The Demons | 1973 | France/Spain | Jesús Franco

Set in Medieval France against a backdrop of religious tyranny, The Demons is Jess Franco’s take on other similar projects such as The Devils and Mark of the Devil. Lord Justice Jeffries and his jealous wife Lady De Winter preside over the burning of a suspected witch, who in a final act of spite, curses those who burned her and promises that her power will transfer to someone else. The panicked nobles track down the witch’s daughter, Sister Kathleen and Sister Margaret who have dwelt within a small convent since birth. The pair come under suspicion of performing witchcraft and after being subjected to various tortures and sexual liaisons, the Devil himself possesses one of the sisters, allowing them to wreak a supernatural vengeance on their oppressors. While there are moments of violence, it’s probably the production’s focus on explicit sex scenes that got this film noticed, though the version released in the UK was already shorn of a significant amount.