AN ANGEL FOR SATAN (1966) is the last true Italian Gothic film that the iconic Barbara Steele starred in. The movie finally gets a proper official Blu-ray release courtesy of Severin Films.
Sometime in the 19th Century, a young artist named Roberto (Anthony Steffen) travels to an Italian villa in order to restore a 200-year old statue. The statue was recovered from the bottom of a lake next to the villa--and local superstition claims that it is cursed. Also arriving at the villa is the young & beautiful Harriet (Barbara Steele), who will soon inherit the estate. Roberto and Harriet start to fall for one another. The statue bears a startling resemblance to the lady, and Roberto tries to learn more about the curse, but Harriet's uncle (Claudio Gora) and the locals are evasive. Harriet's demeanor starts to change greatly--she becomes a vindictive seductress, ensnaring men from the area. Is Harriet possessed by the model for the original statue, or are there other sinister forces at work?
AN ANGEL FOR SATAN (original Italian title UN ANGELO PER SATANA) mixes several elements from many of Barbara Steele's other 1960s Italian horrors, but the result is something a bit different. The black & white film has no gore, but there's plenty of aggressive actions, and while there's no nudity, the story has a definite erotic charge. Once again Steele plays a character with a dual nature, and she appears to be reveling in it. When the actress is being "bad" Harriet, she seduces nearly everyone in sight, including a schoolteacher, the villa's doltish gardener, and a country lout (played by Euro Western legend Mario Brega). Harriet even turns her devilish charms on her maid (who is the girlfriend of the schoolteacher). Those who worship at the altar of Barbara will luxuriate in this film--the excellent cinematography of Giuseppe Aquari wallows in Steele's cruel beauty (she's quite ravishing and striking in the costumes she wears here).
Director Camillo Mastrocinque (CRYPT OF THE VAMPIRE) injects the story with a moody, dreamlike atmosphere, and the various Italian locales used for the production make the budget seem much bigger than I'm sure it probably was. AN ANGEL FOR SATAN isn't another cheap foreign shocker--at times it has a European art house feel. Unfortunately the attempt to rationally explain things at the climax leaves the viewer with more questions than answers.
This film has never had an official home video release until now. (I first saw AN ANGEL FOR SATAN on YouTube.) Severin, as usual, goes all out for this one. The visual quality is magnificent, revealing plenty of detail and depth. Two audio tracks are provided--an Italian one (with English subtitles), and an English one that was considered lost.
Two audio commentaries are provided. One features the icon herself, Barbara Steele, along with David Del Valle and Severin's David Gregory. Steele has plenty of stories to tell about her time making films in Italy in the 1960s, and she seems a bit bemused by her horror star status. (I also got the feeling that she would have much rather watched the film rather than talked about it.) As expected, Del Valle provides a lot of gossipy anecdotes, while Gregory tries to keep everything on track. The second commentary is by Kat Ellinger (I haven't listened to this one yet).
Also included is a short interview with actor Vassili Karis, who played the schoolteacher in AN ANGEL FOR SATAN (he really doesn't have all that much to say about the film). There's also a short film starring Barbara Steele based on VENUS IN FURS, which was made in 1967. It plays out like a bizarre music video/fashion shoot, a true product of the Sixties. A audio commentary is also available for the short in which Steele talks about it.
Two original trailers are provided, and the Blu-ray comes with a case sleeve that is made of much sturdier material than usual. The artwork used on the actual case (see picture above) and the sleeve (see picture below) is very impressive.
AN ANGEL FOR SATAN has long been a somewhat lost film among Barbara Steele's horror entries, but now thankfully Severin has provided it with the home video release it deserves. (I have to mention that this Blu-ray is Region A.) I believe it contains one of Barbara Steele's most notable performances--any true devotee of the lady has to have this disc.
Now....I have a suggestion for Severin Films. Could they possibly release a special edition of Riccardo Freda's THE GHOST, also starring Steele?
Excellent review! This release is a real treasure. I like your comment about Barbara doing the commentary, that she seems like she would rather watch the film than talk about it. I get the same impression from some of her other commentaries. David Del Valle seems to know the right questions to ask in order to draw her out. The one exception is the commentary for The She Beast, in which she really appears to be enjoying the conversation. I agree that The Ghost deserves a decent release.
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