Director – Tonino Cervi (The Naked Sun, Butterfly)
Starring – Haydee Politoff (The Collector, Young Wolves), Silvia Monti (Blackie the Pirate, A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin), and Evelyn Stewart (The Psychic, Syndicate Sadists)
Release Date – 1970
Rating – 3.5/5
Blu Release – 3/5
I love getting random ass horror movies in for review. As a collector there is nothing more exciting than opening a package and seeing a new movie in the box. A few days back I was surprised by a package from Mondo Macabro which I was not expecting. I had requested their three newest releases but I never received word back on if they were coming or not. I couldn’t make my mind up on which movie to watch first and decided to go with 1970’s Queens of Evil.
**Spoiler alert** The film follows a hippie who accidentally kills a man in a car. When the police arrives he flees into the surrounding woods to hide when he finds a shed. He believes it to be abandoned and spends the night. However, he awakens the following day to find three beautiful sisters who inhabit the house beside the shed. The invite him in and welcome him into their home. He is entranced with their beauty but feels as if something is off with them. After a few days he of spending time with them in the day and sleeping in their shed he decided to venture into their home at night. After finding it empty he goes into the woods to find them performing some sort of ritual. They find him and invite him in for the night. The next day he meets some of the other people from the local community and that night their real intentions are revealed. **Spoiler Alert**
Queens of Evil is one I had never heard about prior to receiving the press release from CAV about the Mondo Macabro release. With that being said, I fucking love this movie after checking it out. It’s atmospheric, intriguing, and ends in brilliant fashion. I’m shocked more genre fans have not been talking about this early 70s underrated classic. It’s brilliant.
The acting in this one is absolutely amazing. The three sisters carry every scene they are in. They are mesmerizing in every second of screen time they have and their characters are so mysterious and enthralling. Also, Ray Lovelock is amazing as the hippie with a curious side. He works so well with the three sisters and does a fantastic job in the film. The supporting cast doesn’t have that much screen time but they are solid. Nothing that memorable but not bad.
The story for this one makes you think it’s going to go one way and be one type of film but changes on you. You are given something completely different that is trippy and eerie at the same time. This is the type of movie people are referring to as a “bad trip.” I loved the beginning, middle, and end. The character development, reveal, and slow burn ending is absolutely brilliant.
Finally, this film has some blood but nothing that really stands out. We have only one real death scene but it’s the worst aspect of the film. We have some blood and one of the lackluster death’s I’ve witnessed in horror. It doesn’t take away from the fi lm but doesn’t really contribute either. Overall, Queens of Evil is an amazing and extremely underrated early 70s Italian psychodelic horror trip. I fucking loved and I love the work Mondo put into this release. Genre fans really did this release for their collections. Well worth the price!
Special Features:
Brand new 4k transfer from film negative.
Interview with Ray Lovelock.
Audio commentary from Kat Ellinger and Samm Deighan.
Trailer.
Alternative sequences.
English/Italian audio with optional subtitles.
Mondo Macabro previews.
