Watch it now

Baba Yaga (Kiss Me Kill Me) (The Devil Witch) Photos

View All Photos (6)

Cast

Carroll Baker
as Baba Yaga

Isabelle De Funès
as Valentina

Ely Galleani
as Annette

Sergio Maisieri

George Eastman
as Arno

Critic Reviews for Baba Yaga (Kiss Me Kill Me) (The Devil Witch)

Audience Reviews for Baba Yaga (Kiss Me Kill Me) (The Devil Witch)

• Dec 29, 2010

  A pretty damn good Italian horror adaptation of an Italian comic book that deals with the occult and some S&M (but not too much). Valentina is a fashion photographer, who hangs around intellectual lefty artist types. One night after leaving a party, she runs into a dog, who is about to get hit by a car. Che dives in front of the car and pushed the dog out the way, luckily survivng. The women behind the wheel goes by the name of Baba Yaga. Shes a strange lady, with obviouis lesbian tendencies and perhaps also Magikal abilities. It does quickly become apparent that Baba has indeed put a spell on Valentina, but is this all in Valentina's imagination or is it real. The movie is heavily stylized, with rapid and intresting editing, plentiful dream sequences (involving nazi's whips and dominatrix's amongst other things), lots of photographic stills, and is a pleasure to look at. The story itself is also highly unusual. When I read the synopsis I thought I had a pretty good idea of what I was about to see, being that these were common themes in Italian horror in the 70's. I was pleasantly surprised that this film had it's own personality, and manages to stay away from the sleazier aspects that a lot of other Italian filmmakers would focus on. For example most of the S & M is only implied at, with only one scene actually confronting it face to face. The scene is brief and not too graphic. Definently a tasteful choice, as this way one can actually focus on the ideas the film is trying to get accross, rather than confrontational imagery alone. The film does drag at times, and at a little under 90 minutes that shouldn't have been the case. but still this is a highly interesting, enjoyable and creative horror that is not easy to pigeonhole, and truly stands on its own, and not just another example of Italian giallo, cannibal, supernatural etc. which too many other Italian horrors of this period have a tendency of doing.
  Ed Fucking H Super Reviewer
• Dec 22, 2009

  <div style="width:300px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com/photos/baba-yaga-12965049"><img src="http://content7.flixster.com/photo/12/96/50/12965049_ori.jpg" border="0"/></a><div style="text-align:center;font-size:10px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com"></a></div></div> <div style="width:300px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com/photos/baba-yaga-12965052"><img src="http://content6.flixster.com/photo/12/96/50/12965052_ori.jpg" border="0"/></a><div style="text-align:center;font-size:10px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com"></a></div></div> <div style="width:300px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com/photos/baba-yaga-12965053"><img src="http://content7.flixster.com/photo/12/96/50/12965053_ori.jpg" border="0"/></a><div style="text-align:center;font-size:10px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com"></a> </div></div> <div style="width:300px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com/photos/baba-yaga-12965055"><img src="http://content9.flixster.com/photo/12/96/50/12965055_ori.jpg" border="0"/></a><div style="text-align:center;font-size:10px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com"></a></div></div> <div style="width:300px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com/photos/baba-yaga-12965056"><img src="http://content6.flixster.com/photo/12/96/50/12965056_ori.jpg" border="0"/></a><div style="text-align:center;font-size:10px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com"></a></div></div> <div style="width:300px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com/photos/baba-yaga-12965060"><img src="http://content6.flixster.com/photo/12/96/50/12965060_ori.jpg" border="0"/></a><div style="text-align:center;font-size:10px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com"></a> </div></div> <div style="width:300px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com/photos/baba-yaga-12965061"><img src="http://content7.flixster.com/photo/12/96/50/12965061_ori.jpg" border="0"/></a><div style="text-align:center;font-size:10px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com"><I>BABA YAGA</I></a> </div></div> BABA YAGA (1973) AKA Kiss Me Kill Me WRITTEN BY: Corrado Farina based on the graphic novel by comics artist Guido Crepax DIRECTED BY: Corrado Farina FEATURING: Carroll Baker, George Eastman, Isabelle De Funès, and Ely Galleani GENRE: EURO HORROR/ OCCULT/ SHOCKER PLOT: A fashion photographer is beguiled by a lesbian witch who seeks to dominate, seduce and consume her. COMMENTS: <I>Baba Yaga</I> is a very stylish Italian occult film in the Euro horror tradition of <I>Suspiria</I>. It is based on artist Guido Crepax's highly stylized graphic novel about a sorceress who tries to bewitch a fashion photographer. Crepax adapted the novel from his risqué S&M comic <I><Valentina</I>. Valentina (De Funès) is an up and coming fashion photographer with a knack for controversial shoots. After she has a chance encounter with the fashionable and alluring society matron Baba Yaga, her life takes some strange and eerie turns. Yaga discovers Valentina on a darkened street, becomes attracted to her and begins to inject herself into the young shutterbug's life in some rather odd ways. Yaga develops a strange fixation on Valentina, one that is more than platonic. Yaga lives in a striking masonry Gothic Revival mansion, it's interiors bedecked with layers of sateen, red velvet -and heavy leather in the boudoir. While the house is very luxurious, it is in need of a few repairs. There is a nasty hole under the oriental rug in the drawing room -the opening of a bottomless pit to Hell. It is only fitting to have an eccentric home, because the owner isn't exactly mainstream. Babs is taken with keeping vipers and Australian fruit bats for pets, has some creepy taxidermy ala Norman Bates, and quite a curio collection of cursed objects. In a gesture of benevolence, Baba Yaga gives Valentina a large Victorian doll "to protect" her. Valentina counters that she doesn't need any protection. Well, she does now! The doll, named Annette, sportingly attired in a skimpy sado-masochistic, leather bondage and discipline suit has a mind of her own. When Annette isn't coming to life and parading her bare- breasted charms, she is busy stabbing Valentina's models with a sharp, poisoned hat pin. In the meantime, Valentina has been having sexually twisted hallucinations involving Nazis, cruelty, bottomless pits, and Baba Yaga. It seems that Signora Yaga has plans for Valentina that are a tad unconventional. She wants to bestow upon her wealth, success, beauty and cosmic secrets. In return all Yaga expects is total psychic and sexual subordination. This includes submission to a little S and M, such as a good periodic whipping, and complete domination over Valentina's sex life. And Signora Yage would also like a an occasional kiss and a feel here and there, maybe more as the mood strikes her. Crepax's comics were better known in the 1960's-70's. His style has been compared to Frank Miller's <I>Sin City</I> books. The adaptation to film from Crepax's otherworldly, abstract visual story telling leads to the production of a film that appears dreamlike, stylized, and optically imaginative. The set decoration and art direction are explicit if not extravagant, similar to the production quality of Supspiria. The backdrop of 1970's fashion and Italian pop culture adds a swank, bold, but not over-the-top cinematic quality that is a treat for the eyes. The focus of <I>Baba Yaga</I> is on striking images and concepts more than it is on sheer horror. The film is more stylish than bloody, and more pensive than suspenseful. In other words, it is slow, however the lack of spatter is counterbalanced by a generous infusion of chic, arty nudity. <I>Baba Yaga</I> will appeal to fans of Roger Vadim and Dario Argento. The name Baba Yaga comes from a particularly colorful occult story in Russian folklore. Baba Yaga is played by actress/sex symbol Carroll Baker (BABY DOLL). Baker is currently active in film and television. Actress/fashion model Isabelle De Funès is well cast as Valentina. George Eastman can be seen as The Grim Reaper in the 2008 <I>Grindhouse Universe</I>. <div style="width:300px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com/photos/baba-yaga-12965062"><img src="http://content8.flixster.com/photo/12/96/50/12965062_ori.jpg" border="0"/></a><div style="text-align:center;font-size:10px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com"></a></div></div> <div style="width:300px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com/photos/baba-yaga-12965064"><img src="http://content6.flixster.com/photo/12/96/50/12965064_ori.jpg" border="0"/></a><div style="text-align:center;font-size:10px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com"></a> </div></div> <div style="width:300px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com/photos/baba-yaga-12965065"><img src="http://content7.flixster.com/photo/12/96/50/12965065_ori.jpg" border="0"/></a><div style="text-align:center;font-size:10px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com"></a></div></div> <div style="width:300px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com/photos/baba-yaga-12965066"><img src="http://content8.flixster.com/photo/12/96/50/12965066_ori.jpg" border="0"/></a><div style="text-align:center;font-size:10px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com"></a></div></div> <div style="width:300px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com/photos/baba-yaga-12965067"><img src="http://content9.flixster.com/photo/12/96/50/12965067_ori.jpg" border="0"/></a><div style="text-align:center;font-size:10px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com"></a></div></div> <div style="width:300px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com/photos/baba-yaga-12965069"><img src="http://content7.flixster.com/photo/12/96/50/12965069_ori.jpg" border="0"/></a><div style="text-align:center;font-size:10px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com"></a> </div></div>
  Pamela D Super Reviewer

Baba Yaga (Kiss Me Kill Me) (The Devil Witch) Quotes

News & Features