Bava had seemingly waited his whole career for such artistic freedom and the resulting film, Lisa & the Devil is amongst his most accomplished, beautifully surreal and engaging films. Lisa soon begins to lose hope as she navigates her way through what can only be described as a waking nightmare, peopled with bodies and mannequins…ĭue to the success of Bava’s prior film Baron Blood, he was given ‘carte blanche’ by his producer Alfredo Leone to write and direct another film. Lisa's resemblance to Max’s former lover seems to stir something sinister within the house and someone begins murdering the guests.
When their car breaks down outside a mysterious villa, they are invited to stay by its occupant – Max, a nervous young man who lives there with his overbearing mother (Alida Valli) and their butler Leandro (Savalas again).
Becoming lost in the myriad streets, she eventually hitches a ride with a bickering couple and their driver. When she separates from her tour group to look around an old antiques shop, Lisa (Elke Sommer) encounters a man (Telly Savalas) who bears a striking resemblance to a depiction of the Devil she saw in a fresco in the town square.
