When it comes to German imports....

Flixer1957

**Possible Spoilers Ahead**

Various American, Spanish and Italian rip-offs may be better known--or more notorious--but this sordid little item proves that our friends in der Fatherland weren't above hopping on the EXORCIST bandwagon either.  And when it comes to German imports, you'd do better with a case of St. Pauli Girl, Dark.

An evil spirit enters the body of a nubile boarding-school student, in more ways than one.  (She probably would have been corrupted sooner or later by one of the openly lebian house mothers but the demon hastens things merrily along.)  Our heroine's shenanigans include foaming at the mouth and doing breakdances, beating the crap out of a lecher who picks her up hitchiking, greeting the parish priest with language I can't duplicate here, and seducing two brothers before setting one against the other with lethal results.

None of this will faze veterans of possession flicks, but they will be put off by the lousy lighting, bad color, and lame direction.  The dialogue sometimes matches PLAN 9 at it's looniest; witness this exchange:

WOMAN:  Magdalena's escaped! PRIEST: She tore open her strait-jacket? WOMAN:  No, she RIPPED it open!!!

This demonic dog-and-pony show was released here as BEYOND THE DARKNESS. Most discussed when this hit the Hudson Valley was the scene in which Magdalena herks a big black snake out of her mouth.  Mr. Blatty, Mr. Friedkin--are you proud of what you started?

score 6/10

Flixer1957 31 January 2002

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw0136496/