Alongside Bob Clark’s (aka Jessy) 1974’s Black Christmas, Mario Bava’s Satan’s Bloodlust is widely regarded as the forefather of the slasher genre. Movies like “Scream”, “Halloween” or “Friday the 13th” would probably never have existed in this form without the 1971 Italian horror classic. And yet hardly anyone in Germany knows about the gory shocker, since the film has been confiscated in Germany since 1987 for violating § 131 StGB (depiction of violence).
Such a judgment means that the film may not be promoted or sold openly or secretly. In addition, all copies that are still in circulation will be taken off the market. Die-hard film freaks could only have the disc imported from Austria when “Im Blutrausch des Satans” was released uncut on DVD and was also released as a German-language Blu-ray in 2013.
But import detours across national borders are no longer necessary! Like the rented Mediacs about his Facebook site reported that “In the Bloodlust of Satan” is no longer confiscated. In addition, the label will launch the forefather of the slasher film in Germany in the first quarter of 2023. It is currently unknown if Mediacs is also in the process of de-indexing the film.
And that’s what “In the Bloodlust of Satan” is about
When wheelchair-bound Countess Federica Donati (Isa Miranda) is treacherously strangled by her husband just before he himself is killed by a killer, rumors spread in the nearby village. The superstitious residents believe that some kind of curse has caused this bloodlust. And indeed: the murders are only intended as a prelude to a whole series of atrocities that seem to happen without any connection.
But these murders are not so haphazard, because there is a common motive: greed. The noble clan of the deceased countess does everything they can to decimate the unwanted relatives in order to get the largest possible piece of the inheritance cake. Who is ultimately left with the legacy to call himself his own? And at what price?