THE ANTICHRIST (1974, L’ANTICRISTO) – Episode 236 – Decades of Horror 1970s

“This time, I’m going to win. You’re all afraid, you stinking pots of sh**!” Afraid? Maybe. Stinking pots of sh**? You be the judge. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, Jeff Mohr, and guest Jerry Chandler – as they discuss some European horror, this time from Italy, with Alberto De Martino’s The Antichrist (1974).

Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 236 – The Antichrist (1974)

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A paralyzed young woman becomes possessed by the Devil when a hypnosis session – intended to heal her disability – accidentally awakens memories of her past life as a witch.

• Directed by: Alberto De Martino
• Writing Credits: (in alphabetical order) Gianfranco Clerici, Alberto De Martino, Vincenzo Mannino
• Music by: Ennio Morricone, Bruno Nicolai
• Cinematography by: Joe D’Amato (as Aristide Massaccesi)
• Selected Cast:
  • Carla Gravina as Ippolita Oderisi
  • Mel Ferrer as Massimo Oderisi
  • Arthur Kennedy as Bishop Ascanio Oderisi
  • George Coulouris as Father Mittner
  • Alida Valli as Irene
  • Mario Scaccia as Faith Healer
  • Umberto Orsini as Dr. Marcello Sinibaldi
  • Anita Strindberg as Greta
  • Remo Girone as Filippo Oderisi
  • Ernesto Colli as Possessed Man
  • Bruno Tocci as Possessed Man’s Friend
  • Beatrice De Bono as Woman healed by statue

Is it a ripoff of The Exorcist (1973) with a touch of Rosemary’s Baby (1968) thrown in for good measure? Yes, and more. Albert de Martino’s The Antichrist (1974) surprises everyone on the Grue Crew. Carla Gravina makes the whole thing work with her performance as the target of the film’s possession. The inimitable Alida Valli adds to the story’s credibility, as does George Coulouris, who plays the exorcist. Mel Ferrer and Arthur Kennedy round out the central cast as the possessed’s father and priest uncle, respectively. Don’t get us wrong. The Antichrist is a mishmash of a story, and yet… there is some wheat amongst the chaff. At any rate, the Crew had much to talk about, even a few tangentials.

At the time of this writing, The Antichrist (1974) is available to stream from Tubi and Flix Fling. It is available on physical media as a Kino Lorber Studio Classics Blu-ray.

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror two-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In two weeks, the next episode, chosen by Bill, will be The Night of the Sorcerers (1974). Wait, what? Another Amando de Ossorio film? It has a secret spot in Bill’s heart and the rest of the Grue Crew have a need to know.

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