Satanico Pandemonium
(Mondo Macabro NTSC DVD)
(1975)
review by Head Cheeze

Nunsploitation flicks have a special place in my heart. This genre never ceases to amaze me with the depths of depravity it often reaches, and, being pretty depraved myself, I am always more than willing to sink to said depths right along with 'em. While the best known examples of the genre came from Italy, Mondo Macabro have dug up an obscure Mexican offering called Satanico Pandemonium that gives even the most lurid of Italy's offerings a run for their money.

Sister Maria (Pezet) is a young, sexy nun (aren't they all?) who encounters a strange man (Rocha) while walking in the woods surrounding her convent. Terrified (either by his wild eyed look, or the fact that he is naked) she flees back to her room. Soon she begins to suffer hallucinations that lead to her sleeping with the man (who disguises himself as a nun to get into bed with her), whereupon he introduces himself as Lucifer. Maria tries to resist his charms, but cannot, and finds herself turning into a habit-wearing horndog who alternately fucks and kills anything that comes within two feet of her.

With a "Satan" that looks like a cross between a matador and Chairman Kaga, the pepper-chomping Iron Chef boss who resides over Kitchen Stadium (see below!), boatloads of senseless nudity and violence, and a plot so thin that it threatens to simply vanish from existence, Satanico Pandemonium is an absolute failure as a horror film. However, as an unintentional side-splitting comedy, it's a gem! It also doesn't hurt that star Cecilia Pezet, who resembles an emaciated Salma Hayek, spends a great deal of the film sans clothing.

Mondo Macabro knows exactly who their audience is (me!) and dig up some of the most hilariously bad films this side of Tromaville, loading them up with all sorts of extra goodies, and Satanico Pandemonium is no exception. In addition to the extremely nice widescreen anamorphic transfer, the disc features an interview with co-director & writer Alfredo Martinez Solares, a featurette about nunsploitation films, a seemingly endless stills gallery, and more.

WARNING: About eighty percent of the people reading this review will absolutely hate this film. This is one for the Euro-Sleaze/Masked Mexican Wrestler/Ed Wood crowd, and should not even be approached by anyone looking for a film that is remotely scary, dramatic, or...hell...any good at all.

That being said, Satanico Pandemonium is a must-buy for the rest of us lovers of exploitation and sleaze!!

God have mercy on our twisted little souls!

Check out the other great Mondo Macabro titles here!