#2,980. The Devil Incarnate (1979) - Paul Naschy Extravaganza

 

Initially titled The Traveler, The Devil Incarnate is a fascinating, occasionally riotous take on the human condition, all from the point of view of an outsider. A cynic of potentially supernatural origin, the film’s lead character is convinced there is very little good to be found in people, and spends the majority of the movie trying to prove this hypothesis.

Writer / director Paul Naschy stars as Leonardo, who, over the course of the film, will use his wits and quick thinking to get the upper hand on everyone he meets. With Tomas (David Rocha), a young man he rescued from a cruel master, as his companion, Leonardo lies, cheats, steals, screws, and murders his way through 16th century Spain.

Tomas believes Leonardo is a very intelligent man, the perfect mentor to instruct him in the ways of the world. But the truth is Leonardo may not be a “man” at all. In fact, all the evidence points to him being the devil in human form!

More a series of random adventures than a straightforward narrative, Naschy’s The Devil Incarnate is a bleak sermon on the baser elements of humanity, a sermon the filmmaker delivers with gusto to spare. After killing the first person he meets (a down-on-his-luck soldier) and saving Tomas, Leonardo makes his way to a small farm, where he seduces Ines (Silvia Aguilar), the farmer’s wife, before making off with she and her husband’s entire savings. Though a sweet girl when they first meet, Leonardo lures Ines into bed with a few choice words. Once the deed is done, he humiliates her, takes her money, and carves his “brand” into her backside. Tomas expresses regret at how Leonardo treated Ines, but Leonardo excuses his actions by reminding his young companion she was, in the end, a fornicator who was more than happy to cheat on her husband.

The Devil Incarnate progresses in much the same way from that point on: Leonardo coerces potential victims into wrongdoings, bringing their greedy or lustful ways to the forefront before robbing them blind. Naschy gives a bravura performance as the “devilish” Leonardo, spewing cryptic dialogue on the weaknesses of humanity, yet doing so with such exuberance that it’s clear he had a blast playing the part.

Leonardo’s saddest encounter comes when he enters the home of Dona Aurora (Sara Lezana), a once-proud member of the aristocracy who has fallen on hard times. Her husband dead and her money all but gone, Dona Aurora is also mourning the inevitable loss of her young daughter, who doctors say is suffering from a fatal illness. Leonardo claims he can save the girl, but only if Dona Aurora will afterwards spend the night with him. She agrees, and the girl immediately recovers, leading to a prolonged sequence in which Leonardo and Dona Aurora make love (being a ‘70s genre film, there is no shortage of nudity and sex in The Devil Incarnate, this scene included). Without spoiling it, what eventually happens to Dona Aurora after her encounter with Leonardo results in the film’s most heartbreaking moment.

That said, there is plenty of comedy to be found in The Devil Incarnate as well, everything from a humorous showdown with a stuttering moneylender (Pepe Ruiz) and his nagging wife (Paloma Hurtado) to a romp at a brothel, sped up via fast-motion, that features music and physical humor so outlandish it could have been lifted from an episode of Benny Hill. Naschy also shows off his range as a director, infusing The Devil Incarnate with an energy that never falters while also capturing some truly remarkable images (a late “crucifixion scene”, set in the ruins of a monastery, is striking in its beauty).

On top of everything else, the actor / director offers up “food for thought” throughout The Devil Incarnate, providing one shocking revelation after another on the human condition. At one point, Tomas laments the state of the world, and tells Leonardo he is holding out hope that the future will be much brighter. With a smile, Leonardo predicts his young friend will, that very night, dream of the future. When Tomas closes his eyes, he is horrified by images (via black and white stock footage) of the atrocities of World War II, everything from Nazi bombings to concentration camps. Naschy’s point is clear: mankind’s barbarity remained not only constant through the centuries, but has gotten worse.

This is certainly not an uplifting message, yet The Devil Incarnate somehow manages to be an uplifting film, for both the craft on display and the sheer joy that Naschy took in making this movie. His efforts would be rewarded: The Devil Incarnate was nominated for Best International Film at the Fantosporto Festival, and took home an award at 1978’s Eurocon. And the film feels just as fresh and original today as I’m sure it did upon its initial release.

The Devil Incarnate is a movie to treasure.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10

#2,979. Inquisition (1977) - Paul Naschy Extravaganza

 

The first directorial effort of Paul Naschy, who by then had firmly established himself as a star of the horror genre, 1977’s Inquisition tells a story of religious fanaticism during the middle ages, when so-called “holy” men went from town-to-town, executing anyone accused of witchcraft.

Set during the days of the French Inquisition, the film stars Naschy as Bernard de Fossey, whose sole purpose is to expose heretics and those who are in league with Satan. Along with his assistants Nicholas (Ricardo Merino) and Pierre (Tony Isbert), de Fossey makes his way to the prosperous French village of Peyriac, where he informs the authorities that witchcraft is running rampant in the area.

Shortly after his arrival, de Fossey falls in love with Catherine (Daniela Giordano), the daughter of the town’s mayor. Catherine, however, is already in love with Jean (Juan Luis Galiardo), who has promised to marry her.

Like a good many of these movies, Inquisition points out how easy it once was to execute someone for witchcraft, and how the accusers themselves were often as evil, if not more so, than the condemned. A servant named Renover (Antonio Iranzo), who is blind in one eye, had been constantly ridiculed by the young women of Peyriac, and he takes revenge on them by accusing first one and then another of witchcraft. Each girl is brutally tortured until she confesses (the interrogation of Denise, played by Jenny Llata, is particularly tough to watch). Once convicted, they are burned at the stake.

But Inquisition goes a step further than most by including scenes with actual witches, who have given themselves over to the darkness. When Jean is found murdered on the side of the road, a distraught Catherine turns to her good friend Madeleine (Monica Randall) for comfort. Madeleine takes the grieving Catherine to visit Mabille (Tota Alba), a purported expert in the black arts. Mabille promises to reveal the identity of Jean’s killer to Catherine if she, in turn, dedicates her life to Satan. Convinced that de Fossey had a hand in Jean’s death, Catherine also seduces the holy man in an effort to discredit him among his peers. Already attracted to Catherine, de Fossey proves easy prey. As disturbing as the initial scenes of Inquisition are, when innocents are sent to their deaths, it’s in the second half, when witchcraft and devil worshipping take center stage, that the film delves even further into the horrific.

Along with its well-paced story, Inquisition features costumes, settings, and even make-up effects (during one of her “trips” to the sabbat, or black mass, Catherine encounters a demon that looks damn eerie) that convincingly transport us back to this most unfortunate moment in human history.

In later interviews, Naschy himself said he was proud of this movie, claiming the reviews at the time of its release praised his efforts, especially as a novice director. And rightly so: Inquisition stands alongside The Witchfinder General and Mark of the Devil as one of the best entries in this particular subgenre of horror.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10