La plus longue nuit du diable
Tags: plot twist

Plot synopsis:
Baron von Rhoneberg (Jean Servais), a former World War II German general, sacrificed his daughter as the war ended. This condemned his family to be placed under a terrible curse. Many years later, he tells the story to a reporter who wishes to write an article about it and take pictures of his castle. However, the Baron is against any photographs. Despite his protests, the young woman goes up to visit the castle and take pictures but is killed when a dry thunderstorm suddenly rolls in while she is in close proximity to it. Her body is taken back to the town where it is discovered she has a burn in the shape of a lobster-like claw on her arm which is confirmed as the Mark of the Devil.
Some time later, a group of tourists become lost during a bus trip. They meet Satan in the guise of a man (Daniel Emilfork) who recommends that they take the ferry boat, but they arrive too late to catch the last ferry of the day. They are then directed to an old castle which offers room and board. When they arrive, one of the doors opens by itself and a piece of the façade breaks off, nearly killing one of the tourists. Hans (Maurice De Groote) the butler greets them and shows each of them to their rooms giving them a briefing of the history of two of the rooms, one of which bears the same lobster-like claw mark on the floor tiles in front of the fireplace. After the guests have been accommodated to their rooms, Hans goes down to a laboratory basement and informs the Baron who is practicing alchemy. Over dinner the Baron explains his family's history to his guests. His ancestor made a pact and sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for his services. Satan demanded that the eldest daughter of each generation become a succubus. When asked if he ever had a daughter he shakes his head no.
A young woman named Lisa Müller (Erika Blanc) also comes to stay at the castle and proceeds to seduce each tourist according to their own personal weaknesses, then kills them, using their own sin against them. Each tourist is a representative of one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Matt Ducard (Christian Maillet) represents Gluttony and dies by choking to death while gorging on food and wine. Nancy (Colette Emmanuelle) dies representing Greed by drowning in a hidden treasure hoard of powdered gold. Howard (Lorenzo Terzon), representing Envy, and Corrine (Ivana Novak), embodying Lust, are murdered while in the middle of an adulterous tryst. Wrathful old Mr Mason (Lucien Raimbourg) is thrown out of a window. Regine (Shirley Corrigan) dies as Sloth when a snake kills her in her sleep. Only the seminarian, Alvin Sorelle (Jacques Monseau) as Pride, seems immune to Lisa's seductive charms. When six of the seven tourists are dead, Satan appears to Alvin. Alvin offers his soul if Satan will return the dead tourists to life, to which Satan agrees. The next morning, Alvin awakes to find that the dead tourists have indeed been returned to life as though the previous night's events never happened and are having breakfast before they set out to continue their trip. Even Alvin himself remembers it as only a dream.
The Baron is wounded that morning in a fencing accident with Hans, and Alvin waits with him for an ambulance. The Baron confesses to Alvin that he lied; he did have a daughter and killed her in her cradle. After a conversation with Martha the housekeeper, Alvin learns that the child the Baron stabbed was not the succubus. Lisa is Martha's daughter from an affair with the Baron's brother, Rudolph von Rhoneberg, and that Lisa is the eldest daughter. Alvin dismisses Martha's claims that Lisa is subsequently a succubus. Alvin chooses to remain at the castle with Lisa while the other tourists go on. As Alvin and Lisa watch the tour bus heading back to the main road, the bus suddenly swerves to miss a funeral wagon driven by Satan and goes over a cliff, killing everyone aboard. Alvin enfolds Lisa in his arms. Lisa and Satan smile at each other, knowing they have claimed their souls once again.

Review: It turns a fun, entertaining Euro-horror into a throughly frustrating experience.Trivia: Though it was released in Europe in 1971, this film did not hit the U.S. until 1974, when Hemisphere released it as Devil's Nightmare to coattail The Exorcist..
There's bad & incoherent plotting, macabre set-pieces, a mild Gothic atmosphere, demented characters, shocking themes, lousy gore effects and  not to forget  authentically gratuitous lesbian sex!
Let's just say the main storyline revolves on an ancient family curse that turns every first born daughter of the Von Rhoneberg generation into a succubus (= female servant of the devil), and a group of tourists stranded at the family castle are just in time to "celebrate" the devilish pact's 700th anniversary.
Furthermore, the baron practices alchemy in his basement, there are Nazi child-executions, a gruesome murder story for every room in the castle, the random torture of cats in the attic, negotiations between a priest and the devil himself and a wide variety of shlocky massacres.
For example, the Succubus (a luscious Erica Blanc) makes sure that every tourist's death symbolizes his or her biggest sin, whether it's greed, unfaithfulness, curiosity  The killings are very nasty, though hardly scary, and follow each other at an incredible pace, barely allowing you the time to wipe the sinister grin off your face.
I saw this as one of 10 horror films on a collection from brentwood DVD called;fright night,its an awesome collection of fright films.anyway the devils nightmare is a Belgium/Italian made shocker about a group of tourists(each one represents one of the 7 deadly sins)they get stranded at the castle of an ex Nazi officer.there's a family curse,gruesome murders,lots of nudity(surprising for 1971)and a very good soundtrack.
I'm usually a sucker for good European horror movies especially with the sexy beautiful Erika blanc,who starred in many Italian horror films.sort of like a rival of Barbara Steele.the murders are very gruesome.the dubbing is sloppy but thats expected.i saw this years ago on the USA cable network,of course it was chopped up by the censors.
watch the uncut version for the full effect.ignore the critics because most of them dismissed this film as junk.you be the judge.believe me its kind of scary.8 out of 10,Erika blanc gets 10 out of 10 because she was hot..
This is an above average example of the type of metaphysical horror film that seemed to proliferate in Europe in the 1970's.It's simply the story of the Devil, his minion (the succubus) and seven tourists (each representing one of the seven deadly sins) who are forced to spend the night in a sinister castle.The first hour is rather plodding due to an over abundance of exposition and very little action.
His performance is a real stand out when compared to the rather wooden performances delivered by some of the other cast members.Director Jean Brismee also deserves kudos for several delightfully imaginative flourishes during the death scenes.All in all it's worth watching if you're a fan of this type of film, but it's definitely not one of my favourite Euro horror films from this era.6 out of 10..
Sexy Erika Blanc famous from Mario Bava's "Kill Baby Kill" and Emilio Miraglia's "The Night Evelyn Came Out from the Grave" plays a seductress and succubus who spends the night in a Gothic castle along with seven unfortunate tourists,some weird servants and a cursed Baron von Rhoneberg.With the use of the Seven Deadly Sins as a motive,she will kill all that are in the castle.Here is where the fun kicks in,as we are witness to several creative deaths ala guillotine,drowning in gold,gluttony poisoning,iron maiden,falling on spikes,etc."The Devil's Nightmare" offers some nudity plus pretty steamy lesbian scene.The killings are fun and Erica Blanc is dressed in one of the sexiest evening outfits in the history of Eurohorror.The stunning cinematography by Andre Goeffers perfectly captures the majestique of the Gothic castle.7 out of 10..
This film wasn't directed by any of the Italian Gothic horror greats like Mario Bava, Antonio Marghereti, or Riccardo Freda but it evokes their best works ("Black Sunday", "Castle of Blood", "The Ghost").
Interestingly, Blanc has only some very brief nude scenes here, but she plays such a seductive and deliciously evil character so well (especially when she preys upon the hapless priest) that she manages to steam up the screen far more than the two Euro-lesbian characters who spend half their screen time cavorting in the nude.
Regardless of the confusing title The Devil's Nightmare has nothing to do with Satan's lack of sleep rather it concerns a family curse in the Von Rhoneberg bloodline which condemns the firstborn daughter to an existence as a Succubus.
One of the seven happens to be a priest, which sin he represents I have no idea, who is wary of Lisa, another unannounced guest, who seems intent on corrupting the man of God. Turns out Lisa is a Succubus who dispatches the guests in the very act that defines each character.
What saves this film from the countless other Eurotrash horror movies is the performance of Erika Blanc as Lisa the Succubus.
Seven obnoxious tourists end up stranded at a secluded castle where they are stalked and murdered one by one by a female succubus who patterns her supernatural killing spree after the seven deadly sins.
The first time I saw this film was years ago on the USA channel's "Saturday Nightmares," even before the days of "Up All Night."  This is the perfect movie for a show like that, something you'd like to find just before midnight deep in the summer after you've just cracked open the first beer.
The plot's got a campy "7 Deadly Sins" theme (which is pulled off a helluva lot better in this fairy tale-like setting than in some rotten police investigation "Se7en" trash), the setting is classical without being droll (an old Belgian castle minus things that are supposed to look scary, like banister-ends carved into the faces of little computer-morphing children), and the girls are all beautiful but not wholly character-less (Erika Blanc's very original look and manner steals the film).
Fortunately the rest of the film looked a lot better.This film is about a group of seven travelers who represent the seven deadly sins all being killed off by a demonic succubus.
A busload of tourists--a bickering couple, two very attractive lesbians, a crusty old man and a hunky seminarian--along with their gluttonous driver, are forced to spend the night at the von Rhoneberg castle, somewhere in Germany.
Just get a load of that scene near the film's end, with the creepy theme chant accompanying the Devil's pursuit of the seminarian into a church; beautifully done stuff!
THE DEVIL'S NIGHTMARE (1971; 93 minutes; Belgium/Italy) THE PLOT: Seven people are forced to spend the night in some eerie castle.
The devil sends a succubus to kill each one that indulges in one or more of the seven deadly sins (lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy/jealousy and pride).COMMENTARY: Wow, this is a real hidden gem of Gothic horror.
The people and the sins they indulge in are as follows: Pride - Alvin, the Seminarian Envy - Corinne (the hot brunette), the collector of men Gluttony - Mr. Ducha, the Tour Driver Lust - Howard Foster, Corinne's last addition to her collection Anger - Mr. Mason, the constant complainer Greed - Nancy Foster, the gold seeking angry wife Sloth - Regine, the (hot) sleepy blonde Some, of course, are guilty of more than one main sin, such as: Nancy Foster, the angry wife: jealousy (although her husband gives her good reason to be jealous), envy (of the beauty of the other women) and anger (I don't think she smiles once, except when she's literally swimming in gold).Corinne: lust (lesbianism & adultery).Regine: lust (lesbianism).A handful of observations: If the bus driver was really THAT gluttonous wouldn't he be a lot heavier?
It goes without saying that, if you have a lust problem, you might want to skip this one, especially in light of a fairly overt lesbian scene.Another highlight is Erika Blanc's subtle make-up as the succubus combined with her amazing ability to contort her face from stunningly sharp to utterly hideous.
I saw another version that has the intro but the sound quality was fine.FYI: The original title translated to English is "The Long Night of the Devil" or "The Devil's Longest Night." I feel the title "The Devil's Nightmare" is weak and much prefer another alternative title (used on the VHS): "The Devil Walks at Midnight." FINAL WORD: Since this is a European film from the early 70s it's understandably dated, dubbed and slow-paced.
I watched, hoping to get some good, weird, bloody old horror and shut the movie off with mixed feelings.It wasn't great, or anywhere near it.
A bus load of tourists spend the night at an impressive Gothic castle, the home to Baron von Rhoneberg who has a family curse due to an ancestor making a pact with the Devil centuries before.
I have no idea where this was filmed but the real life castle stands out as no just a Hammer Horror movie set..
IMO, there are far better (cheesy) B-rated 1970's horror movie than this one but there are some that are far worse.There is a hint of soft porn in this film between two women that was really unnecessary to the story - so be forward if you find that sort of thing offensive.
A hint of soft porn in B-rated horror films of the 1970's is not unusual.The movie is not scary and the story of "The Devil's Nightmare" is a bit interesting - it was interesting enough to keep me watching to the very end of the film.
The Devil's Nightmare is an Italian movie, and a good one at that, so you can expect loads of atmosphere, surrealism, and of course nudie love scenes.
Erika starts killing everyone in a way that represents the seven deadly sins: gluttony, lust, avarice etc.
A bus full of tourists spend the night at an eerie castle where a servant of the devil (Erika Blanc) shows up to take their lives.
(But there is a lesbian sex scene for those who are into that sort of thing.) According to many sources, the bus passengers are supposed to represent the seven deadly sins, but it is really hard to make that connection.
Unlike "Seven", where the sins are laid out very clearly, here it's a guessing game and the fates are far less torturous (though no less deadly).Reviewer Theron Neel, who does excellent work, points out this film has been known by at least fourteen names and seems to have a decent following, yet very little can be found about it.
It concerns these seven tourists, each supposedly representing a Deadly Sin, staying a night at a castle that has this terrible curse on it about a former owner that made a pact with the devil.
It's the old cliched combination of a family curse with your standard stranded tourists in an old spooky mansion plus the added "seven deadly sins" story-line...but there is a little something extra:  the presence of the very sexy Ms. Blanc - wearing a remarkable wardrobe selection.
"Devil's Nightmare" represents everything that was typical of Italian horror movies.
It was perhaps, however, the first Italian horror film to show a lesbian love scene.If you watch this on DVD, you might find it interesting that while the actors speak in dubbed English, the opening and closing credits are in Italian!The characters who spend the night at the castle are really stupid.
After reading all of the other comments about this film, I - at first - thought, "What can I add?"  Everybody else adequately sums up the storyline: seven European tourists encounter a circumstance that requires them to stay overnight at a creepy old castle and all but one gets killed by a succubus - that's a helper of the devil, if you don't know.
As a tale of how the 7 deadly sins are used to knock off a group of people, this doesn't come up to the mark and is quite boring.The lesbian love scenes are cheesy and obviously put in to titilate and make the film talked about, and hence presumably sell videos down the line!If you want a great 'bad' film, you can't go past Peter Jackson's splatter horrors, now they are outstanding..
Erika Blanc is a stunning beauty, also in this film, but she looks creepy as hell as the Succubus.
The movie is about seven tourists who must spend the night in a creepy castle, because of bad weather.
The creepy castle and family curse were horror movie staples.
Also, this scene is criticized as irrelevant to the story line(if you can put on a better show of two of the deadly sins colliding, stop criticizing and start making movies).
The make-up of the succubus was very well thought of too and she really looked like as if she was possessed.The plot itself isn't bad at all and it's got a twist in the end.
This film has it all; sex scenes, murders that fit well with the characters, and a decent looking devil.The thing I liked most was how they incorporated the 7 deadly sins for each of the 7 tourists.
What they don't know is that a succubus plans to prey on their innermost desires(each character preyed upon represents one of the seven deadly sins..an intriguing ingredient in the film's success)taking their souls from them, leaving the mark of Satan as they perish.
Amonst the victims is the bus driver who likes to gorge on food, a wealthy woman who desires the supposed gold of the château's Baron von Rhoneberg(Jean Servais), a crusty old curmudgeon who thinks he knows it all and never ceases to insult others, etc.There's no doubt that this film unfortunately suffers from a shoe-string budget, but director Jean Brismée really has a creepy château to provide an eerie sense of dread as each character walks unknowingly unto certain doom.
Only after reading a synopsis of 'The Devil's Nightmare' did I realise a further detail to this excellent, underrated euro-film – each death represents one of the Seven Deadly Sins, with the Priest volunteering to sacrifice his soul to save the others, representing Pride.
Gathering up Horror DVDs to list on Ebay,I spotted a Gothic Horror title starring Erica Blanc that my dad had recently picked up,which led to me getting ready to experience some devilish nightmares.Berlin 1945:As bombs fall around them,the wife of Baron von Rhoneberg dies in childbirth.Shortly after his wife dies,Rhoneberg kills their new born baby girl (talk about taking things easy for the viewer!)Years later:Planning to visit an erotic island,a group of tourists discover that they have missed the last cruise ship for the day.Searching round for a place to stay,the tourists run into a stranger on the road,who tells them that Rhoneberg may allow them to stay at his castle for the night.Met by Rhoneberg's butler Hans,they are invited in and shown to their bedrooms.
Settling down,the tourists meet Rhoneberg over dinner,who decides to treat the guests to some folk tales involving his family,one of which claims that the family have made a deal with the devil,who turns the first Rhoneberg daughters into a Succubus.View on the film:Filmed in a real castle,director Jean Brismée and cinematographer André Goeffers lock the group in with tight winding shots,which along with displaying long corridors in the castle,also creates a smooth atmosphere of impending Gothic Horror doom.Whilst the camera goes a bit jumpy for the ghost/demon effects, Brismée makes up for it by treating the Succubus in a lavish manner,by matching the rotting special facial effects with a keen eye to show ever section of the Succubus naked flesh.Based around the 7 deadly sins,the screenplay by Pierre-Claude Garnier & Patrice Rhomm attempts to make each of the tourist a various sin.Whilst this idea does lead to some nice vicious deaths and a wonderfully jet-black comedic ending,the writers fail to connect any of the tourists to their particular sins,which leads to a long dry build up before the exposure of their original sins.
By killing his baby girl, the baron is ending the curse—or so he thinks Years later, seven travellers seek shelter for the night at the baron's castle, and are killed one-by-one by his servant's sexy daughter Lisa Müller (Erika Blanc), the secret illegitimate offspring of his dead brother Rudolph.Any film that starts with gratuitous baby-stabbing gets my attention—it's not often you see that sort of cold-bloodedness, even in a horror—but the demented fun doesn't end there: this devilish Gothic tale from director Jean Brismée has virtually all the ingredients I look for in my early-'70s cult Euro-horror.
Erika Blanc, who plays the succubus in the film, is rather good, and undergoes a complete change in appearance after each death occurs.
A bus full of tourists representing the Seven Deadly Sins are forced to seek refuge in a remote countryside castle owned by the eccentric Baron von Rhoneberg (a fine portrayal by Jean Servais).
The plot itself proceeds from Sin: Baron VonRomberg brings a curse apon his family by his affair with his housekeeper.The illegitimate child returns 25 years later as an instrument of death and destruction: a beautiful,sexy succubus!That same evening 7 travelors are stranded at the eerie VonRomberg castle:the driver and 6 others-one a young priest!After dinner the 7 are shown to their rooms and warned of the family curse!
During the night each awakens to commit one of the "seven deadly sins" and each one is killed by the succubus apon the commission of that sin!The priest attempts to make a "deal" with the "Devil" for the souls of his dead companions!
The "Devil" looks to the "succubus" as she embraces the priest.They smile.The wages of sin-DEATH!.
Now rather than reveal any more of this movie and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it I will just say it shared many of the same qualities of various other Euro-horror films made during this time.