Lee Eisenberg Italian cinema brings to mind Federico Fellini* and his ilk. Connoisseurs of this probably don't know that Italy spent the 1970s releasing a series of sleazy horror flicks. "Il plenilunio delle vergini" ("The Devil's Wedding Night" in English) is probably most readily available as part of Elvira's Movie Macabre. The Mistress of the Dark spends the whole time commenting on the movie's lack of an obvious plot...and then her Auntie Virus comes and tries to steal the show! The movie itself - about a castle in the Carpathians to which a collection of five virgins gets drawn and never seen again - is fairly enjoyable. There's no shortage of sex and gore. In a way, these horror flicks hearken back to Italy's famous paintings showing scenes of torture and suffering.I don't know if it's possible to obtain this movie on its own. It's the sort of movie that only Elvira, "Mystery Science Theater 3000" or Joe Bob Briggs could present. It's some authentic good times. There's a reason why I got Elvira's autograph at Wizard World last year.Anyway, enjoy Miss E's presentation. Unpleasant dreams!*As it turns out, Cassandra Peterson (Elvira's portrayer) had a brief appearance in Fellini's "Roma".

vaughan-34 Unlike the only other reviewer of this title, I thought this was quite terrific. Actually I was amazed at how good it is.My overall impression was of a film that had a Hammer vibe, with a couple twists - the twists being more blood (though there's not a tremendous amount), and more overt nudity (several topless shots).Other than that it is as good - and silly - as Hammer vampire flicks of the day. Sure the plot is a bit daft, the whole thing turns on possession of an ancient ring, but what do you expect from a vampire film of this era? It didn't matter to me at all.The copy I saw was from tape, so the quality wasn't great. Never mind though, seeing it was better than missing out.As for the previously mentioned "lesbian" sequences, they're tame, and along the lines of the classic Hammer film "The Vampire Lovers".So, if you're a Hammer fan who doesn't mind a slight Euro influence on the ambiance, then this is a film you simply must seek out. I think it's terrific and would buy a remastered edition in a heart beat.

lazarillo A 19th century version of Indian Jones goes looking for a Ring of Vermougglian of Wagnerian legend in Castle Dracula in Transylvania!(While he's at it he might also look around for the mythical South American city of El Dorado). He stays at an inn at a nearby town and finds out from the attractive innkeeper's daughter that once every year during the full moon the town sends five virgin sacrifices to the mysterious inhabitants of the castle (thus the Italian title of this movie). After briefly pausing to help the innkeeper's daughter with her virginity problem, he heads to the castle. (The guy has an amulet which supposedly protects him from all evil, but in an act of unbelievable stupidity he leaves it at the inn). He meets the inhabitants of the castle-- Countess Dracula (Rosalba Neri) and her sinister lesbian servant. He quickly forgets about the Ring of Vermougghlian (being obviously more interested in Aureolas of Neri) and winds up sealed in a coffin and turned into a vampire for his trouble. Then just when you think the movie couldn't get any stupider his identical twin brother shows up for some reason. . .This movie like "Death Smiles at Murder", "The Reincarnation of Isabel" and the director's more famous "Nude for Satan" was made at a time when the Italian Gothic horror films of the 1960's had pretty much completely sunk into blood-drenched and sex-fueled delirium. Most of these other movies were content to have no coherent plot at all; this one instead just has a really stupid one. The main attraction here, of course, is the numerous nude scenes by Rosalba Neri and the sequence where the five virgins are sacrificed (which, of course, involves each of them being stripped naked and stabbed to death by the lesbian servant). A professional critic I once read describes the famous scene where blood is poured on on Neri's nude, writhing body as "pretty unappealing". While I would never use the words "Rosalba Neri", "writhing, nude body" and "unappealing" in the same sentence, she is pretty much wasted here. Neri was a great actress when given a chance and this could have been a memorable role for her (like the famous Erica Blanc role in the similar "The Devil's Nightmare"), but this movie is just too stupid and ham-handedly executed. For what it's worth Neri's "blood bath" is longer and much more erotic than the one Ingrid Pitt takes in "Countess Dracula" (which no doubt inspired the one here). Die-hard flesh hounds at least won't be disappointed. I can't really recommend this to anyone else though.

emm If Rosalba Neri's (credited as Sara Bay) seductive charms are plenty enough to tease on your vital mammaries, then you must see this one. That's why Italian horror movies such as THE DEVIL'S WEDDING NIGHT focus more on sex to compliment the genre. Eroticism aside, it isn't all too horrifying. The classic vampire-ritual movies had their place in the theaters long ago, but it's turned into pure camp now. There's hardly anything in here to please the most die-hard horror sickies other than its erotic nature, despite some occasional dark chills. The most popular scene is Neri rising naked while drenched with blood. The rest is strictly exploitation fare. See this only if you have the strong desire to become addicted to seductive beauty. Otherwise, it's just plain outdated with nothing but old-fashioned vampire fun and plenty of sex to see.