Review: The Other Hell (1981)

Directed by: Bruno Mattei, Claudio Fragasso
Starring: Franca Stoppi, Carlo De Mejo, Francesca Carmeno
Written by: Claudio Fragasso
Music by: Goblin
Country: Italy
Available on: Blu-ray/DVD (Severin Films)
IMDb

Bruno Mattei and Claudio Fragasso’s entry into nunsploitation cinema — about a convent with a dark secret that seems to be spurring mysterious deaths — has a reputation for insanity that I don’t quite think it deserves. Among the first snippets of dialog, spoken by one of the nuns at this crazy convent right after viciously jamming a trocar into a dead woman’s nether-region, is absolutely bonkers: “The genitals are the door to evil! The vagina, the uterus, the womb — the labyrinth that leads to hell; the devil's tools!” And yeah, that’s not normal. But as someone who loves Italian horror, including other films by Mattei and Fragasso, I still feel like The Other Hell is somewhat tame, particularly concerning its overall levels of gore, nudity, weird or nonsensical plot elements, and idiosyncratic characters. I am by no means accusing this thing of being mainstream garbage, though. It’s definitely got a lot of the usual Italian charm, and Mother Vincenza’s sexytimes feelings towards the prince of darkness are probably not healthy. However, although this isn’t the weirdest Italian horror import I’ve seen, it’s got an effective arcane gothic ambiance, riddled with cryptic hallways bathed in candlelight and cobwebs, and a reasonably intriguing central mystery. It also continues the Italian horror tradition of including a supporting male character with bug eyes whom you immediately suspect of the foulest deeds. Goblin’s score, which unfortunately is just music swiped from their past releases, does nonetheless add another level of cryptic mystique. But the second act is a heavy drag, driven mostly by the mundane investigation of the convent’s history that doesn’t turn up much of interest, nor is it punctuated by enough surreal or horrific occurrences. Things pick up again near the end but the film comes dangerously close to banality for a while there, which really dampens my praise for it. One could probably argue this is one of the most proficient films that Mattei has made, with its somewhat linear plot and at-times beautiful composition, but I actually miss the moments of lazy, silly incompetence and/or indifference that keep many of his other films buoyed amongst their trashy brethren.

Rating: 6 out of 10