The Devil within Her (1975) - Movie Review

When Lucy was struggling with her life she spent some time as a stripper. One evening she shuns the sexual advances of a mysterious dwarf who then condemns her for it by hexing her. A few years later, Lucy is now successful, married, and has birthed her first child. During the next few months, strange deaths start happening to people around Lucy and the only link between them is the presence of her baby.

I’m going to save you some time – file The Devil within Her a.k.a. Sharon’s Baby a.k.a. I Don’t Want to Be Born a.k.a. It Lives within Her (Is that it? Are you sure? Yes? Omniscient says yes; moving on) – file this movie and all of its titles under So Bad its Hilarious. Just look at that movie poster.

Joan Collins does her usual diva shtick as Lucy, which gives people foresight of Alexis Carrington (her character in Dynasty). Truly though the acting isn’t the issue; it’s the baby. It is so cute; maybe too cute. It’s a normal, happy baby that shakes itself and jumps for joy every time someone is murdered. Some of the murder scenes are so poorly planned - they just lift the baby’s hand up in front of the camera to push an unassuming victim down.  The dwarf that curses Lucy does a fine job of being vexed with her, but he’s dressed in a jester’s costume.

One of the few saving graces is the late Donald Pleasence as Dr. Finch. Not that he does anything significant it’s just always a pleasure to see Donald Pleasence in a movie. Even Eileen Atkins as the curmudgeon Sister Albana shines in her role, even though her personality calls for being that of a wet plank.

I was amazed at the laughable quirks of this movie considering it was directed by long-time Hammer horror veteran film maker Peter Sasdy (Hands of the Ripper, Countess Dracula, Taste the Blood of Dracula) who does manage some nice looking murders. Although The Devil within Her wasn’t made by Hammer studios, which might explain some of the bad quality, Peter Sasdy is highly capable of making a much better film of this type.

However, The Devil within Her is what it is, a cult classic of unintentional comedy. I wouldn’t recommend it for someone wanting a serious scare, despite a few worthy kills. I would recommend it if you’re entertaining someone who isn’t much of a horror fan and is need of some entertainment.