The idea of marrying a witch is a strong one. Generally in most cinema, it is treated as a positive, as seen in I Married a Witch, which was later stolen by television to become Bewitched. Only in Italy would such the start of this story feel as if it were closer to Black Sabbath than the adventures of Darren and Samantha.
The witch Finnicella (Eleonora Giorgi, Inferno) has been sentenced to being burned at the stake by the Catholic church but is brought back to life three hundred years later by her lover, the demon Asmodeus (Helmut Berger). She is charged with making Emilio Altieri (Renato Pozzetto) fall in love with her - he's the descendent of the cardinal who doomed her to the flames who would one day become Pope Clement X - and then kill him. Yet when she finally meets him, he's already in love with Tania (Lia Tanzi, The Suspicious Death of a Minor). Even when she becomes his secretary and wantonly offers herself to him, Finnicella can't win him to her embrace. He even fires her, at which point she kisses him, but he still stays pure.
That's when Finnicella realizes that she's in love with him, even if her demonic master decrees that Emilio must die.
At Emilio's wedding, she slips a love potion into his champagne. He doesn't drink, but he acts as if he has and leaves his soon-to-be wife, claiming to be in love with another. Finicella doesn't believe him, as she thinks it's just the magic. He proves it, as Tania drank the champagne and has remarried her ex-husband Roberto (Enrico Papa) in the moments they were speaking.
Emilio and Finnicella marry and honeymoon in Paris. As she flies him over the city, having revealed that she is a witch, Asmodeus appears. He reminds her of their deal and why she was brought back to life. She pleads that she is in love, but it gets her nowhere, as the demon guns her down and her husband is blamed for her murder. Finnicella's ghost begs Asmodeus to fix all of this and he says that a witch could never make him lose his head and proclaims just how smart he is, which ends up with her cutting his head off with a guillotine. Now, holding his head, Asmodeus must release Emilio from prison, erase the crime and bring the witch back to life.
Directed and written by Franco Castellano and Giuseppe Moccia, this was a big success in the Italian box office. If you look closely enough, you can spot Rentao Polselli regular Rita Calderoni, as well as Serena Grandi, Shôko Nakahara (who years later would be in Tokyo Gore Police) and Maria Grazia Smaldone (Libidomania) in small parts.
The best thing about this movie, for me, was the soundtrack. It's by Detto Mariano, who also did the soundtracks for Miami Golem, War Bus and Titanic: The Legend Goes On. Giorgi sings the title song "Magic" and so much of the feel is disco with distorted guitar; it's an absolute treat!
The witch Finnicella (Eleonora Giorgi, Inferno) has been sentenced to being burned at the stake by the Catholic church but is brought back to life three hundred years later by her lover, the demon Asmodeus (Helmut Berger). She is charged with making Emilio Altieri (Renato Pozzetto) fall in love with her - he's the descendent of the cardinal who doomed her to the flames who would one day become Pope Clement X - and then kill him. Yet when she finally meets him, he's already in love with Tania (Lia Tanzi, The Suspicious Death of a Minor). Even when she becomes his secretary and wantonly offers herself to him, Finnicella can't win him to her embrace. He even fires her, at which point she kisses him, but he still stays pure.
That's when Finnicella realizes that she's in love with him, even if her demonic master decrees that Emilio must die.
At Emilio's wedding, she slips a love potion into his champagne. He doesn't drink, but he acts as if he has and leaves his soon-to-be wife, claiming to be in love with another. Finicella doesn't believe him, as she thinks it's just the magic. He proves it, as Tania drank the champagne and has remarried her ex-husband Roberto (Enrico Papa) in the moments they were speaking.
Emilio and Finnicella marry and honeymoon in Paris. As she flies him over the city, having revealed that she is a witch, Asmodeus appears. He reminds her of their deal and why she was brought back to life. She pleads that she is in love, but it gets her nowhere, as the demon guns her down and her husband is blamed for her murder. Finnicella's ghost begs Asmodeus to fix all of this and he says that a witch could never make him lose his head and proclaims just how smart he is, which ends up with her cutting his head off with a guillotine. Now, holding his head, Asmodeus must release Emilio from prison, erase the crime and bring the witch back to life.
Directed and written by Franco Castellano and Giuseppe Moccia, this was a big success in the Italian box office. If you look closely enough, you can spot Rentao Polselli regular Rita Calderoni, as well as Serena Grandi, Shôko Nakahara (who years later would be in Tokyo Gore Police) and Maria Grazia Smaldone (Libidomania) in small parts.
The best thing about this movie, for me, was the soundtrack. It's by Detto Mariano, who also did the soundtracks for Miami Golem, War Bus and Titanic: The Legend Goes On. Giorgi sings the title song "Magic" and so much of the feel is disco with distorted guitar; it's an absolute treat!
