Lisa and the Devil
A lost tourist enters a decadent Spanish manor where a devil-like butler and echoes of another life turn hospitality into a surreal nightmare.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Labyrinthine
- Violence
- Mild
- dreamy
- eerie
- mysterious
- late night horror viewing
- halloween marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Mario Bava's original cut as visually gorgeous, dreamlike, and atmospheric, while acknowledging that its deliberately ambiguous story can be confusing.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Lisa's apparent memories of a past-life romance and her nightmare-like experiences in the manor resist a stable division between recollection, dream, and reality.
The Toledo streets, ancient devil painting, and old mansion are presented through highly composed, lyrical imagery associated with Mario Bava's ornate horror style.
After becoming lost, Lisa is brought to the remote manor and remains enclosed there with a bizarre family and an unsettling butler.
Lisa recalls a love from a past life while confronting figures and relationships that seem linked to an earlier cycle of events.
Films like Lisa and the Devil, and why
The Beyond
dreamlike metaphysical horror, ambiguous narrative, and eerie European atmosphere
The House with Laughing Windows
surreal haunted-house mystery, dislocated reality, and baroque visual unease
Carnival of Souls
psychological horror, uncanny manor setting, and dreamlike uncertainty
The Devil's Nightmare
stylized satanic horror, occult imagery, and supernatural dread
Movie Details
- Director
- Mario Bava
- Release Date
- 1974-11-25
- Runtime
- 95 min
- Rating
- 6.1 / 10 (164)
Cast
- Telly Savalas
- Elke Sommer
- Sylva Koscina
- Alessio Orano
- Eduardo Fajardo
- Espartaco Santoni
- Alida Valli
- Gabriele Tinti
- Franz von Treuberg
- Kathy Leone
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+, Shudder, Artiflix
- Rent
- Amazon Video
- Buy
- Amazon Video
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Lisa and the Devil about?
- A lost tourist enters a decadent Spanish manor where a devil-like butler and echoes of another life turn hospitality into a surreal nightmare.
- What is Lisa and the Devil like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Lisa and the Devil as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as labyrinthine.
- Is Lisa and the Devil violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Lisa and the Devil as mild.
- What did critics think of Lisa and the Devil?
- Critics broadly regard Mario Bava's original cut as visually gorgeous, dreamlike, and atmospheric, while acknowledging that its deliberately ambiguous story can be confusing.
- Which films are like Lisa and the Devil?
- Films with a similar feel include The Beyond, The House with Laughing Windows, Carnival of Souls, and The Devil's Nightmare.
- How long is Lisa and the Devil?
- Lisa and the Devil runs 95 minutes.
- Where can I watch Lisa and the Devil?
- In United States, Lisa and the Devil streams on Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+, Shudder, Artiflix.
