Color, 1974, 82 mins.

Directed by Paolo Solvay (Luigi Batzella)

Starring Rita Calderoni, James Harris (Pino Mattei), Renato Lupi, Iolanda Mascitti, Luigi Antonio Guerra, Barbara Lay

Format: DVD - Image / Redemption (MSRP $24.95)

Letterboxed (2.35:1) / Mono / English Dubbed / Italian with Optional English Subtitles


Another astonishing rescue by Redemption from the jaws of oblivion, Nude for Satan (Nuda per Satana) has remained largely unseen over the years and would make a fitting double feature with the even loonier Reincarnation of Isabel (also featuring frequently nude Italian starlet Rita Calderoni, who gets billing above the title here!).

Like Night of the Hunted, this opens with a man (James Harris) stumbling upon an unconscious young woman in the middle of the woods at night. Here the similarities end, however; he takes her to a spooky estate where they find themselves confronted by their identical evil doubles (flip sides of the same coin, as the evil Harris helpfully explains), and it seems the whole crazy plot is a satanic concoction designed to lure our virtuous pair into complete debauchery. In the biggest howler, Calderoni is very slowly assaulted by a big papier mache spider, and it all culminates in the usual naked ooga-booga demonic ritual, complete with flaming skulls. These silly moments aside, Batzella (best known for The Devil's Wedding Night) generally sustains an eerie Gothic mood directly in keeping with the well established conventions of '60s horror cinema, and unlike Isabel, the story flows in a fairly linear (albeit wild) fashion with each spooky setpiece building upon the last.

Considering the fact that no one ever expected to see Nude for Satan turn up at all, the source materials here are in very good shape. The Techniscope framing is accurately presented at 2.35:1, and the print looks close to pristine. The film can be played either in Italian with optional English subtitles below the frame (the better choice since this was actually shot in Italian, not dubbed after the fact), or English dubbed, which is competent but less effective (and often pulls back the evocative music score so far into the background it can barely be heard). The DVD also includes the film's rare European trailer in both its Italian and English incarnations. Needless to say, this one definitely lives up to its title, and horror and sleaze buffs should be wickedly delighted to see such an obscure, devilish title appearing on America's retail shelves.


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