StudioCanal Blu-ray Film Review

The Antichrist (1974) • Blu-ray [StudioCanal, Cult Classics]

A paralysed woman becomes possessed by the Devil when a hypnosis session (intended to heal her disability) awakens memories of her past life as a witch.

The 1970s and 1980s were decades of new and exciting horror that pushed the boundaries of cinema, but they were also full of cheap imitators. These emulators were the work of smash-and-grab producers, working quickly and remorselessly to cash in on recent box office successes. For every Alien (1979) there was a Contamination (1980); for every Jaws (1975) there was The Last Shark (1981). And in 1975, The Exorcist (1974) brought forth The Antichrist / L’anticristo. It fits the mould of the aforementioned films — each made within a few years of the source material, and each made by Italian filmmakers.

That Italian-ness makes particular sense for The Antichrist (also known as The Tempter) — a story about religious fervour and devilish possession is a perfect fit for a largely Catholic country. But The Antichrist is a film of…