‘Satan is coming!’
The Devil’s Wedding Night is a 1973 Italian horror film directed by Luigi Batzella (Nude for Satan; The Beast in Heat) from a screenplay by Walter Bigari (as Walter Brandi, the fanged protagonist of The Playgirls and the Vampire). The movie stars Rosalba Neri (Lady Frankenstein) and Mark Damon (Black Sabbath; House of Usher). American-born producer Ralph Zucker also made Bloody Pit of Horror and Terror-Creatures from the Grave.
Aristide Massaccesi [aka Joe D’Amato] was the cinematographer.
The Devil’s Wedding Night was reissued on Blu-ray on January 12th 2021 via Code Red in association with Kino Lorber.
Buy Blu-ray: Amazon.com
Special Features:
Remastered US version of the film
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Includes Katarina’s Bucket List Theater with hostess Katarina Leigh Water
Trailers
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Region-free
Plot:
In the 1800s, scholarly Karl Schiller believed he had found the ring of the Nibelungen, which holds great power. It’s at Castle Dracula. His twin, Franz, a gambler, asks if vampires frighten Karl; Karl shows him an Egyptian amulet, which may protect him. Franz takes the amulet and sets out ahead of his brother, arriving at the castle first. There, he finds a countess who invites him to dine.
Later that night, Karl arrives. Coincidentally, it’s the Night of the Virgin Moon, a night that falls every fifty years and draws five virgins from the surrounding village to the castle not be heard from again. Can Karl protect his brother, find the ring, and rescue the virgins?
“With a climax featuring decapitations galore and an ending that’s fashionably downbeat Il plenilunio score, in its best moments, as a cheerfully absurd and lusciously upholstered tour de force.” Jonathan Rigby, Euro Gothic: Classics of Continental Horror Cinema, Signum Books, 2016
Buy: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com | Amazon.ca
” …in an almost psychedelic crescendo, the sight of De Vries’ ruby ring and a red wine dissolve into an abstract tunnel-like vision à la 2001: A Space Odyssey. It is one of those priceless moments that make Italian Gothics of the period poles apart from their Anglo-Saxon counterparts.” Roberto Curti, Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1957 – 1969, McFarland, 2017
Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca
Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk
Trailer [360p – poor quality]:
Free online on YouTube:
Soundtrack score by Vasili Kojucharov:
Cast and characters:
Mark Damon … Franz Schiller / Karl Schiller
Rosalba Neri … La Contessa Dolingen de Vries (as Sara Bay)
Esmeralda Barros … Lara – Zombie
Enza Sbordone … Tanya – Innkeeper’s Daughter (as Francesca Romana Davila)
Xiro Papas … The Vampire Monster (as Ciro Papas)
Gengher Gatti … The Mysterious Man (as Alexander Getty)
Carlo Gentili … The Innkeeper (as Mort Baxter)
Giorgio Dolfin … First Villager at Inn (as George Dolfin)
Stefano Oppedisano … Second Villager at Inn (as Stephen Hopper)
Cristina Perrier … Virgin
Filming locations:
Piccolomini Castle, Balsorano, Italy
Original Italian title:
Il plenilunio delle vergini “Full Moon of the Virgins”
DVD release:
After a number of pan-and-scan releases typical of the redundant VHS format, the film was finally released widescreen on DVD by Shout Factory in September 2006, with optional comments by Elvira, although the print used has obvious wear.
Film Facts:
A more risque Italian ‘cineromanzi’ magazine was issued to tie in with the film’s release.
The film was retitled The Devil’s Crypt for its 1975 US re-release by Dimension Pictures.
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