Nigel P It is worth pointing out that there are no exorcists, or exorcisms, in this film. To make up for any disappointment this revelation may bring, we are recompensed with numerous invasive scenes featuring Lina Romay (who plays Linda), Jacqueline Laurent (Marianne) and Pamela Stanford (the very frightening Lorna of the title). In fact, the films opens with a ten minute scene of graphic lesbian pornography. You guessed it – this is a Jess Franco picture. As such, it is almost as if two separate projects have been spliced together. For a change, however, this is almost certainly not the case. What we have then, is a Faustian storyline played by a very good cast, interspersed with elongated moments of pretty hard-core porn. Does one element distract from the other? That's for the individual to decide – for me, it presents blatantly, even by his own standards, Franco's unwillingness to play by any rules.The story. Patrick Mariel (Guy Delorme) is a wealthy businessman with a loving wife and occasionally troublesome daughter, who is about to celebrate her 18th birthday. His problems stem from his own stupidity – many years ago, when he was penniless and suicidal, he made a deal with the mysterious Lorna (with whom his daughter suspects he is having an affair), whereby he would become financially successful in exchange for his then unborn daughter, on her 18th birthday.Stanford as the formidable demon, sports the most appalling overuse of eye make-up. Such a mask-like touch could look ridiculous, but she actually looks incredibly unnerving, in part due to her confident and alluring performance. Her henchman Mariuziuz is played by Howard Vernon, but with her powers, he seems superfluous – which is something of a waste of Vernon's talents. Knowing Franco's schedule, Vernon was probably busy working on another film for the director at the same time! During the longest of his two scenes, Mariuziuz throws Mariel out of Lorna's apartment, after trying unsuccessfully to open a stubborn sliding door two or three times. Strange they didn't allow a retake.To add to the spice, Lorna refers to Linda as her daughter throughout, which gives the sex scenes between them an extra incestuous edge. There is also a scene where Marianne is festooned with crabs which is extreme and guaranteed to raise an eyebrow or two. Equally, the brutal use of a dildo later on makes the viewer wince somewhat. Franco's camera is obsessed with every area of intimacy; with any other director, you might assume the zooms and out-of-focus moments are borne out of over-excitement – with Franco, it's a trademark. Inappropriate music abounds (courtesy of classical guitarist André Bénichou and Robert de Nesle), especially in the climactic scenes, which due to Romay, are powerful and delightfully unselfconscious. Her scenes toward the end, when her 'new' nature takes over, are really well acted – subtly to begin with (not something you often find in these kind of films), and full-on terrifying the nearer we get to the end. And the camera, so intrusive, does Romay few favours, lingering far too long on a final huge-eyed close-up.A genuinely perverse and affecting film then, and one of the director's most personal. I enjoyed it, but wouldn't recommend watching it on a first date.

Falconeer A very young Lina Romay stars in this Jess Franco classic about a wealthy business man who makes a deal with a female demon; in exchange for wealth and prosperity, daddy promises his first born daughter to the sexy, mysterious Lorna. He doesn't take any of it seriously, until 18 years later, when Lorna returns to claim his nubile 18 year old daughter (Lina Romay in an early role) for her own. "Lorna the Exorcist" features wall-to-wall style, typical of director Jess Franco. Swanky casinos, nightclubs and beautiful homes and fashions, combined with a sultry and bizarre jazz score. And bizarre this film is; weird, even by Franco standards. It is never really explained why Lorna wears the crazy green eyeshadow halfway up her forehead; but the story is good, and there are some nice twists and surprises. The sex is extremely graphic here, bordering on hardcore. if you want to see ALL of Lina Romay, this is the one to seek out. I think the film would have been a bit better without the open clitoris scenes, as those elements take the viewer a bit out of the story, as things are put on hold for close-up vaginal shots. They are sexy, but unnecessary in a film that is good enough to maintain interest without them. The original language seems to be French, and the version I have seen is the longer 97 minute cut. For Jess Franco fans, "Lorna the Exorcist" is one to track down. And for fans of Lina Romay, this film is mandatory viewing! Romay, barely 19 years old here, has long hair, instead of the short cut that she sported later on. And Lorna must have kept her promise, because the home they live in is an absolute palace. The scene where Lorna "takes" Lina's soul is shocking and unforgettable!

The_Void The vast filmography of Jess Franco is littered with cheap timewasters that are not of interest to anyone; but among those films are some real gems. Lorna the Exorcist, however, falls somewhere between the two sets of films; it's not vintage Franco, but it's better than a lot of his stuff and does at least make for a decent viewing. I had a feeling that this film may be a rip off of another film released in the early seventies with the word 'Exorcist' in the title; but actually the film is more of a nightmarish fairy tale with some sex involved (although clearly the film is cashing in on the title!). The plot focuses on a businessman named Patrick. He takes his wife and daughter on holiday; but things turn awry for Patrick when a woman named Lorna turns up. Lorna and Patrick had relations some years earlier and it emerges that Lorna is some kind of witch that has power over various women; including his daughter, who is almost ready to turn eighteen. Lorna begins to infiltrate Patrick's life, and he tries to protect his daughter.The main draw of this film for most Franco fans will undoubtedly be the beautiful Lina Romay who stars as the eighteen year old daughter. The rest of the cast is nothing to write home about; but there is a role for Franco stalwart Howard Vernon, as well as sometimes collaborator Pamela Stanford in the central role. The version of the film that I saw ran for just over eighty minutes, and I wouldn't be surprised to find that its cut as the film is not particularly graphic or disturbing. There is a fair bit of sex; including lesbian sex and we are treated to the entire usual trademark Franco zoom shots. The most memorable scene takes place in the bedroom and involves a really bad case of crabs! The plot itself takes a backseat to the atmosphere and sleaze elements, but it's actually not too badly worked and it does at least succeed in keeping the film interesting for most of the duration. Overall, Lorna the Exorcist is not hugely memorable and is in no way a classic horror film; but it's decent enough stuff and most Franco fans wont regret tracking it down.

Michael_Elliott Lorna the Exorcist (1974)*** (out of 4) One of cult director Jess Franco's best films, Patrick Mariel (Guy Delorme) makes a deal with his ex-lover (Pamela Stanford) that if she grants him riches that she can have his daughter when she turns 18. Now 18-years-old, the witch Lorna comes to visit Linda (Lina Romay) in a very sexual way. LORNA THE EXORCIST is around in many different versions but the recent release from Mondo Macabro presents the film with a running time of 100-minutes. This here is about twelve-minutes longer than the previous version I watched and I must admit that I preferred the shorter one. Several of the scenes in the longer version just drag on a bit too much and there's really nothing added except for the one legendary and talked about scenes that finally appeared in the film. This of course is the much discussed dildo sequence, which is perfectly executed by Franco who manages to milk every painful moment from it. The same is true for the crab sequences, which are among the most memorable and creepy from any film the director has made. These two scenes alone certainly stand out but the film offers up much more. I think the atmosphere is what the director really nails and this is especially true during the sexual scenes where we're given a dream-like quality to them. The film really does seem like a nightmare that has come to life and all the credit must go to Franco. It certainly doesn't hurt that we're given some fine performances with both Stanford and Delorme really standing out in their parts. Romay clearly steals the film as her sexuality and beauty are perfectly captures on screen and it's easy to see why her and Franco would become partners. There are some problems with the film including the already mentioned longer version but I also think that the film does drag in both versions. There's just not too much going on in the story to really warrant the extended running time. Still, LORNA THE EXORCIST is one of the director's best and most hypnotic films.