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The Reincarnation Of Isabel
[Redemption]
1973; color
Directed by Renato Polselli
Starring: Mickey Hargitay, Rita Calderoni, Raul Lovecchio, Christa Barrymore, Consolata Moschera & William Darni
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This little gem of early '70s Italian Eurosleaze is like a head-on collision between the psychotronic and the psychedelic. While the main plot might be about attempts to reincarnate a 14th Century woman, who may or not have been a witch who was later burned at the stake by an angry mob, we get healthy doses of vampirism, lesbianism and surrealism that keep you on your toes for almost the entire hour-and-forty-five-minute run time. Before we begin I've gotta backtrack a little to the intro, which, truthfully, could probably merit an entire column on it's own. Apparently the original editions of these Redemption films were shown on British TV as a weekly series of some sort, each accompanied by an intro by the über-Goth hostess Eileen Daly. (Who also happens to be the co-owner of Redemption and an actress in her own right.) The intro on this disc is actually an audio primer on what they call "SS Girl" exploitation films of the '70s (Ilsa, etc… ), with accompanying newly shot visuals of girls in fetish-y Nazi outfits rolling around and stroking riding crops, Nazi hats and each other. Keeping in mind that none of this has anything to do with the film whatsoever, it's inclusion only adds a new dimension of weirdness to the entire package. Now, back to the matter at hand. Starring Mickey Hargitay and a cast of generally unknown Italian actors, The Reincarnation Of Isabel opens in the present day (which was then 1971) as new owners are about to take possession of part of a huge castle. (Two brothers owned it; one sold his half, the other did not, so he remains.) The new owner, Hargitay, along with his daughter who's engaged to one of the local townies, and group of their friends, all have ties back to the original witch-burning. In fact, everyone in the movie, even the local townsfolk, seems to be reincarnated versions of people involved with the witch-burning. Through hallucinatory sequences featuring crazy color-wheel lighting and jump-cut editing that repeatedly rockets back and forth between the 20th and 14th centuries, we learn that Hargitay's character was so distraught and hellbent on revenge after his wife was torched that he made a pact with the devil and became the first vampire, AKA Dracula. (That's a new one!) That's just one little plot facet in a sea of marginally linear events that result in two of the girls staying at the castle being accused by the townsfolk of being witches, which not only partially recreates the original witch-burning, it actually ends up tying them in to being potential sacrifices to bring Isabel back to life. (Apparently the hearts and eyes of virgins are needed to complete the task.) Also, according to the lore this movie lays down, Dracula can only drink the blood of girls who haven't been "tainted by semen." Which is also a good excuse for the lesbian scenes. The Reincarnation Of Isabel has so much to soak in it doesn't even really matter that Isabel is not reincarnated at the film's end; it's such a wild ride that you don't need that kind of payoff for closure. If you can find this one, I highly recommend it.
—the Kommandant
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