Satan’s Baby Doll review

Fans of Euro-sleazefest pictures beware! This one is completely and utterly underwhelming. The Recently restored 1982 remake of Malabimba, SATAN’S BABY DOLL works on very few levels, unless you are hell-bent on viewing all films of this nature regardless of the consequences.

Jacqueline Dupré stars as a teenage girl who essentially gets possessed by the lascivious, promiscuous spirit of her late lascivious and promiscuous mother. The goal of this spirit is to kill all inhabitants (being her family, friends and the working staff) of a lush Italian countryside castle until the one person she truly wants to be with forever remains. I guess the lustful motherly spirit is okay with forever loving thy intended through her teenage daughters’ body! Participants in this depraved game include: the alpha-male and drug-addicted father, a very kind and gorgeous nun who likes to sleep naked with the door open, the paraplegic uncle who enjoys watching the nun sleeping, the family friend/doctor who had an affair with the deceased mom and the butler who enjoys mumbling life after death mumbo-jumbo and performing secret ceremonies.

Now, this may all sound like a kick-ass time but it isn’t. The story is definitely of the sordid persuasion, but the film lacks the sleaze factor required to go along with it. Apart from a few brief parts, the nudity remains topless, the sex is starved and the dialogue not as juicy as it could have been. Gore fans will also be very disappointed. Furthermore, the main problem with the film is that it overly draws out all of its sequences. Hence, not much occurs in this 73 minute film. The last 20 minutes kick things into high gear a bit, though by then it’s a little too late.

So, what we’re left with is some occasional nice camera work and set design (in particular, a nice POV roaming camera move). The score is very good across the board, almost deserving to be in another film. Director Mario Bianchi’s SATAN’S BABY DOLL plays out a bit like someone’s dream or nightmare (depending on what you’re into), filled with crazy ideas, a nonsensical chain of scenes and bizarre/ridiculous imagery. Choice parts include: the butler biting a live chicken to save the possessed girl (a very effective exorcism ritual I’m sure) and the nun focusing a little too much on the paraplegic uncle’s private parts while giving him a sponge bath. On the plus side, the last few minutes do manage to conjure up a bit of depravity. The acting performances all fall in the so-bad-they’re-good realm and some of the dialogue is quite a hoot. After failing in his attempt to put the moves on the nun, the bully-of-a-father watches her run away from him and screams, “Don’t kid yourself! You’ll be mine! MINE!!!” That’s one hell of a way to smooth-talk one of God’s chosen ones!

Screenshots:

Join our mailing list