The Demons / Les démons (1973)

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The Demons / Les démons (1973)

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Yes I was shocked; at just how good this film was. Jess Franco has made some awful films, but "Les Demons" is certainly not one of them. The 'De Sade-like' tale concerns two beautiful sisters, orphaned and left at a convent, to be raised as pure servants of God. But their origin is a mystery to everyone. As it turns out, they are the daughters of an old witch, who vows while she is being burned at the stake, that her daughters will take revenge on her tormentors. The aptly named Lady De Winter, the icy blond servant to the equally cruel Lord Jeffries, embarks on a hunt to find and destroy the supposed witches before they can take their revenge.

With a surprising amount of attention to historical detail, an interesting story unfolds, with many unexpected turns. The widescreen cinematography is beautiful, and many shots are stunning. Lavish interiors and costumes, as well as the usual fantastic soundtrack that you would expect from a Jess Franco production, all add to the quality of The Demons. Another surprise was the lack of nudity and sex in the production. Of course those elements are there, but they are not overdone, and the largest portion of the film is dedicated to the story, and to character development. The words "elegant" and "restrained" don't' usually come up when describing Franco's work, but in this case those words are appropriate. The version I saw is the restored cut, running 1 hour 41 minutes. I'm sure the heavily cut North American version must really ruin this beautiful film. "Les Demons" is up there in quality level with Franco's slightly superior "Love Letters of A Portuguese Nun." Highly recommended.

IMDB Reviewer

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The Demons / Les démons (1973)

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