L'Anticristo (The Antichrist) (The Tempter) (1974)

47% of users liked it
(403 ratings)

Alberto De Martino's imitative occult horror film, photographed by Aristide Massaccesi (aka Joe D'Amato), is probably the best of numerous Italian copies of The Exorcist that flooded theaters in the mid-'70s. Carla Gravina stars as Ippolita, a paralyzed young woman with serious mental problems… More Alberto De Martino's imitative occult horror film, photographed by Aristide Massaccesi (aka Joe D'Amato), is probably the best of numerous Italian copies of The Exorcist that flooded theaters in the mid-'70s. Carla Gravina stars as Ippolita, a paralyzed young woman with serious mental problems stemming from the death of her mother. Her crisis of faith and the intervention of a well-meaning psychologist lead Ippolita to remember her past life as a witch during the Inquisition. Eventually, Ippolita becomes possessed and starts seducing local men, only to break their necks. Eventually, she sleeps with her brother, makes a local sorcerer lick vomit from her hand, and levitates out the window. It takes an exorcism performed by an aging monk (George Coulouris) and the family housekeeper (Alida Valli) to restore order. De Martino and the talented cast manage a few chilling moments despite the predictable storyline, and Gravina is quite good in the lead. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 36 min.
Directed By: Alberto De Martino
Written By: Gianfranco Clerici, Alberto De Martino
Genres: Drama, Horror, Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense, Classics

In Theaters: Feb 27, 1974 Wide
On DVD: Mar 22, 2005

Critic Reviews

Sarah Boslaugh, Playback:stl
Now von Trier's trying his hand at the horror porn genre without abandoning the genital close-ups, making Antichrist a sort of horror porn squared.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
O único elemento que merece elogios, nesta cópia patética de O Exorcista, é a bela Carla Gravina; o resto deve ser exorcizado de nossas memórias.
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
It involves Satan, a possessed woman's tongue and a billy goat's butthole. Again, the distinction between scary and unpleasant becomes revoltingly clear.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Lee ?

An enjoyable but dated and cheesy Italian "Exorcist" rip-off. It doesn't have the exact same story as The Exorcist but it borrows heavily from it but without managing to be as scary or chilling and a lot of its attempts to be so end up being quite funny, particularly… More
An enjoyable but dated and cheesy Italian "Exorcist" rip-off. It doesn't have the exact same story as The Exorcist but it borrows heavily from it but without managing to be as scary or chilling and a lot of its attempts to be so end up being quite funny, particularly the obscene language. The effects haven't aged well, especially the optical effects, but there's effort been put into it and for its day it isn't a bad film considering its budget. It's well shot, has a good central performance and an effectively moody and atmospheric score. The film starts off slow but gets better as it goes along. Not that effective as a serious horror movie anymore though.