Lisa and the Devil(1974)
1974 · Mario Bava · 95 min
Lisa is a tourist in an ancient city. When she gets lost, she finds an old mansion in which to shelter. Soon she is sucked into a vortex of deception, debauchery and evil presided over by housekeeper Leandre.
Horror
6.2162 votes
TMDB score
3/5
Intensity
2/5
Gore
4/5
Stays with you
How Lisa and the Devil scares
There's a woozy, disorienting quality to this one, like being trapped in a dream you can't wake up from, where time loops and faces blur together. Mario Bava builds his scares through strange visuals, eerie mansion interiors, and mannequins that feel almost alive, rather than through jolts or chases. The pace is slow and hypnotic, more interested in mood and dread than in action, and the violence that does happen is brief and stylized rather than graphic. It's best for viewers who like their horror strange, artful, and unsettling rather than fast or physical.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, Lisa and the Devil rates psychological 5/5, visceral 2/5, gore 2/5, lingering effect 4/5, and overall intensity 3/5.
- Psychological: 5 of 5
- Visceral: 2 of 5
- Gore: 2 of 5
- Lingering: 4 of 5
- Intensity: 3 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 12 of 100 — leans Slow burn
Supernatural vs Real-world: 18 of 100 — leans Supernatural
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 68 of 100 — leans Disturbing
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
A dreamlike, slow drift through unease that thickens gradually before tipping into a disorienting, intense final stretch.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 2, 3, 4, 4, 5.
How scary is Lisa and the Devil?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, Lisa and the Devil rates 3/5 — solidly scary, building its fear through slow-burn dread rather than shocks. The fear is mostly in your head — it unsettles far more than it assaults. Expect it to be moderately gory and genuinely disturbing. Expect it to stay with you for days.
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