Howdy, it's been a while. I'm returning with a supposedly 'lost' Italian horror film, Pier Carpi's Satan's Wife/Un ombra nell'ombra, an adaptation of his own novel "Un ombra nell'ombra", although the film feels much more like a cash-in of The Exorcist (1973).

Starring: Anne Heywood, Valentina Cortese, Marisa Mell, Irene Papas, Ian Bannen, Lara Wendel and John Phillip Law.

The film's narrative is essentially based upon the turbulent relationship between a mother and her rebellious teenage daughter, albeit through a Satanist/exploitation facade. Anne Heywood stars as Carlotta Rhodes, one of three women who made a pact with Satan and only now are they beginning to realize the consequences of their unholy alliance.

For me, Satan's Wife was a difficult picture to sit throug, the plot trudges on at a snail's pace with very little action or exploitative quality to garner my interest. Given the film's strong cast, aside from Anne Heywood and Lara Wendel, the rest of them are pushed into minor supporting roles. Furthermore their performances are gravely undermined by Carpi's inability to direct. Visually, Satan's Wife is dull, compared to even the disparaging works of Mattei, it's dull.



Satan's Wife is a flick I'd direct more towards genre completists than cult newbies. However, I urge everyone to check out the film's Goblin-esque score, provided by Stelvio Cipriani (The Frightened Woman/Femina ridens (1969), A Bay of Blood/Reazione a catena (1971).