Leofwine_draca A good cast and a clever storyline help to make this supernatural spooker a bit better than your average kind of fare. Short on actual supernatural content (a few weird dream sequences are all we get) and long on conversations, this is unfortunately let down by an overly wordy script which makes the film quite hard to watch, as it goes on so long as well.On the plus side, it is a seventies film, which means there are a number of weird psychedelic visuals and some awful and absurd fashions to enjoy. There are a few chills too from the ROSEMARY'S BABY-style plot which shows just how powerful Satanism can be. The acting is all of a high standard, from Jacqueline Bisset as the tough heroine who won't be killed, to the scene-stealing Curt Jurgens as the rich but sinister pianist. However it's Alan Alda who carries the film as the mild-mannered everyday kind of man who gets a soul transformation, he may not be totally believable but he's fun to watch. Barbara Parkins is also good and unlikeable as the fiery Satanist while '70s fave Bradford Dillman is an unfortunate victim of the Satanic cult.While THE MEPHISTO WALTZ has a few scattered good moments (the dog with the human mask, the weird dreams, the twist ending) it never reaches the scale of becoming a full-fledged classic, which is unfortunate. If you're a fan of psychological horror though, then this one might just be for you.

Linda_S Quinn Martin Productions venture into theatrical films as opposed to its television work is a tidy little entry in the Satanic genre which the late 1960s and early 1970s were chock full of and it is sad that we do not see such films today.The stunning beauty Barbara Parkins and the irrepressible Curt Jürgens steal the show and turn in performances that dwarf the rest of the cast. This is a low budget film and yet without all of today's special effects it is readily more thrilling and frightening than the typical horror film of contemporary American film.Thank heavens it is on DVD I saw it originally and now eagerly seek to have it for my collection.

RanchoTuVu Similar to the story in Rosemary's Baby, a husband (Alan Alda) with a beautiful wife (Jacqueline Bisset) gets involved with a satanic cult, this time led by a dying concert pianist (Curt Jurgens) who sees the young man's body as the right "vehicle" in which to transplant his doomed soul. How many times has he had to do this before? How this operation actually plays out on the screen isn't all that impressive, though the man's daughter played by Barbara Parkins, is, as her body is that of his daughter, but it's possessed by the soul of his dead wife. Needless to say, Parkins is perfect for the part, and that this is essential viewing for Parkins fans. The old man now gets to be the husband of Alda's beautiful wife played by Bisset in a merely temporary arrangement, as she's more an obstacle, though Alda's new persona has a more supercharged sex drive than the old one and relishes her much more than the old one ever did. And Bisset falls in love with the new incarnation, setting up a nasty showdown with Parkins, in a tidy little conclusion where the evil mother's spirit goes from one beautiful body to another. Between the sex and the search for young bodies, and the bizarre satanic rituals and a weird New Year's Eve party, and lots of psychedelia trippy camera work, this even manages to surpass Rosemary's Baby in scope and reach, though not so much in the dark underpinnings of the story, under the direction of the underrated Paul Wendkos.

Juha Hämäläinen A colorful piece of 1970's California Gothic, which despite a very thin story and constant silliness, succeeds to entertain rather well. I don't think the makers of the movie bothered with logic and all that too much either, so why should we then? Like in so many horror films this kind the plot moves in such rapid pace between the creepiness and laughable, that it's better just to lean back and enjoy.There's still plenty to awe beginning with Jacqueline Bisset, truly one of the most gorgeous looking actresses in movies ever. Some viewers seem to find it hard to accept Alan Alda interesting enough to have his soul taken over by the evil and physical side lusted after by two ladies that beautiful. I think he's doing quite well and let's face it, it seems to be only his perfect piano player's hands that get him the job for starters. After all, he's only one more pawn in the game as all the characters are. Everybody wants something that seems terribly important to he or her, get it by a terrible way and end up as a victim one way or another. In the end when several souls and bodies have been switched it really doesn't matter anymore. A good cast and a director have done their entertaining trick once again.The most memorable things after Jacqueline Bisset are the usual charismatic appearance of Curt Jurgens and the use of masks and strange blue goo during the invocation ceremonies. I mean, what was that stuff, anyway? I want to buy and try some. See this creepily funny movie and try to find out.