Exorcism's Daughter (1971)
** (out of 4)
After witnessing her mother die during an exorcism being performed on her, Lana (Analía Gadé) winds up in a mental hospital with various insane women. A new doctor shows up and wants to treat these women for mental issues but he gets push back from some who sees mental illness as a sign of witchcraft.
This Spanish film was released the same year as THE DEVILS and it's easy to see why this isn't better known. It was re-released after the success of THE EXORCIST and it was attempted to be passed off as a horror film but it really isn't. THis here is basically a drama with some horror elements thrown in and while the film isn't awful it's also not overly memorable either.
As with THE DEVILS, this film is basically an attack on religion and those people who are against science in favor of superstition. In this case you have a doctor who believes insane people are a mental issue and not an issue of religion, devils and witchcraft. For the most part the drama plays out pretty good and there's no question that it's an interesting subject.
Director Rafael Moreno Alba makes a professional looking film and on a technical level it's good considering its low-budget. The problem is that the film moves a bit too slow at times and there are a lot of scenes where not much happens. There are some memorable moments including an orgy sequence as well as some bizarre fantasy sequences and these help keep the film entertaining to the viewer.
EXORCISM'S DAUGHTER, a title given to it to cash in on THE EXORCIST even though this was made two years before, isn't a great film but it's certainly far from being awful. Fans of Spanish horror will want to check it out but don't go in expecting any sort of exploitation.