After being born, and becoming orphaned, under mysterious circumstances, 15 year old Justine ends up in a convent, where she is befriended by a dark young woman named Alucarda. The two quickly form a lesbian relationship, and are about to enter into a blood pact with one another, when a dark force is unleashed...onto the world...or perhaps...into themselves...
Because, immediately after, they are drawn into a booby blood pact with the devil, and initiated into a demonic lesbian cult...both of which they wholeheartedly embrace. Turning against the sister who seeks to protect them, with help from God.
Now, the sadistic priest and other masochistic sisters fear that demonic possession will spread through the entire monastery, like an infection. And, thus, set out to violently exorcise the demons from the two stricken girls.
Justine succumbs to the bloodletting, but a local doctor intervenes, and saves Alucarda, before the clergy have a chance to torture her.
However, after Justine's body disappears and the nuns start to drop from a mysterious curse...the good doctor is forced to question his beliefs- as the more he witnesses, the more he starts to believe in the existence of the devil.
Now, the doctor must fight alongside the church, in order to save the convent, before it too succumbs to Alucarda...and the devil's curse...
This English language inquisition era film from Mexico's Juan López Moctezuma is really well made. The story is disturbingly erotic, and has some excellent gore for an independent feature from the 70's.
One of the auteristic qualities of Moctezuma's work seems to be a focus on issues women face when being subjugated by men and/or patriarchal institutions...but it's hard to tell whether he is making a subtle feminist commentary or just getting off on the sadism of it all.
I'll leave that for the viewer to judge.
A great little film.
7.5 out of 10.
Because, immediately after, they are drawn into a booby blood pact with the devil, and initiated into a demonic lesbian cult...both of which they wholeheartedly embrace. Turning against the sister who seeks to protect them, with help from God.
Now, the sadistic priest and other masochistic sisters fear that demonic possession will spread through the entire monastery, like an infection. And, thus, set out to violently exorcise the demons from the two stricken girls.
Justine succumbs to the bloodletting, but a local doctor intervenes, and saves Alucarda, before the clergy have a chance to torture her.
However, after Justine's body disappears and the nuns start to drop from a mysterious curse...the good doctor is forced to question his beliefs- as the more he witnesses, the more he starts to believe in the existence of the devil.
Now, the doctor must fight alongside the church, in order to save the convent, before it too succumbs to Alucarda...and the devil's curse...
This English language inquisition era film from Mexico's Juan López Moctezuma is really well made. The story is disturbingly erotic, and has some excellent gore for an independent feature from the 70's.
One of the auteristic qualities of Moctezuma's work seems to be a focus on issues women face when being subjugated by men and/or patriarchal institutions...but it's hard to tell whether he is making a subtle feminist commentary or just getting off on the sadism of it all.
I'll leave that for the viewer to judge.
A great little film.
7.5 out of 10.