Reincarnation of Isabel 2009 Horror Movie Review

This rather incoherent film stars bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay as an American businessman who buys a castle conveniently located near a girls’ school. Naturally, plenty of nubile young women come to his housewarming party and are systematically abducted by a quartet of devil worshippers dressed in capes and matching red tights, looking like superhero wannabes at a cheap masquerade party. It’s hard to tell who exactly is having all those flashbacks to witch-burning in the 15th century with Renato Polselli’s (a.k.a. “Ralph Brown”) willy-nilly editing. Actually, it’s hard to tell what’s going on most of the time, but Polselli doesn’t let that stop him from packing the picture with nudity, torture, crucifixions, vampirism, impalings, whippings, and the sick gothic sadism that makes Italian shockers so great. No bosom is left unexposed, no young maiden left unmolested. The gore effects are sometimes amusingly slapdash, the acting is often appallingly bad, and the music is a wild mix of conflicting styles, all of which gives the film a surprisingly fascinating texture. Included are trailers for this and three other Italian exploitation films and an extended introduction by British horror hostess Eileen Daly (which was actually recorded for a different film!), a black-leather Elvira with a whip and a penchant for kink that may not be to the tastes of all audiences. -Sean Axmaker