Excellent but underrated film

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Lovely and innocent young art student Danilla (a fearless performance by foxy brunette Stella Carnacina) is tormented by vivid and disturbing dreams of being nailed to a cross. Things get really strange and intense when the crucifix she's dreaming about comes to life and possesses her body, thus turning sweet Danilla into a shameless raving nympho who masturbates and tries to seduce her staid father Mario (a suitably uptight portrayal by Chris Avram). Director Mario Gariazzo and writer Ambrogio Molteni take the blithely lurid story seriously, do a sound job of creating and maintaining a scuzzy atmosphere, and, of course, deliver a few jolting moments of bloody'n'brutal violence along with a handy helping of kinky sex and yummy female nudity (the set piece with the statue making love to Danilla is quite sizzling and depraved). The solid cast of familiar Eurotrash cinema regulars helps a lot: the luscious Lucretia Love as Danilla's sadomasochistic adulteress mother Luisa, Gabriele Tinti as Luisa's sadistic lover, Luigi Pistilli as the intrepid and determined ace exorcist Father Xeno, and, in a deliciously wicked turn, Ivan Rassimov as a cackling lascivious Satan. Moreover, this flick has an inspired sense of warped lunacy to it: The statue coming to life stuff is weird and original and a sequence in which Danilla attempts to escape from a church is positively hysterical. The groovy music, ghastly 70's fashions, and disco dancing give the picture a certain campy retro charm. Carlo Carlini's cinematography makes effective occasional use of overhead camera shots. Marcello Giombini's wonky shuddery score does the shivery trick. Good sleazy fun.

"L'Ossessa" (released in English under many titles and the eeriest of them certainly is "The eerie midnight horror show") is one of the best Italian rip-offs of "The Exorcist". To really appreciate this film you should have a sense of humor. "L'Ossessa" is at the same time sleazy (but naive), pathetic and sometimes even moving.Danila (Stella Carnacina), an art student, goes to an old church to see the statue she's going to restore. It's a wooden statue of Christ, a demonic Christ, maybe already overcome by evil, or fighting against it, or perhaps planning dark deeds. The face shows infinite torment. The statue dates from the 15th century. Danila is impressed by the mastery shown by the sculptor - the statue seems almost alive! She lives with her parents. Her mother Luisa (Lucretia Love) lives a dissolute life and doesn't care too much for keeping up appearances. Her father Mario (Chris Avram) observes everything with disenchanted eyes.The wooden statue will soon assume a human form (Ivan Rassimov) and possess Danila in the carnal and spiritual sense. An amazing scene! The poor Danila, from now on, will suffer the torments of hell.Danila (the lovely Stella Carnacina) was ravished, violated, possessed by the devil and now following his orders, she will try to seduce others. Ain't she emulating her sleazy mother Luisa (Lucretia Love) who feels great pleasure when her lover whips her with a bunch of roses? There is a scene so ridiculous as to be sublime and moving, when Stella Carnacina runs in despair through the narrow streets (possessed by the devil, remember?) of a small Italian town screaming her heart out. Luigi Pistilli is a very good exorcist. His performance is, as usual, intense. The exorcism scenes (particularlly the final battle) are very, very amateurish, but this will only enhance the fun (and/or emotion?) if you've really got a sense of humor.Stella Carnacina is beautiful and looks fresh and innocent, and that's a factor that adds to your pleasure when she's naked, but I think that the film could have explored more her natural beauty. Lucretia Love is a very good sleaze companion (her nude scene with the roses... well.:) Other Italian exorcist rip-offs I would like to recommend for you are: Malabimba (very sleazy and released uncut and digitally restored) "Evil Eye" (Malocchio) - "The Exorcist" was the main source of inspiration for "Evil Eye", but others films, like, for instance, "Rosemary's Baby" should also be taken into account. "Evil Eye" is completely over the top. Not that sleazy but with plenty of gorgeous Italian and Spanish actresses. You'll be drooling all over the film. The film is ridiculous, the story doesn't make any sense, but if you see it in the right mood you might feel moved! - a diabolical sect, possession, murders, despair, love, investigation and beautiful women all around. A wild ride! If you liked "Evil Eye", see also "Ring of Darkness" (Un'Ombra nell'ombra). This film can be found in the alternative market. Search this title in the IMDb. There are good reviews about it.P.S. - "L'Ossessa" has many different faces. It's exploitative, but it can also be serious and moving. It's cheap, cheesy... sleazy (but not that much) and it has an underlying "moral" message. This strange brew can sometimes be very funny. We all already know that "L'Ossessa" is an "Exorcist" rip-off so why can't we see it on its own terms? Yes, Mario Gariazzo was trying to earn a fast buck, but he was able get the most out of a shoestring budget. The story is well told, the film is atmospheric and overall the actors are committed to their roles. See the film with an open mind and you may discover two or three new things.

Maybe it was because I grew up under power-lines, but I have a strange affection for all these foreign "Exorcist" rip-offs. Most of these movies, truth be told, really aren't any more stupid plot-wise than the original "Exorcist", but they lacked the budget, the talent, and the raw visceral power to make them effective horror movies and usually ended up being merely risible. Still, with a few exceptions (i.e. the Turkish "Seytan"), they weren't as blatantly unoriginal and imitative as many critics (who obviously never watched them on their own terms)have claimed. The Italians, for instance, managed to add a ridiculous sexploitation angle to the proceedings in films like "L'Anticristo", "Malabimba", and this one.After watching her high society mama (the ubiquitously naked Lucretia Love) being whipped by flowers (yes, you read that right) and engaging in other perverse sex acts with her lover (Gabriel "husband of Laura Gemser" Tinti), a pretty young artist (Stella Carnacina)becomes upset and falls under the spell of of an Etruscan demon/Christ type statue she is helping to restore. The statue comes to life (as the creepy Ivan Rassimov),strips off her calico dress, and "possesses" her in more ways than one. The rest of the movie involves her cursing and attacking her mother, trying to seduce her father, and finally getting exorcised by no less than Luigi Pistilli. Oh yeah, she also vomits green goo, but only at the very end, almost as an afterthought.By no means is this movie good, but it sure is entertaining!It makes no sense at all, but never slows down to allow you to contemplate its sheer absurdity. And what an exploitation cast! Lucretia Love, who looks to be in her mid-30's, is obviously not old enough to be the mother of the twenty-something Carnacina, but that's not the point, is it? And you also have male character actors like Tinti, Rassimov, and Pistilli all doing what they do best. "Malabimba" has more sex and Mariangelo Giordano, so it perhaps slightly edges this one out, but this is definitely my second favorite European "Exorcist"/sexploitation rip-off ever. Check it out.

WOW! What a horrible, hideous waste of time this celluloid atrocity turned out to be. I remember seeing it years ago and thinking it was fun but now...it's just plain silly. Not to mention the fact that it is a blatant rip-off of "The Exorcist" to the point where it was re-released at one point under the title "The Sex-orcist". The only real difference is that the producers have the gall to further discredit themselves by slapping on the claim that the events in the film are REAL! Who in their right mind would actually believe such a bold faced lie? To make matters even worse, there was a video release in circulation with cover art that blatantly tried to cash in on the "Rocky Horror Picture Show" by throwing a pair of lips on the cover! How low could one possibly sink? Do not be fooled by the false claims, blatant lies or title rip-off because you will be SORELY disappointed if you do!