An Angel for Satan (1966) – Italian Horror Film Review
An Angel for Satan (Un angelo per Satana) is an Italian horror film starring Barbara Steele. Although it was filmed in Italian language, these days it’s easy to get hold of a DVD or Blu-ray of the film that has been dubbed into English
An Angel for Satan is notable for being Barbara Steele’s last Italian Gothic horror film and, although it was filmed in black and white, the picture quality is extremely good.
The film is set in a small Italian village located next to a lake. The opening scenes show a smartly dressed gentleman arriving in a small row boat piloted by two locals. His name is Roberto Merigi. He’s a sculptor, who has been invited to stay with local dignitary Count Montebruno, who wishes him to restore a statue recently that was recently salvaged from the lake.
The statue, which has been at the bottom of the lake for a couple of hundred years, was commissioned by one of the count’s ancestors, Belinda, who was renowned for her beauty. It was lost to the waters during a tragic incident and is believed to carry a curse.
Shortly after Roberto’s arrival, the count’s niece, Harriet (Steele), returns to her ancestral home. Now a full-grown and very beautiful woman, she left the estate when she was a child and has spent the intervening years at college. Harriet is the true heir to the estate. Her uncle has only been taking care of it for her in her absence.
Robert and the Count are just becoming acquainted when the butler enters bearing bad news. The two boatmen have been killed. Their boat sank and they drowned in the lake. The count is quick to point out they were the boatmen who salvaged the statue from the lake, suggesting a connection with the curse.
When Harriet arrives, Robert can only stand and stare. She looks exactly like her ancestor, Belinda. Due to the striking resemblance between her and the statue, Robert asks Harriet if she will model for him. He tells her it will aid his restoration of the statue.
As they spend time together, Roberto and Harriet fall in love. However, strange things are afoot. First, Robert wakes up one night in a delirious state and is called from his room by a ghostly voice. Shortly after this, Harriet’s behaviour becomes erratic. One moment she is fine, the next she turns cold and cruel and says her name is Belinda.
She then commences to play sick games with the lives of the people around her and there are further deaths in the village. Believing the curse is in full swing, the villagers become hostile towards Harriet, calling her a witch. They are equally hostile towards Robert because he is responsible for restoring the statue to its former glory.
Although An Angel for Satan is a story with a dark underbelly, it’s not particularly frightening and can be quite sad at times. Several of the characters lose their lives in tragic ways, while others are left to live with the aftermath of emotion caused by their parting.
The film has a good plot and Steele does an excellent job in her dual roles of Harriet and Belinda. Anthony Steffen, who plays Roberto, is equally good as is the rest of the cast.
However, in many ways, An Angel for Satan is more a mystery than a horror film and, rather than sitting on the edge of my seat, I found myself hoping everything would work out okay for Harriet and Roberto. People who are looking for a horror movie may find An Angel for Satan a little disappointing. Nevertheless, it’s a good film. I enjoyed it a lot and would watch it again. If you are a fan of Barbara Steele, it will be right up your street. However, if you are not, The Mask of Satan or Nightmare Castle may provide a more suitable introduction to her work.