Nude for Satan (1974)

Takes itself way too seriously

Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

.Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Films like this are rated on their style and visuals more than their plots, and that's definitely a good thing when it comes to Nude for Satan as the plot is confusing, pointless and silly; but at least director Luigi Batzella manages some striking scenes and visuals which just about make this tacky horror flick worth a look. The plot, which focuses on a man out driving, is really typical of films like this, and features clichés such as a rainy night, a stranded woman and a foreboding old castle. Naturally, it turns out that there is more to the castle than meets the eye; as the woman who greets him at the door looks exactly like the one he's just picked up, and that's just the start of it. I would describe this film as Satanism meets the lesbian vampire genre with some additional weirdness thrown in. The women are, naturally, nice to look at and the fact that there are a few lesbian sequences doesn't go down badly. The most interesting part of the film involves a woman trapped in a spider's web: I don't really have an idea what it was all about, but it looked nice and that's the most important thing. Overall, Nude for Satan is not one of the best films of this type, but unlike many; it's at least worth a look.

Rather than waste anyone's time, I'll start with the answer to the obvious question - yes, the characters in Nude for Satan spend plenty of time nude. For Satan. Probably more than in any other film I've seen short of hardcore porn. And every time they do, you'll probably want to shout out, "Nude for Satan!" 'Cause it's just that much fun to say. Try it, you'll like it. "Nude for Satan. Nuuuuuude for Satan. I'm nude for Satan!" See? Of course, there's a bit more to it than that; there is a plot, kinda. Our Hero, Dr. William Benson, happens upon an unconscious woman who crashed her car on a lonely highway in the middle of the night. Seeking medical attention for her, he is directed by a very odd man to an isolated castle, and from that point on, things start to get very strange. The two get separated, and William ends up getting distracted by Evelyn, a dead ringer for the car-crash woman who dresses in period clothing (when she's not nude for Satan), calls him Peter, and is hot for his bod. The crash victim, whose name is Susan, ends up spending time with a variety of people including their enigmatic host, an unnamed female servant, the leering, gap-toothed butler (or should I say, handyman?), and William's doppleganger, Peter.Both William and Susan are fairly creeped out by the goings-on in the castle, but don't really start trying to figure things out or get away until they meet back up when Susan is menaced by a giant, and apparently quite horny, spider. Then our host explains to William that Peter and Evelyn are the repressed, dark sides of Dr. Will and Susan, and then William witnesses a bizarre ritual where Susan and Evelyn merge and make out with Peter while various nude and semi-nude people dance around, apparently (you guessed it) for Satan. Alas, Will's will proves too strong for the dark side to claim him as well, and he escapes, only to find himself back at the site of the original car accident.If you think it all sounds rather confusing so far, keep in mind that, for the sake of brevity and comprehension, I've left out most of the really weird aspects of the film in the above summary. No, really.But the most interesting thing about Nude for Satan is that it appears that this film was a major influence on The Rocky Horror Picture Show. We've got an innocent, upstanding couple, who find themselves stranded in a castle after experiencing car troubles, and are gradually seduced to a life of vice and debauchery by its bizarre inhabitants. There's a bedroom scene that matches Janet's breakdown ("But you did!") right down to the heavily blue- and red-gelled lighting. And the clincher comes at the end, when Peter and Susalyn exactly mirror Frank and Columbia's little frolic on the throne in RHPS's ballroom scene, immediately followed by what could certainly be called a "floor show." All in all, pretty much a must-see for the serious cult-movie fan. Say it with me again - "Nude for Satan." Hee. That never gets old.

Nuda per Satana, or Nude for Satan as it's more commonly known amongst English speaking audiences, starts late one night deep in the Italian countryside with Dr. William Benson (Stelio Candelli) on an emergency call when he is involved in a car accident, the owner of the other car is a woman named Susan Smith (Rita Calderoni) whom seems unconscious. Benson heads for a nearby Gothic castle where the strangeness begins. He sees a sinister butler (Renato Lupi) with a knife through his neck laughing for no apparent reason. Dr. Benson also finds a book about Satan & suddenly he sees Susan but she is dressed differently, uninjured & seems to answer to the name Evelyn. Meanwhile the next morning Susan regains consciousness & also heads for the Gothic looking castle. There she meets a guy in a cape & ask's if he knows who helped her, she also meets someone who looks like Dr. Benson but goes by the name of Peter. As times passes & the night draws on it seems that it was all a demonic plan to lure Dr. Benson & Susan to the castle & take part in a Satanic ritual, oh & their evil doubles are running around, or something like that.This Italian production was edited, written & directed by Luigi Batzella & is as strange, bizarre & downright confusing as a film can be. The script has a decent central idea, I kept thinking that there is a good film in here somewhere trying to get out & unfortunately it never does. Nuda per Satana really is as confused & nonsensical as everyone who has seen it suggests which doesn't make for good entertainment. There is no coherent narrative, the dialogue is sparse & doesn't help anything, it's hard to tell who's who on occasion & the lame climax that just confuses things even more, features silly dancing by people painted different colours & will leave you puzzled & scratching you head, what's the point of watching this film? Not good Luigi, not good. I don't mind a surrealistic or a dream like quality to a film (especially fantasy/horror) but the constant weirdness & confusing plot that makes no sense really hurts the film, if Nuda per Satana could even be described as a film. The character's are stupid, I mean would you stick around a house where you witness someone stabbed to death & not even mention it? I've heard of politeness to your host but this is ridiculous! The final nail in Nuda per Satana's coffin is that it is also very boring & just doesn't engage the viewer.Director Batzella gives the film a wonderful dream like surreal visual quality, it's just a shame the story is so lame. From the fantastic Gothic castle with it's richly furnished interior, bright reds & golds throughout. The lighting, the soft focus, the style & the editing tricks are all impressive & deserve to be in a better film. The gore is none existent, but there is a fair amount of nudity, sex & lesbianism.Technically Nuda per Satana is nice, the impressive cinematography I've mentioned & try to watch it in full 2:35:1 widescreen the way it should be, the locations are suitably atmospheric but there is one scene in which Susan is attacked by a paper mache spider with pipe cleaner legs that has to be one of the worst looking special effects ever, it's truly embarrassing to watch! I mean it looks like a primary school art project that went horribly wrong! The acting is OK but nobody gets to do much.Nuda per Satana in my opinion isn't a film, it's a collection of strange imagery that makes no sense when put together. I really have no reason to recommend this film except for it's lush visual style. Disappointing & not worth tracking down. I'll give it four stars for the visual splendour alone.

Wasn't that impressed , however it did have it's enjoyable moments. There was TONS and TONS of nudity, lots of Lesbian action, and other stuff to enjoy, however, the pace is inconsistent and the atrocious dubbing does not help matters either. It had lots of great atmosphere , and the hammy acting to enjoy however it could have been a lot better and the finale was a bit weak. The direction was good. Luigi Batzella did a very good job here with creating lots of creepy and foggy atmosphere, and it's visually striking and the Razzle dazzle camera work is awesome however the Pace isn't that great and he could have made the ending better, the lighting was excellent though. There is a tiny bit of blood. We get a bloody whipping sequence, a bloody stabbing, and that's all she wrote. The Acting is so so. Rita Calderoni over acts as Susan but does good as Evelyn she was much more interesting. James Harris did what he had to do. Stelio Candelli was very good as both Dr Benson and Peter. Overall i suppose it's worth one watch if ya can find it (i found it on the Scream Channel). **1/2 out of 5. By the way the Photography was excellent.