An Angel For Satan – Severin Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1966
Director: Camillo Mastrocinque
Writers: Luigi Emmanuele, Giuseppe Mangione, Camillo Mastrocinque, Antonio Fogazzaro
Cast: Barbara Steele, Anthony Steffen, Claudio Gora, Mario Brega, Marina Berti, Ursula Davis, Vassili Karis, Aldo Berti

Release Date: October 26th, 2021
Approximate Running Time: 92 Minutes 20 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $34.95

"When a cursed statue is recovered from a villa's lake, a young heiress (Steele) will inflict a torrent of depraved seduction and homicidal madness on the local village." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "scanned in 2K from the original negative."

An Angel For Satan comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 35.7 GB

Feature: 26.6 GB

Though the source used for this transfer looks great. It should-be noted that there are two scenes where hair that’s now part of the source can-be seen at the bottom of the frame. Here’s an example of said source damage.

That said, besides that source imperfection, the rest of the transfer looks exemplary. Image clarity, contrast and black levels look solid throughout and the image looks organic.

Audio: 4.5/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian), 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. Both audio mixes sound clean, clear and balanced throughout. It should be noted that, range-wise, the Italian language track is noticeably fuller than its English language track. Included with this release are removable English subtitles for the Italian language and removable English SDH subtitles for the English language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a trailer (2 minutes, Dolby Digital mono Italian with removable English subtitles) and a extended trailer for An Angel for Satan (2 minutes 30 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with removable English subtitles), a short film starring Barbara Steele titled Barbara & Her Furs (9 minutes 27 seconds, Dolby Digital mono French with removable English subtitles), partial audio commentary track for Barbara & Hers Furs with Barbara Steele, an interview with actor Vassili Karis and film historian Fabio Melelli titled The Devil Statue (18 minutes 25 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with actress Barbara Steele And horror film historian David Del Valle, an audio commentary with Kat Ellinger, Author Of 'Daughters Of Darkness' and a limited edition slipcover.

Summary:

An Angel for Satan was co-written and directed by Camillo Mastrocinque (Crypt of the Vampire). An Angel for Satan was adapted from author Antonio Fogazzaro’s Gothic horror novel titled Malombra.

Barbara Steele is most known for her work in the horror genre, specifically Gothic horror. And though she’s known to portray a certain type of character in these films. The way which An Angel for Satan exploits her Gothic horror persona makes An Angel for Satan’s finale all the more potent.

Content wise, An Angel for Satan has all the elements that are synonymous with Italian Gothic horror cinema. The premise revolves around a superstitious village who’s fearful of outsiders and a cursed statue. Though An Angel for Satan does a great job playing up the superstition angle, it also does a great job blurring the line between reality and superstition. That said, be forewarned that the opening setup plays more like a melodrama and that most of the Gothic horror elements are in the latter-half of the film.

Barbara Steele (The Pit and the Pendulum) is An Angel for Satan’s greatest asset. Every scene that she’s in comes alive and she towers over the rest of the cast. She delivers an enchanting performance that perfectly captures the duality of the characters she’s portraying. Other notable cast members include Anthony Steffen (Django the Bastard) in the role of Roberto Merigi, an outsider who’s been brought in to restore the cursed statue and Mario Brega (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) in the role of Carlo Lionesi, one of many characters seduced by Barbara Steele’s character.

From a production standpoint, there’s not an area where An Angel for Satan comes up short. The premise is exquisitely realized and the narrative does a good job maintaining the mounting tension. Also, the black and white cinematography is overflowing with atmosphere and  Francesco De Masi’s (Lone Wolf McQuade) reinforces the mood. Ultimately, An Angel for Satan superlative film that lives up to the duality of its name.

An Angel for Satan gets an excellent release from Severin Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and a wealth of insightful extra content, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer