Arrow Video, out now

Young mother Jessica Barrett starts to develop signs of demonic possession, raising concerns that she might be carrying the son of Satan!

Arrow have pulled out all the stops for this trashy Italian horror flick that rode the demonic possession wave of The Exorcist. The greatest surprise is how Juliet Mills and Richard Johnson were talked into appearing in such derivative, formulaic fare.

This limited 3,000 unit release features a new 2K restoration of the extended 108 minute Uncut English Export Version (AKA The Devil Within Her) as well as the alternate US theatrical cut (99 minutes) and a feature length documentary on Italian exorcism movies – I really had no idea there were so many!

Resisting any urge to do something original, director Ovidio G. Assonitis (here credited as O Hellman) shamelessly mashes up The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby, ticking off every convention along the way – levitation, projectile vomit, rotating head, blasphemous rasping voice, disfigured face. Why create something new when someone else has already done the hard work for you? Warner Brothers were so incensed that they successfully sued the film-makers for copyright infringement of their William Friedkin-directed hit, gaining a cash settlement and portion of future profits.

There’s a whole bunch of new interviews with the creatives – director/producer Ovidio G. Assonitis, cinematographer Roberto D’Ettorre Piazzoli and composer Franco Micalizzi, as well a large various alternate titles, trailers, TV spots and images. Sadly there’s no isolated audio option for you to listen in ‘Possessound’, as it was originally released.

Verdict: If Italian exorcism movies are your thing, the documentary alone is worth the purchase. The feature movie is as good/bad as you’d expect, but it’s a decent transfer and you really are spoilt with extras. 8/10

Nick Joy