Jacinto Molina, more commonly known under his English a.k.a. Paul Naschy, was – and actually still is – one of the most active writers, directors and actors in the area of European horror/cult cinema and, even though I can't claim he has ever made a movie that was truly brilliant, every fan of the genre simply must cherish at least some sort of admiration for him. Naschy is responsible for an incredibly large variety of horror movies, including dozens of werewolf flicks ("Werewolf Shadow", "Curse of the Devil"), Gialli ("A Dragonfly for each Corpse", "Blue Eyes of the Broken Dolls"), vampire stories ("Count Dracula's Great Love"), gangster flicks ("Crimson") and imaginative variations on popular themes ("The Hunchback of the Rue Morgue", "Dr. Jekyll and the Wolfman"). This particular movie – the first one Naschy actually directed himself – might very well be his most ambitious accomplishment! "Inquisition" is, as the title clearly summarizes already, Naschy's attempt to cash in on the contemporary popular trend of 'witch-finder' period pieces. There were three major films before this one that already covered the topic: the British "Witchfinder General" (starring the almighty Vincent Price), Ken Russell's "The Devils" (starring Oliver Reed) and "Mark of the Devil (starring Herbert Lom and Udo Kier). "Inquisition" unfortunately isn't as good as any of these three, but nevertheless remains worthy viewing material for fans of typical 70's horror with plenty of gratuitous sleaze and unsettling torturing methods.
The biggest default in this film is the lack of a coherent and properly elaborated screenplay. Naschy tries to include so many potentially ingenious ideas and compelling characters that he too often loses control over the central themes. He stars as Bernard de Fossey, an infamous magistrate/witch-hunter who arrives in a small town along with two of his colleagues. After torturing a couple of innocent women left and right and burning their bodies at the stake, Bernard falls in love with the beautiful daughter of the town's patriarch. She, Catherine, actually sold her soul to Satan voluntarily, but only to find out the identity of the man who ordered to murder her French lover. When Satan reveals to her that the culprit is Bernard de Fossey, she seduces him in order to openly confront him with the fact the great witch-hunter himself is in love with a devil-worshiper. Theoretically speaking, this basic premise is downright terrific and original (none of the three other films featured victims that actually DID perform witchcraft), but it's too often pushed to the background in favor of showing shocking footage where Naschy forces girls to confess their business with Satan. One scene is particularly unpleasant, as it bluntly illustrates how a poor girl has her nipple torn off by an eerie clipping device. Naschy seemingly also has severe difficulties with keeping the pace and suspense level. Certain sequences tend to lean towards boredom whilst other ones are never properly worked out (like the apprehension of an entire family). "Inquisition" clearly didn't have a massive budget to work with, but the set pieces and costumes are generally convincing. Naschy's own performance is unquestionably the best one, whereas the female cast members are more likely be selected on their measurements and pretty faces. Recommended viewing, but in case you haven't yet, you ought to check out the three other witch-hunt movies first.
The biggest default in this film is the lack of a coherent and properly elaborated screenplay. Naschy tries to include so many potentially ingenious ideas and compelling characters that he too often loses control over the central themes. He stars as Bernard de Fossey, an infamous magistrate/witch-hunter who arrives in a small town along with two of his colleagues. After torturing a couple of innocent women left and right and burning their bodies at the stake, Bernard falls in love with the beautiful daughter of the town's patriarch. She, Catherine, actually sold her soul to Satan voluntarily, but only to find out the identity of the man who ordered to murder her French lover. When Satan reveals to her that the culprit is Bernard de Fossey, she seduces him in order to openly confront him with the fact the great witch-hunter himself is in love with a devil-worshiper. Theoretically speaking, this basic premise is downright terrific and original (none of the three other films featured victims that actually DID perform witchcraft), but it's too often pushed to the background in favor of showing shocking footage where Naschy forces girls to confess their business with Satan. One scene is particularly unpleasant, as it bluntly illustrates how a poor girl has her nipple torn off by an eerie clipping device. Naschy seemingly also has severe difficulties with keeping the pace and suspense level. Certain sequences tend to lean towards boredom whilst other ones are never properly worked out (like the apprehension of an entire family). "Inquisition" clearly didn't have a massive budget to work with, but the set pieces and costumes are generally convincing. Naschy's own performance is unquestionably the best one, whereas the female cast members are more likely be selected on their measurements and pretty faces. Recommended viewing, but in case you haven't yet, you ought to check out the three other witch-hunt movies first.