Thanks to The Exorcist a wave of possession films flooded cinemas during the mid-1970s. Above you see posters for one of them—Le notti di Satana, which was originally released in Spain as Exorcismo. Basically, it’s about a young woman whose behavior radically changes, causing friends and family to conclude that she’s possessed by the spirit of her recently dead father. But the priest knows better. It’s just Satan, up to his usual tricks. Mercedes Molina stars as the possessed, performing under the name Grace Mills, for some reason, almost as if she didn’t want to be associated with the movie. Though it isn’t terrible. Just uninspired. Check this dialogue exchange:
At times I’m certain my sister is possessed.
Possessed?
Yes. How can I say it? Like something has taken possession of her.
That’s bad. On the plus side, Molina/Mills manages some good contortions and screams, until the exorcism brings the expected climax. Also, the lovely Maria Perschy co-stars as Molina’s flummoxed mother, so there’s that. And there’s some nude ceremonial cavorting that’ll catch your eye, so there’s that too. Otherwise, not a top effort. But all these posters are fun, if of varying quality. Only one is signed—the last one, by Italian artist Angelo Cesselon, whose work we’ve shown you here and here. We have a few screenshots below that capture the essence of the movie. Now you don’t even have to watch it. Le notti di Satana premiered today in 1975.
