User Reviews

An extraordinary first film from Juan Bunuel, son of Luis, and if if does not completely succeed it is certainly a very bold effort. A variation on the old dark house film, the creepy and violent otherness here is of the poltergeist variety, and very violent and creepy it is. Lots of children here and one young girl (the daughter) who may be the main cause of things going very big bump in the night, and the day. This central character is played most convincingly and beautifully by leading model of the time, Yasmine Dahm. Her performance is perfect but the director does not seem to have given the same attention to all and some of the acting seems rather hammy, even a young Gerard Depardieu seems to be over acting, but then, dare I say, this would not be the last time for that! There are several dark sequences and I feel i might have scored this higher had it been a better print.

I first became aware of this (whose original title translates to the unfathomable AT THE MEETING WITH JOYOUS DEATH!) at a DVD rental store on Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood specializing in cult rarities. I remember liking the film at the time but it is possible that I enjoyed it even more on a second viewing (which basically came via the same exceedingly fuzzy print): even so, a proper restoration would really render the movie justice – I have no idea who might own the rights to it, but an outfit like, say, Mondo Macabro certainly missed an opportunity with the release of PARANORMAL ACTIVITY (2007; though its wide-spread release did not occur until 2 years later) and its brand-new follow-up!

The premise, in fact, deals with a family living in a country-house which turns out to be 'alive' – to the point where a TV crew is brought in to 'capture' the paranormal phenomena; though, at the time, this was hardly the ideal choice to pass for one's baptism of fire, let alone the offspring of cinema's greatest Surrealist, he still manages to incorporate a number of touches which must have pleased the old man. Incidentally, having simultaneously watched those distressingly low-key modern takes on the poltergeist theme (which makes their box-office success quite baffling to this viewer!), I could plainly see which film-maker had the bigger balls and the greater imagination – while the PARANORMAL ACTIVITY guys wasted our time with repetitive sequences of trivial kitchen calamities and loud bangings (which only started after much boring exposition!), here we are not only thrown into the mysterious happenings almost instantly but, when the evil forces decide to make their presence felt, what we get is a true debacle (bedroom windows break from the outside, a table flies from the garden though the kitchen window, the refrigerator suddenly becomes violent, even pushing the reasonably burly Renato Salvatori though the window, etc.)!

While in the Hollywood renditions, we only surmise what might be behind the haunting/possession, here we realize that it has to do with the pubescent girl of the house; in fact, when the family moves out to let the TV crew get on with their work, she contrives to get back there (as if compelled to do so) and it is then that the strange occurrences commence once more – beginning with the soundman (a very young Gerard Depardieu) dazedly immersing his hand in a pot of boiling water! In this respect, the film keeps up the 'haunted house' tradition of the era – as in the mansion at the center of THE HAUNTING (1963) also wanting Julie Harris for herself: one might well ask, what the hell for, but here we end on a truly memorable and poetic shot (matching the opening 360-degree pan of the landscape) of the young girl beckoned to the house yet again – with the facade being rapidly enveloped in assorted undergrowth, just as she had pictured it herself at the very start of the film! – the door closing behind her as she enters and the camera moving away.

Having mentioned Depardieu and, again, in clear contrast to today's padding-oriented cinema, the individual character traits of the various technicians are made known to us via a mere handful of dialogue exchanges: geeky Depardieu is the sensitive soul among them, another is an unabashed ladies' man, yet another the hard-working type trying to make ends meet, while the suave presenter – who happens to be a friend of the afflicted family – is at once authoritative but obviously out-of-his-depth amid the situation at hand. Though it is disappointing that lovely leading lady Francoise Fabian (an alumni from Bunuel Snr.'s BELLE DE JOUR [1967]) is off-screen through the entire second half, the film's real protagonist is undoubtedly the daughter – remarkably played by top model Yasmine Dahm (whose only work for the cinema this was). The introduction of an elderly priest (Claude Dauphin) and his brood of adolescent female orphans – who, for years, had spent their summer vacation at the abandoned house – may seem at first as an unwarranted contrivance, but they are eventually revealed to know more than they let on: he not only senses the other girl's connection with the mansion but even carries out an exorcism in private; as for his charges, when Depardieu goes berserk at the end and takes off in Dauphin' van (after beating him to death!), the children who are inside with him suddenly turn on the distraught driver, before heading back!

To get back to what I said at the start of this review, the film includes a few delightfully surreal moments – which have to do with a distortion of reality: the heroine's reflection in a mirror is twice seen not matching her movements (once she is seen dressing while the girl in the mirror takes all her clothes off!); she even visits the family friend, ostensibly to seduce him, but then turns into a monster of some sort – hard to describe exactly due to the inherent print deficiencies, and actually predating a similar scene from Stanley Kubrick's THE SHINING (1980)! – after which his colleagues discover him on his bed covered in mud (by the way, the character's unexpected death scene is equally striking); but the most subliminal and, in retrospect, timely is the technicians' peeping into the keyhole of Dauphin's room to see him sharing his bed with a couple of the girls, only to find the cleric all alone when they burst in on the apparently lewd scene!

I will be following this with another horror-oriented effort from Bunuel Jr., the medieval vampire-themed LEONOR (1975), and his best (and closest to his father's) work, THE WOMAN WITH RED BOOTS (1974) which, though I also came across it in Hollywood, did get released on DVD by Pathfinder.

This is a clunky and rather slow, but mildly interesting French take on the family moves into a haunted house genre. The special effects which largely consist of furniture sliding around are strickly sub-Exorcist, but the film has a few quirky touches which keep the proceedings from being too predictable. Worth a look, if only because French horror films are such a rarity, but this doesn't hold a candle to the similarly themed The Haunting.

A family moves into an old "fixer-upper" mansion in the middle of nowhere. Strange things begin to happen almost immediately, in the form of bizarre "accidents". One night, the teenage daughter, Sophie (Yasmine Dahm) walks in on her amorous parents, causing her to storm off, and windows to shatter for no apparent reason. More incidents occur, more glass breaks, and the mystery deepens. Is the house haunted? Is Sophie possessed? Both? Events get increasingly incredible, including killer kitchen appliances!

Before long, a TV station is interested in filming in the house. The skeptical crew sets up, and the real fun begins!

EXPULSION OF THE DEVIL is a fantastic French horror film that simply must have influenced everything from Stephen King's CARRIE (book and movie), to Kubrick's version of THE SHINING, to POLTERGEIST, to PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, to THE CONJURING 1 and 2, to God knows what else! This is, of course, circular, since this movie was obviously influenced by other hauntings and ghost stories.

NOTE: All would-be makers of so-called "found footage" films should watch this before proceeding.

Special mention must be made of young Ms. Dahm, who never made another movie, though she carried this one with ease!...

With a runtime that's fairly typical for a genre flick, it's noteworthy that there are no specific goings-on until fifteen minutes in. A few minutes later and still most of what we've seen has been varying levels of disquiet or tension, or possibly the sudden depiction of an occurrence so trivial that one almost has to suppress laughter. On the other hand, the bigger effects sequences that start to kick up actually look really great, and are duly jarring, and there are moments of some delicious, creepy subtlety, too. All this is to say that at the same time that 'Au rendez-vous de la mort joyeuse,' or 'At the meeting with joyous death' (also known as 'Expulsion of the devil') doesn't necessarily come off as anything special, it's also perhaps a little bit of a mixed bag. Still, countless other horror films have gone far more wrong much more quickly, and this really does demonstrate moderate but admirable strength. I don't think it's anything one needs to go out of their way to see, but this is ultimately a pretty good time, and worth checking out if one has the chance to watch.

Plenty of other stories have been told about haunted houses, poltergeists, and other supernatural events, not least in cinema stretching all the way back to its earliest years. Be that as it may, as the tale progresses here the first point of comparison I drummed up was Tobe Hooper's 1982 classic 'Poltergeist'; this is hardly to say that direct lines can be drawn, but the two titles are of a kindred spirit. This includes, in some measurable quantity, the chilling atmosphere that 'La mort joyeuse' is able to achieve at its best. Some of the practical effects are stark and vivid in a way that's also gratifyingly familiar, and though the sound design is arguably a little rough around the edges, the picture makes smart use of sound effects. (Even fifty years later, the same can't be said of all like-minded features.) Between Juan Luis Buñuel's practiced direction and some shrewd cinematography from Ghislain Cloquet, some particular shots are especially well done; even some moments that are somewhat mundane, or border on Movie Magic, are lent unexpected power by the manner in which they're depicted, or allowed to play out.

And that kind of goes for the movie at large: the proceedings oscillate in terms of how much suspension of disbelief they require, yet when all is said and done Buñuel illustrates plentifully sufficient skill and intelligence to allow this to succeed much more than not; I'm actually pleasantly surprised by how good it is. Sure, no one was reinventing the wheel here, neither Buñuel, co-writer Pierre-Jean Maintigneux, nor anyone else. Even if the value is variable, however, there's more of it than can be said for a lot of other genre pieces. In light of all those facets I've mentioned this is definitely thanks in no small part to the crew operating behind the scenes, also including excellent production design and lighting, among other things. The cast is also surely to be commended, though, for able performances of strong emotion that help to realize the unnerving energy and terrific vitality that this boasts when it's firing on all cylinders. Even in only a small supporting part Francoise Fabian commands noteworthy presence; Jean-Pierre Darras makes more of an impression than one would assume at first. Other supporting cast members, some of whom may not even portray a character that gets named on-screen, appreciably play their part in bringing the tableau to life. And more than anyone else, I really have to hand it to Yasmine Dahm. Her career as an actor may have been limited, but she illustrates delightful nuance and personality as Sophie that's a crucial component of the viewing experience.

In addition to a relatively weak start, the ending is curiously low-key; the pressure builds and builds, and in the last few minutes the heat is just turned off. I don't think the ending is bad, but it lacks a spark of vibrancy to make it count - and just as much to the point, while some notions are discretely hinted at throughout the length in terms of a "bigger picture" underlying the course of events, none of these are brought to fruition. The mystery of the house remains a mystery, which is a somewhat novel and interesting approach to take, but not one that completely satisfies. Some instances of dialogue raise a bit of an eyebrow; though rare, in some scenes it feels ever so slightly like the plot is being forced along unnaturally, like squeezing a puzzle piece into a space that's the right shape but not quite the right size. All of these are unfortunate factors that limit the best potential of the feature, and keep it from finding greater favor. This is unfortunate, surely, because I'm pleased to say that there really is a lot to like about 'Au rendez-vous de la mort joyeuse,' and as a lesser known horror film it's certainly better than too many others. Everyone involved turned in fine work, and more than anything I think if the screenplay were fine-tuned then the end result could have been more impactful - more dread ambience, visceral responses that were both more meaningful and more numerable, a viewing experience that's broadly more rewarding. Still, while the end result isn't wholly essential, and not without its shortcomings, I'd be lying if I said I weren't entertained. It's not a must-see, but this 1973 French flick provides a spooky good time, and that's more than enough to earn a fair recommendation.

Directing debut for Juan Bunuel, son of revered filmmaker Luis Bunuel, is a disturbing but hollow, unsatisfying thriller about a haunted house in the French countryside. Married couple with two kids move into the dilapidated manor, and are rather slow to discover there are spirits afoot and they want the humans out. Film wasn't exhibited Stateside for years, though one can imagine Steven Spielberg seeing this and getting the idea for his production "Poltergeist"; the films share similar story points, though this one has no humorous undermining. Some spooky moments and a haunting finale can't really make it worthwhile. Ultimately, it's just a little too heavy and dense. *1/2 from ****

You may not have known that Luis Bunuel had a son, Juan Luis, and that he too had a filmmaking career.

Any mystery as regards the source of this ignorance would be instantly dispelled by a viewing of his rare, early '70s haunted house movie, "Expulsion of the Devil" - which also features an appearance by a young Gerard Depardieu.

You see, on the evidence of this film, the younger Bunuel is deservedly obscure. It is possibly the dullest haunted house movie I have ever seen.

The set-up is typical: a family move in to some old house and spooky stuff starts to happen. Well, it's not really that spooky, at least not the way Bunuel Jr. shoots it: two or three times some stuff starts flying around.

I understand that French movies are more concerned with mood than plot. This one has no mood. Juan Luis couldn't direct to save his life.

There are some weird developments later in the movie: a camera crew comes to stay, and apparently, so do some primary school-aged girls. What are they doing there? It might have been explained, or it might not have been. Writing this sentence will be the last energy I ever expend thinking about this movie.

Au Rendez-Vous de la Mort Joyeuse was the directorial debut of Juan Bunuel, son of Luis. It was a most auspicious debut and one can only wonder what has kept Bunuel minor from the eyes of discerning film fans. This is an unusual, slowly paced, but deeply disturbing horror film that delves into some very dark corners of the human psyche. A prime candidate for rediscovery on DVD.

Eerie French horror movie with the vague ending of most French new wave movies. To me the most notable thing is to see a young and thin Gerard Depardieu go nuts. The movie takes awhile to build atmosphere but once the researchers show up, that's when the creepiness begins. The makers of "Poltergeist" had to be influenced by this movie. The main problem of the film is that nothing is ever explained or wrapped up. With my ghost stories I like to know why. As with most haunted house movies, the house is the best character. A mild shocker.

I saw this movie in its German version on TV when I was about 19 yrs old. The time to watch a movie (which you do not know absolutely), especially a horror movie, was optimal - as it was late at night. I did not have any idea that the TV broadcast such a disturbing film ever and expected just any entertainment but... Goodness, I was shaken with horror and probably did hardly sleep that night, at least left the lights on to have a short nap. This movie may prove slow and yet inflicts the deepest surprise with horror far beyond the Hollywood makings. It is a genius film, absolutely underestimated and obviously hard to get or even see. Since 30 (!!!) years I have tried to get hold of it since but did not succeed. Worth watching absolutely!

Unfortunately it's not a very good move. The fact that the son of director Luis Bunuel is somewhat influenced by Bunuel Sr is not more than understandably, but it's without the surrealistic magic that made some of Bunuel's Sr movies so very good. It reminded me of something like Poltergeist part 4 or something like that. Although this movie is somewhat older than the original Poltergeist-movie. Horror-fans will be disappointed for it's lack of real tension or gore-FX. Art-house-lovers will not like it because it has no good story-line or because they'll see that there's no great direction, acting or camera-works. 3 out of 10 points (very boring movie)

Where was this one hiding? A French art horror film about poltergeists that really delivers the goods on most fronts, even though it's apparent the budget isn't the highest.

A French family (chain-smoking mother, annoying child, hard-working father, moody teenage girl) move into a huge creepy mansion and almost right away strange things begin to happen. The teenage girl draws a picture of the mansion that looks a lot different than it actually is. A tin of paint falls over in the kitchen. The boy's toys are broken by someone unseen. During the night most of the windows in the building are violently destroyed by an unknown presence throwing stones. The family are baffled and think the locals have something against them...that is until a table rises up into the air, smashes its way into the house, and destroys a room.

In fact, we the audience are clued in on what's happening more than the family, because there's something strange going on with daughter Sophie. At first it seems that she's some kind of telekinetic-type, but it all could be something more to do with something in the house that's either using her or possessing her. It's never really made clear anyway, but by the way Sophie's reflection seems to be moving when Sophie isn't, something aint right.

Eventually, when a lecherous visitor gets attacked by kitchen appliances after commenting on Sophie 'starting to become a woman', a television crew are called in to document the weird goings on, with the family moving out for a while. Initially, the crew don't find anything particularly strange happening, save for some old rope left in the boy's bed, but when Sophie reappears, having hitchhiked all the way back there, soundman Gerard Depardieu goes into a trance and plunges his hand into a pan of soup...French onion soup of course!

Other things happen but it's not fair to recount every scare scene in case you actually want to go out and watch the thing. It's like the Robert Wise film The Haunting with regards to all the paranormal stuff centred around one person, and like that film doesn't rely on gore to get the chills in. In fact, there's bit of this film have turned up in other horror fiction, especially the 'ball' bit from The Changeling, and really especially Stephen King's work, like the telekinetic girl's house destroyed by stones in the book Carrie, or the sexual ghost coming on to a guy then revealing itself as something horrible in The Shining! There's also a lot of similarities between Salem's Lot and Mario Bava's Black Sabbath while I'm on the subject, and the spider/baby thing from Spider Labyrinth turns up in the Dark Tower books. Don't tell me he doesn't watch these things - he fully admitted getting the idea for the Dark Tower from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly!

Back to the film - A couple of sudden deaths come out of nowhere near the end, and you do have a Haunting-like ending...or no ending at all...it is a French art film after all. I guess it's in how you interpret it. Very good though. That's I'm seeking them all out - to find films like this. Recommended!