Satan's Wife

Satan's Wife
Satan's Wife
Directed by	Pier Carpi
Screenplay by	Pier Carpi
Starring	Anne Heywood; Valentina Cortese; John Phillip Law
Cinematography	Guglielmo Mancori
Edited by	Manlio Camastro
Music by	Stelvio Cipriani
Release date	October 29, 1979;
Country	Italy
Language	Italian

Satan's Wife (Italian: Un'ombra nell'ombra, also known as Ring of Darkness) is a 1979 Italian horror film directed by Pier Carpi.^[1]^[2]

Plot

The Prince of Darkness seduces four young women, spreading his seed so that his scourge may take human form.

Cast

Anne Heywood as Carlotta Rhodes
Valentina Cortese as Elena Merrill
John Phillip Law as the Exorcist
Frank Finlay as Paul
Marisa Mell as Agatha
Paola Tedesco as Anna Merrill
Irene Papas as Raffaella
Lara Wendel as Daria Rhodes
Ian Bannen as the Professor
Ezio Miani as Lucifer
West Buchanan as Peter Rhodes
Carmen Russo as the Dancer
Patrizia Webley as a Prostitute

Production

The film is an adaptation of the director's 1974 novel Un'ombra nell'ombra.^[3]^[4] It had the working title La signora delle mosche ('The Lady of the Flies').^[4] Carpi's announced temptative cast included Jean Seberg, Terence Stamp, and Marilù Tolo.^[4]

The film had a troubled production, with shootings starting in January 1977, being interrupted after a few weeks for lack of funds, and resumed in early 1979, with producer Piero Amati replacing Carpi as director for several scenes.^[4] Amati went bankrupt shortly later.^[4]

It was one of several Italian films starring Anne Heywood.^[5]

Release

The film was released in Italian cinemas in the fall of 1979.^[4] The original version of the film, lasting 106 minutes, is considered lost.^[3] The international version, lasting over 20 minutes less (85'), has been described as "lacking continuity in more than one point" because of the cuts.^[3]

Reception

Domestically, the film bombed at the box office.^[4] Italian film historian Roberto Curti described the film as "an ambitious work, [...] with passages of minutious realism and oneiric, visionary and esoteric digressions".^[4]

References

↑ "Satan's Wife". Rotten Tomatoes.
↑ "Satan's Wife". TV Guide.
1 2 3 Pulici, Davide (December 2004). "Un'ombra nell'ombra". Nocturno Dossier. 29: 49.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Curti, Roberto (2018). "From the Coven to the Lodge". Mavericks of Italian Cinema: Eight Unorthodox Filmmakers, 1940s-2000s. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. pp. 18–21. ISBN 978-1-4766-7242-7.
↑ Vagg, Stephen (4 May 2025). "Not Quite Movie Stars: Anne Heywood". Filmink. Retrieved 4 May 2025.

External links

Satan's Wife at IMDb

[1] "Satan's Wife". Rotten Tomatoes.

[2] "Satan's Wife". TV Guide.

[Nocturno-3] 1 2 3 Pulici, Davide (December 2004). "Un'ombra nell'ombra". Nocturno Dossier. 29: 49.

[Curti-4] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Curti, Roberto (2018). "From the Coven to the Lodge". Mavericks of Italian Cinema: Eight Unorthodox Filmmakers, 1940s-2000s. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. pp. 18–21. ISBN 978-1-4766-7242-7.

[anne-5] Vagg, Stephen (4 May 2025). "Not Quite Movie Stars: Anne Heywood". Filmink. Retrieved 4 May 2025.

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