The Eerie Midnight Horror Show (1974), also known by a variety of other titles including Sexorcist Devil and Enter the Devil, is a disturbing and confusing mess of a movie that tries far too hard to be shocking while failing spectacularly at actually being engaging. Directed by Mario Gariazzo, this Italian horror film is clearly riding the coattails of The Exorcist(1973), but it does so with none of the skill or atmosphere that made William Friedkin’s film so effective. Instead, it delivers a jumbled, exploitative mess that seems more intent on titillation than actual horror.
The plot, such as it is, follows Danila (Stella Carnacina), an art student in Italy who becomes embroiled in a nightmarish series of events after purchasing a statue of the crucifixion from a deconsecrated church. She witnesses some deeply uncomfortable scenes of sadomasochistic sex at her parents’ party and soon finds herself the target of disturbing, supernatural visions that tie her to the statue and its connection to Satan. If you’re looking for coherent storytelling, you’re going to be disappointed from the very beginning, as the narrative careens from one bizarre set piece to another without ever really giving you something to latch onto.
At its heart, the film appears to be a mix of demonic possession, psychological breakdown, and twisted religious imagery, but it never settles into any of these themes long enough for them to make an impact. Instead, we’re treated to a series of disjointed, uncomfortable sequences—Danila’s violent masturbation, her disturbing interaction with her father, and the extremely unconvincing exorcism scenes that come later. Rather than focusing on building any kind of tension or atmosphere, the film simply throws one shock after another at the audience, without the substance to back it up. There are attempts at disturbing imagery—Danila covered in stigmata, her violent outbursts, the unsavory religious undertones—but these moments are hollow and fail to elicit any real sense of unease.
The performances do little to elevate the material. Stella Carnacina, as Danila, gives a performance that is both flat and unconvincing. She is tasked with portraying a character who spirals into madness, but instead of a tragic or compelling breakdown, it’s more like watching someone read a script while completely disconnected from the material. Her portrayal of a woman undergoing possession is neither terrifying nor sympathetic; instead, it’s just tedious.
Chris Avram, as Mario, and Ivan Rassimov, playing Satan, both do what they can with the material, but there’s only so much you can do with such poorly developed characters. Rassimov’s Satan is as unconvincing as the rest of the film’s supernatural elements—more of a spectacle than an actual source of fear. Luigi Pistilli as Father Xeno is perhaps the most interesting character in terms of performance, but even his role as a self-flagellating priest feels more like a tired cliche than anything else.
The film’s pacing is another issue—it drags on for far longer than it needs to. There are long stretches of tedious, repetitive scenes where characters talk in vague terms about Danila’s “possession” without anything truly happening. The exorcism itself, which should be the climax of the film, is a laughable mess, failing to generate any real sense of danger or emotional impact. The film lingers on these sequences, presumably trying to build tension, but instead just exacerbates the sense of boredom that permeates the film.
The violence and sexual content, often a selling point for exploitation films like this one, are handled in a similarly misguided manner. There’s nothing particularly shocking about the scenes of Danila’s violent outbursts or her sexual behavior—everything feels forced, like the film is trying to be provocative without ever truly earning it. The inclusion of sadomasochistic themes and religious imagery only adds to the overall sense of discomfort, but not in a way that feels meaningful. Instead, it just feels like shock value for the sake of shock value, with no real substance beneath it.
The Eerie Midnight Horror Show is a film that constantly shifts between trying to be a psychological horror movie, a religious allegory, and an exploitative sex film. The result is a film that never quite succeeds at any of these goals, leaving the viewer with a sense of confusion and frustration. The narrative doesn’t make sense, the characters are one-dimensional, and the horror elements are more absurd than frightening.
Ultimately, this is a film that could have been forgotten entirely if not for its association with the Exorcist craze of the 1970s. It’s one of those movies that tries to be edgy and controversial but never succeeds in being anything more than a bland, unremarkable exercise in bad taste. If you’re a fan of sleazy, exploitative horror from the 70s, you might find something to appreciate here, but for anyone else, The Eerie Midnight Horror Show is more of a chore than a thrill. It’s a film that fails to live up to its promise of eerie thrills, and by the time it’s over, you’ll likely be left asking, “What was the point?”
