The Doll of Satan (La bambola di Satana) is an Italian horror movie directed by Ferruccio Casapinta and released in 1969 (although doubts have been raised as to the extent to which Casapinta actually did direct this movie). But the genre to which this movie actually belongs is debatable.
Elizabeth Ball Janon (Erna Schurer) has inherited a spooky gothic castle from her uncle. She has been in London for several years but has now returned, with her fiancé Jack Seaton (Roland Carey), to take possession of the castle.
There is some question as to whether it was her uncle’s wish that the castle be sold. Elizabeth would like to respect her uncle’s wishes, if she could be sure that he really did intend to sell. A neighbour is definitely very anxious to buy.
On the other hand her uncle’s close friend and adviser, the elderly Mr Shinton (Domenico Ravenna), assures her that her uncle would never have wanted the castle sold. Mr Shinton tells her that he can produce proof that her uncle had no such intentions. Elizabeth is more than a little confused.
Slightly creepy things start happening right away. The castle has another inhabitant, Jeanette. Jeanette was supposed to have died in an accident (an accident in which Elizabeth’s uncle was involved) years earlier. She isn’t dead, but she’s crippled in insane. An insane woman locked in an upstairs bedroom is certainly pretty gothic.
The household includes several servants as well as Elizabeth’s childhood governess, Miss Carol (Lucia Bomez). Miss Carol is just a little strange. She likes to tell ghost stories. Elizabeth is a bit spooked by these ghostly tales. She’s even more spooked when she hears the castle’s ghost.
And Elizabeth has strange and disturbing nocturnal visions. Visions of dungeons and torture, with herself as the victim.
There are disappearances. The family dog is very unsettled. Something is very wrong in this castle.
Superficially this is a gothic horror movie. The setting is a haunted castle and there are ghosty visitations. However from a very early stage there are definite giallo touches. There is for example a black-gloved killer. And right from the start we have strong reason to doubt whether there is anything remotely supernatural going on. In fact I don’t think the audience is expected for one moment to believe that anything in this story has a supernatural explanation. So it could be seen as a giallo with gothic horror trappings.
Personally I would call this movie a krimi. The very popular West German Edgar Wallace krimi genre certainly had a strong influence on the early development of the Italian giallo and there were German-Italian co-productions that combined both krimi and giallo elements. The Doll of Satan is entirely an Italian production but I feel quite confident in saying that spiritually it’s a krimi. It has the classic krimi signatures- the gothic setting, the sinister hooded figures, the outrageous plot, the use of disguise, the number of characters who are not whom they appear to be, the swordfight. These are things you expect in a krimi. Indeed they’re things you expect from Edgar Wallace.
There’s also perhaps a touch of the Old Dark House movies of the 30s.
The necessary ingredients are all here, but the execution falls very flat. What makes Italian and German genre movies of the 60s and 70s so wonderful is that they emphasised style over substance. Visual style was crucial and they didn’t mind if it came at the expense of plot coherence. And they were correct. Style matters more than substance. Movies are all about style. And that’s where The Doll of Satan falls down. It’s just seriously lacking in visual style. It’s also seriously lacking in energy.
The 88 Films Blu-Ray offers a nice transfer with a few extras including an audio commentary.
The Doll of Satan just doesn’t quite make it. It isn’t terrible, but it is a bit stodgy. Maybe worth a look as a curiosity.