Count Boris Zaroff is the son of a famed sadist who had a penchant for hunting women down like animals and then killing them off, ala “The Most Dangerous Game.” To no one’s surprise Boris has these very same tendencies though he tries hard from day to day to keep them at bay. Who knew that restraining oneself from brutalizing beautiful women could be so difficult? In any event, unbeknownst to him the family caretaker, Karl, has assured the old man that his son will carry on with the tried and true family tradition. There’s the set up and away we go.
Voluptuous women begin to show up to the Count’s castle and one by one they are done away with. One woman is chased down by the family dog and winds up flying out a window, crashing to her death clad only in a blue feather boa, while another chickie is run all over the countryside by the Count in his slick lil’ European Sportster. Of course she cannot escape the clutches of our resident madman and is squashed beneath his wheels. As with most movies of this type it is completely impossible to feel any empathy let alone sympathy for the victims because for the most part “they’re just asking for it.” And best of all, one couple innocently inquire about the Count’s torture chamber and then once given the tour ignorantly ask to be bound together upon the bed of nails. The results were hardly what the cheap thrill seekers were looking for and they are peremptorily impaled. Stupid people.
And so it goes.
“Seven Women For Satan” is a lovely slice of 70’s Euro/Horror-Sleaze (French to be exact) that encompasses large doses of director Lemoine’s mentors, notably Mario Bava and Jess Franco. To further his string of accolades Lemoine also took the starring role, which is a glaring Francoism for sure. Or was it a budget constraint thing? Or perhaps it was the fact that Lemoine had been a staple movie star in Europe for many years appearing in films such as; “Kiss Me Monster,” “Succubus” and “Castle of Bloody Lust”? No matter the reason Lemoine’s crystalline glare lends the film a voyeuristic air that weaves itself seamlessly through the thin yet jumbled plot line and the myriad of murders. Franco regular Howard Vernon was also brought along for the ride and if it were not for the fact that he is so damned good on screen, his inclusion could also be seen as a nod to Franco. Lemoine is not nearly as poetic as Bava nor is he as filthy and gritty as Franco but all the glorious trappings of this genre are present: plenty of naked female bodies, a wild-assed jazz score, funky fashions, sex, violence and sadism galore.
As usual Mondo Macabro gives us some nice extras: a 30 minute interview with Lemoine, the theatrical trailer, cast and crew info as well as the original French language version of the film with optional English subtitles.
