THE SHE BEAST a/k/a THE SISTER OF SATAN (1966)
A young British couple named Philip and Veronica (Ian Ogilvy and Barbara Steele) are driving through Romania when their car malfunctions and plunges into a lake. The wife emerges from the water possessed by Bardella (Jay Riley), an 18th-century witch who was put to death in that same lake and now seeks revenge. Philip reluctantly enlists the aid of Count Van Helsing (John Karlsen) to exorcise Bardella from Veronica's body.
Also prominently featured is Ladislav Groper (Mel Welles), the local innkeeper and one of the vilest characters in film history. His behavior includes spying on Philip and Veronica as they make love, the attempted rape of his niece (Lucrezia Love), and the framing of his truck-driver friend for an accidental murder that he himself committed. When Bardella storms the inn and kills Groper, I rooted for the witch. Kudos to Welles for playing the part so convincingly!
Only some elements of SHE BEAST work. Its biggest mistake was the severe underuse of Steele, the most famous horror actress of her time. She appears in less than half of the film's 80 minutes, leaving the rest of it to Philip, Groper, and Van Helsing. In her absence, the focus shifts from horror to slapstick humor that detracts from what little tension the film had built up. The Keystone Kops-inspired car chase near the end is particularly obtrusive.
Item: Bardella is butt-ugly to the point of near-hilarity. And her constant screeching is really over the top. I'll bet she was the inspiration for the succubus on TV's Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1975).
Item: Van Helsing knocks Bardella unconscious with a sedative, which felt like a real cop-out.
Item: The wooden dunking chair at the lake is in remarkably good condition for being 200 years old.
Item: The film is overtly anti-communist. Its best barb occurs when Bardella tosses away a sickle that lands on top of a hammer, forming a simulation of the party's logo.
