Lisa and the Devil

Lisa and the Devil (Italian: Lisa e il Diavolo) is a 1974 horror film directed by Mario Bava and starring Elke Sommer, Telly Savalas, Sylva Koscina and Alida Valli. It follows a tourist named Lisa (Sommer) who loses her way in Toledo and spends the night at a villa belonging to a mysterious countess and her son. The film is an Italian, West German, and Spanish co-production. The film was first released in Spain in November 1974 as El diablo se lleva a los muertos (lit. 'The Devil Takes the Dead'). Following a lukewarm reception, the film was retooled by producer Alfredo Leone, who sought to exploit the popularity of The Exorcist by adding newly-filmed scenes featuring a priest attempting to exorcise a possessed Lisa. This version, entitled The House of Exorcism, was released on April 2, 1975. Mario Bava permitted the new cut but only claimed ownership of Lisa and the Devil. Decades after its initial screening, Bava’s original cut was released on home video, where it received a more positive response.