as good as it was. It's very engaging and everything from the acting, music, cinematography to the pacing works really well, all the way to the highly satisfying conclusion. Highly recommended!

This is the final film for me to watch (3 of the 48 were unobtainable) on the 42nd STREET FOREVER Vol. 1 trailer compilation and, after taking a year and a half to do it, I couldn't be more pleased that this was the last one. Most of the films were OK at best with very few exceptions and THE DEVIL'S NIGHTMARE may very well be the best of the 48.