Black Magic Rites (1973)

That was an excellent one.

Strong and Moving!

Some things I liked some I did not.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Jack Nelson (Mickey Hargitay) arrives a gloomy looking castle with his fiancé Laureen (Rita Calderoni) and strange things start to happen immediately. Why? The hell if I know but it is somehow related to Laureen being the reincarnation of Isabella, a witch who was staked and burned alive 500 years ago. Oh, and there are some vampires wandering around too. This is my second Renato Polselli flick (after the previous year's DELIRIUM, also with Hargitay) and I'm not quite sure what to make of it. It is great in spots (moody lighting and an interesting editing technique) and completely lousy in others (totally fake rubber bats and easily exposed black backdrops outside of set windows). The biggest problem is it runs way too long (1 hour and 49 minutes) and doesn't make a lick of sense. Worth seeing once just for the 70s feel and the abundance of nudity.

A witch, Isabella, was turned into a vampire by Count Dracula, removed from her bed with the bloodsucker, bound to a wooden cross, and a stake plunged into her chest. Her spirit is dormant and the village folk in the castle, gathered together to celebrate Lauren's forthcoming marriage, resemble the people who attended Isabella's crucifixion. The reincarnated spirits begin to thrive once again in certain members of the males within the castle and they are dedicated to bringing Isabella back, their Satanic costumes and ritualistic tools/devices within a surreal worship chamber, her dead body, hole opened where the stake was stabbed, awaiting resurrection. Lauren is to be the door through her reentering our world. Will her fiancé, a non-believer, find a way to help Lauren, or will she be a chosen vessel for evil to be reborn? Will any viewer even care? Zany Satanic thriller from director Renato Polselli shifts through different eras, when Isabella was crucified as hecklers and those that care for her look on, in modern time as new people inhabit the castle still housing dark powers, and the worship chamber with followers enacting torturous, barbaric routines for their Isabella. Certain characters stand out in the modern plot. Christa Barrymore is Christa, a believer who is chosen as a way of luring her virgin sisters to their supposed doom, as possible sacrificial victims for Isabella. Mickey Hargitay and Rita Calderoni return from Polsetti's Delirium, to star as Jack Nelson & Lauren, stepfather and stepdaughter. Hargitay, I think, also portrays Dracula in the past, watching in horror as the village men stake his beloved Isabella on a wooden cross in the chest. Calderoni portrays the witch Isabella, and lookalike target Lauren who is chosen to be her gateway from the dead. I attempted, without ceasing, to make sense of the film as the director toys with time and narrative structure, with all types of wacky theatrics(Stefania Fassio's bonkers Stephy is a bonafide buffoon played to the hilt, aggravating all those around her, always seeking attention)and visual flourishes(..like how he shoots faces from all angles and shrouded in psychedelic colors). As you might know, there are ample opportunities for the director to expose breasts, especially the delicious Calderoni who was quite a gorgeous woman to ogle over. The film highlights the "virgins" targeted as potential victims for Isabella, ravaged by Satan's disciples at the end as they are taken to the worship chamber. One, Christa, is almost buried alive in a harrowing sequence as those who attended her funeral had left, her chance of escape left to the mercy of a demented facially scarred servant who is often singled out by the director hiding in corners with a gleeful look on his face willing to cause harm to anyone if allowed. My favorite scene would have to be when Christa is being fondled forcefully from behind by an unknown assailant as he grabs her breasts, his free hand feeling down her body, as she slowly succumbs to an awakening sexual desire(..the camera shoots down her chest as the hand grabs and caresses). While not as violent as it could've been, this sure is a lurid shocker. A rather alarming sex scene between Stephy, her female girlfriend, and a grotesque "twitching" loon is sure to leave a lasting impression..either as a way to repulse or excite depending on your taste. There is an explanation at the very end as to what is going on, but I'm sure many will even grow more frustrated and confused. Raul Lovecchio, as a grim-faced *occultist*, owns a portion of the newly ocupied castle, warning others of the evil that presently resides within the place, and has all the answers as to what is truly going on.

This long-lost exploitation treasure surely lists among the weirdest films I ever saw. To be quite sure, I'm still don't know how to give a rating to it… the plot is full of nonsense and illogicalness and impossible to summarize. In fact, I would have turned off this movie much earlier if it wasn't for all the beauty it features. The Reincarnation of Isabel has an amazing force on attraction! It constantly introduces barely-dressed beauty queens and photographs them in the most stylish and sensual ways you've ever seen! Although no structure whatsoever (the plot jumps back and forth in time, seeing it handles about some sort of immortal vampire cult who sacrifices virgins every twenty-fifth moon… or something), you just can't press the `stop'-button on the remote of your DVD-player. Fans of macabre cinema will regard this film as an absolute highlight…even they won't get it, neither. It purely has to be seen for its weirdness and incomprehensible style. Sleaze, violence and atmosphere like you've never seen it before. For the eccentric cinema-freaks among us!

"Reincarnation of Isabel" is a great example of good Euro-trash. It triumphs over its obviously low budget through a combination of gore, unintentional humor, a great score, flashy camera work, and large amounts of gratuitous nudity. It is surprising that this movie has not received a cult status yet, being that it is better than many cult movies. Thanks must be given to Redemption (the company that put this out) for finding a print of this movie, which was long considered lost, and giving it its first domestic release ever.The "plot" is as follows: A woman named Isabel is burned at the stake when the Inquisition comes to her small village. Apparently they are not too far off, either, because she actually was a witch. Her husband and another local take her body and put it in the dungeon of a castle. Flip to present day: The husband and some of the locals who were on his side have been reincarnated (no explanation is given), and through some twist of fate know it. The husband then attempts to reincarnate Isabel with the hearts of young virgins in some satanic ritual. There is actually much more to the plot (something to do with vampires, and many unnecessary characters), but it all becomes a confused mess. This lack of plot can be forgiven, though, because the plot is not what the movie is trying for."Reincarnation of Isabel" is one of the most enjoyable Euro-trash movies, containing everything one has come to expect from this genre. Well, not quite everything. This movie unfortunately lacks in violence and gore. After the violent opening, the movie contains no more realistic effects (it does, however, contain some unrealistic effects. For example, a few "witches" are scratched with sticks, which is fine and dandy (they were topless, after all), but the effect was so cheap it was unintentionally humorous. It was achieved through the use of rubbing a blunt club with wet paint on the end against the skin of the two "witches."). The fake violence was not the only source of unintentional humor; the subtitles were actually much funnier. On the plus side, the acting was surprisingly good and solid, the music was decent, and the direction was pretty solid. It should also be noted that "Reincarnation..." gets better with every viewing. It should be viewed at least twice to get the wanted effect.Recommended for all fans of Eurohorror. My rating: 7 out of 10.