The Devil (1972) Diabel | Region-Free (Blu-Ray) | Directed by Andrzej Zulawski

Title: The Devil (1972)

Alternate Title: Diabeł

Genre: Historical Horror

Plot Synopsis:
Set during the 1793 Prussian invasion of Poland, a young nobleman named Jakub is freed from imprisonment by a mysterious stranger. As they journey together, Jakub witnesses widespread chaos and moral decay, leading him into a descent of madness and violence. The film explores themes of betrayal, depravity, and the fragility of the human psyche amidst societal collapse.

Cast and Crew:

• Director: Andrzej Żuławski
• Writer: Andrzej Żuławski
• Cast:
  • Leszek Teleszyński as Jakub
  • Wojciech Pszoniak as The Stranger
  • Małgorzata Braunek as The Nun
  • Iga Mayr as Jakub’s Mother
  • Monika Niemczyk as The Nun

YouTube Trailer:
The Devil (1972) | Trailer

IMDb Link:
The Devil (1972)

Reviews from Letterboxd:

1. Kris – ★★★★★
   “A perverted, macabre fairytale of manic emotional explosions and grim slayings facilitated by the incarnate of the devil himself. Betrayal, tragedy, depravity, sadism, hysteria, all under a blanket of blinding snow, throughout the desolate voids of field and past the towering walls of tree line. Pausing at any point of the film paints a frame with enough dismal drama to be the work of Gericault or Goya.”
2. Blake Bergman “Various Spaghetti” – ★★★★½
   “‘The Devil’ is a 1972 surrealism film directed by Andrzej Żuławski. Marking his second produced feature after ‘The Third Part of the Night’ (1971), ‘The Devil’ holds much of the same polarizing elements as his first film but displays the context within 1790’s Poland and the intermixing of influence due to the Prussian invasion.”
3. louferrigno – ★★★★½
   “By far one of the most notorious directors of all time, Andrzej Żuławski has become recognized for his controversial arthouse films that go balls-to-the-walls in their insanity and violence, and generally unrepentant in showcasing severe hopelessness in a way that ensured he would never ever see any commercial success. Naturally, I am intrigued, and decided to venture into his work through his second feature Diabel.”

Meta Description:
“The Devil” (1972), directed by Andrzej Żuławski, is a Polish historical horror film that follows a young nobleman’s descent into madness during the 1793 Prussian invasion, exploring themes of betrayal and moral decay.