Queens Of Evil (1970) ***1/2

1970's Queens Of Evil is a dreamy, psychedelic, gothic adult fairy tale about a young hippie (Ray Lovelock) who takes a detour on his motorcycle to a chic lakeside house in the forest and is seduced by three alluring and strange sisters (who have an affinity for huge portraits of themselves). For a film with that description, made during this time period, you'd expect a heaping of nudity, but there is surprisingly almost none. Evelyn Stewart and Silvia Monti—who were both in a few gialli around the same time—play the two older sisters, and Haydée Politoff plays the youngest (though she was in fact older than lead Lovelock in this film, 23 to his 19!). QOE is mostly a slow burn with a few shocking moments, and some thoughts on politics that don't add up to much, but overall it's a strong, moody film with a cool vibe and eye-catching fashion and design.

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