Ah, the name game. It's an old tradition in the horror and exploitation fields, especially with imports. This flick first saw the light of a projector bulb as L'Ossessa in its native Italy. It's also been known as Sexorcist, The Tormented, and (inexplicably)The Eerie Midnight Horror Show Video generated graphics including an Enter the Devil title card and new credits are inserted over the original opening credits sequence. The closing credits have been omitted entirely. Perhaps the biggest surprise is that the film is partially letterboxed.

Daniela (Carnacina) is an art student. In an Italian church she discovers a statue of one of the thieves crucified with Christ. The church has been deconsecrated for over a century because "certain of the faithful organized some fairly undisguised orgies in here." Fascinated by the lifelike visage, Daniela acquires the statue for her university. The statue soon comes to life, though, and we eventually learn that it is an earthly incarnation of satan (Rassimov, who also appeared in the early Italian cannibal flick Man From Deep River, as well as the Mario Bava films Planet of the Vampires and Shock, a.k.a. Beyond the Door 2).

Daniela is raped by the devil while a cross burns in the background. Afterward she starts acting, well, a little peculiar. She attempts to seduce her father, stigmata appear on her hands and feet, and she has an aversion to sacred objects. Once all possible medical explanations have been exhausted, Daniela's parents seek out a priest who specializes in exorcism.

Enter the Devil adds a certain amount of sexual perversity that is absent from the Exorcist and most of its imitators. In fact there are hints that Daniela's possession may somehow be a result of (or at least connected to) the depravity around her. During the initial consultation with the priest, Daniela's mother (Love) is told that Daniela needs her support and good example. This, however, comes after Daniela has witnessed her mother taking part in an extra-marital affair. In a scene that has been excised by the moral guardians at Scan-Euro Video, Daniela sees her mother being whipped with long stemmed roses by her lover. Later, once the possession has taken hold and Daniela has begun gouging herself with her own fingernails, her mother notices the similarities between the nail marks and those made by the roses. The age old connection between sexuality and sin seems to be reiterated.

Overall Enter the Devil is an entertaining if derivative exorcism film. The ending in particular borrows heavily from The Exorcist, but given the imitative nature of many Italian horror movies this can be forgiven. Worth a look.