I have to be in the right mood for a Rollin movie, and I clearly wasn't when I watched The Demoniacs: what works in some of his films - the dreamlike atmosphere and coastal setting, the freewheeling plot, copious female nudity, a random clown - I found to be incredibly boring on this occasion.
The film sees a group of 'wreckers' (John Rico, Joëlle Coeur, Willy Braque and Paul Bisciglia) attacking two young women (Lieva Lone and Patricia Hermenier), survivors of a ship that has been lured onto the rocks by the cruel marauders. After raping the girls, the wreckers leave them for dead, but their victims are still alive (or possibly ghosts... I wasn't sure which) and, with help from a mysterious man with supernatural powers (who might be the devil), they set about taking revenge.
Rollin drags this basic story out to feature length with lots of pointless nonsense that is a real test of one's patience: bawdy goings-on in a bar with a psychic landlady, the aforementioned clown (Mireille Dargent) leading the girls to sanctuary, the wreckers pursuing the girls through a ship graveyard.
The film's one saving grace is Joëlle Coeur as sadistic wrecker Tina: she is drop-dead-gorgeous and sheds her clothes a lot, all of which makes matters a little easier to bear.
2.5/10, rounded up to 3 for Coeur.
The film sees a group of 'wreckers' (John Rico, Joëlle Coeur, Willy Braque and Paul Bisciglia) attacking two young women (Lieva Lone and Patricia Hermenier), survivors of a ship that has been lured onto the rocks by the cruel marauders. After raping the girls, the wreckers leave them for dead, but their victims are still alive (or possibly ghosts... I wasn't sure which) and, with help from a mysterious man with supernatural powers (who might be the devil), they set about taking revenge.
Rollin drags this basic story out to feature length with lots of pointless nonsense that is a real test of one's patience: bawdy goings-on in a bar with a psychic landlady, the aforementioned clown (Mireille Dargent) leading the girls to sanctuary, the wreckers pursuing the girls through a ship graveyard.
The film's one saving grace is Joëlle Coeur as sadistic wrecker Tina: she is drop-dead-gorgeous and sheds her clothes a lot, all of which makes matters a little easier to bear.
2.5/10, rounded up to 3 for Coeur.