An Angel for Satan

Summary

“Destruction and death will reign as long as she remains here!”

With An Angel For Satan, Severin Films continues their diverse output of cinema offerings from around the world. This was the final Italian Gothic picture starring Barbara Steele and it has been a difficult film to locate until this release by Severin. Severin had previously shown their affection for Barbara Steele with their release of Nightmare Castle, and they have put some excellent work into this release. Their Blu-ray presentation features a great looking new transfer scanned from the original negative, a short film starring Steele, and a brand new commentary track with Barbara Steele and film scholar David Del Valle. There is also an enjoyable audio commentary by Kat Ellinger. When my copy arrived, I checked the film out.

A man named Robert Merigi (Anthony Steffen) arrives ashore via a boat in a small lakeside town. He is greeted by Alfred – or Sergente – as he is also known. Luisa and Natalie find Robert attractive and say so to each other. Victor (Aldo Berti,) a groundsman, runs past Alfred and Robert screaming and holding an axe. Alfred explains that Victor occasionally hurts himself cutting wood and then has to be sewn up. Robert and Alfred arrive at a palatial estate which has been taken care of by Count Montebruno (Claudio Gora) who has called for Robert’s presence. Robert has been brought there because he is a sculptor. They have found a statue within the lake. It has been brought ashore and the Count wants him to repair the statue. The village is superstitious and believes the statue is cursed. Strangely enough, the boatmen that brought Robert to the village perish that day in the lake despite their strong abilities. It seems to be a bad omen. Harriet Montebruno (Barbara Steele) arrives at the estate which has been kept up for her in her absence since she was a child. She is an orphan who has been educated in London for the last fifteen years. She has returned to claim her estate. Her likeness to the statue is incredible, so Robert asks her to model for him as he completes the restoration. This is similar to two hundred years earlier when her ancestor posed for the statue. She agrees to occasionally model for him. That night, in a fever dream a talking picture gives a grave warning to Robert regarding Harriet. As Harriet stays at the estate, she begins to exert very strange behaviors that carry bad influence over the townspeople nearby.

I am partial to atmospheric black and white films, so An Angel for Satan appealed to me. It’s a good example of a finely filmed melodramatic Italian Gothic horror film. The plot machinations are interesting, even if the finale leads to an explanatory reveal that is akin to speeches given by Scooby Doo or James Bond villains. It’s a charming effort with plenty of bad behavior to take in from Barbara Steele’s seemingly possessed character and the townsfolk she entices. Fans of this type of entertainment will find a lot to enjoy. The cinematography is beautifully rendered. Director Camillo Mastrocinque was a cinematographer for years before becoming a director and he worked well with Giuseppe Aquari to create some beautiful images. The visual compositions of the picture are lush, atmospheric, and take full advantage of the Italian lakeside location. The black and white cinematography feels at once strange and alien, but also picturesque. I also enjoyed the score by Francesco de Masi. The score is lightly played on piano for the most part to eerie effect with strings occasionally used for dramatic effect. It fits the film well and lends a lot to the picture. 

Barbara Steele is easy on the eyes in the picture and shows off her amazing talent for infusing her performances with sexual energy without ever showing off any skin aside from her bare shoulders. She is great in the movie and it is clearly a picture designed purely to showcase her. Anthony Steffen is a solid leading man, even if his performance feels somewhat forgettable in contrast to hers. Claudio Gora, Mario Brega, and Aldo Berti all have enjoyable roles as well.

Fans of Italian Gothic films or Barbara Steel will surely want to check out An Angel for Satan. It’s an easy way to spend an hour and a half looking at some enchanting scenery and an enchanting actress.

Video

Severin Films has provided a fantastic transfer in 1080p of An Angel for Satan in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with an MPEG-4 AVC encode from a new 2K scan of the original negative. There is some visible specking and some minor print damage on some scenes, but for the most part, this is a beautifully done restoration. The cinematography by Mastrocinque and cinematographer Giuseppe Aquari is incredibly well realized and shines on the Blu-ray format. A fine level of grain is evident and the film looks very nice overall. Fans will be very pleased by the work that Severin put into this release.

Audio

Like the video transfer, I was pretty well impressed by the audio tracks. Severin Films has provided LPCM 2.0 Mono tracks in both English and Italian. Interestingly enough, Severin was able to track down the original English dub tracks for this film in a vault in Rome. There was no English version that had ever been released before, so fans of the film will be ecstatic to see this inclusion.The sound quality on the track is essentially reference quality. The original sound design is presented in the best shape that can be expected from basically dub tracks.

Supplements:

• Audio Commentary with Actress Barbara Steele & Horror Film Historian David Del Valle – David Gregory joins Barbara Steele and her friend and film historian David Del Valle for a fun and entertaining track. 
• Audio Commentary with Kat Ellinger, Author of Daughters of Darkness – Ellinger is always a joy to listen to and she doles plenty of great information throughout this track.
• The Devil Statue – an interview with actor Vassili Karis. 
• Barbara & Her Furs – a short film by Pierre Andre starring Barbara Steele (an optional commentary by Steele is also included.)
• Trailer 
• Extended Trailer

Overall Scores:

Video – 4.5/5

Audio – 4/5

Supplements – 4/5

Overall – 4/5

An Angel for Satan is a beautifully shot Italian Gothic film starring the enchanting actress Barbara Steele. The script is interesting and enjoyable, even with a finale that is a little overwrought for its own good, and the film never fails to entertain. Director Camillo Mastrocinque had a wonderful eye for scenery and the picture benefits a tremendous amount from its black and white cinematography. Barbara Steele is the main reason to watch the picture, and she is great in the movie. Fans of Barbara Steele or Italian Gothic pictures will definitely enjoy the film. The Severin Blu-ray features a great looking transfer from a 2K scan of the original negative, a never released English Mono track, and audio commentaries with Kat Ellinger and Barbara Steele with David Del Valle. It’s an attractive package overall. Recommended.