In 1973, William Friedkin and William Peter Blatty released the Exorcist. It was one of the most influential horror films of all time. To this day it is still being ripped off and paid tribute to. So of course around the time following it's release it would be followed by a string of possession movies to cash in on it's popularity. The Tempter (AKA The AntiChrist) is an Italian film that does just that.
At the young age of 12, Ippolita was involved in a car accident that took the life of her mother and left her unable to walk. Now confined to a wheelchair, Ippolita and her family hope to find a cure for her partial paralysis. They turn to a psychiatrist who believes her paralysis is a symptom of the mental trauma she endured from the accident. He attempts hypnosis to cure her. But as treatment proceeds she becomes vulnerable to possession by an ancient ancestor of hers. A witch.
While the premise is very similar to The Exorcist, there is a little influence thrown in from Rosemary's Baby as well. This film lacks the tension and genuine frights that The Exorcist boasted. It makes up for it with genuinely shocking, obscene, and over the top moments. There were moments in The Tempter that even had me in disbelief!
The Exorcist is still the obvious king of possession films. The Tempter doesn't come close to matching that quality of film making. It's still very much a low budget horror film. But as far as rip offs go, The Tempter at least tries to up the ante and does so to a certain extent. Horror fans will definitely enjoy the sacrilegious imagery and truly shocking moments. This is definitely worth a look.
Side Note: The version of this movie I saw was cut down to 96 minutes from the full 112 minute cut. I'm wondering if it was mostly dialogue or perhaps even more shocking scenes!
No comments:
Post a Comment