Mad, seemingly possessed nuns are butchering other nuns in a convent, leading to a wave of panic and hysteria. Seeking some help, Father Inardo (Andrea Aureli) is called in to try to cleanse the convent and rid it of demonic forces, but his efforts prove futile and he is engulfed in flames before he can complete his task. Feeling drastic measures are needed, an unorthodox young priest/investigator named Father Valerio (Carlo De Mejo) is drafted to get to the bottom of things. A self proclaimed "ecclesiastic detective," Fr. Valerio begins investigating the murders, scouring the convent for clues and going through the nun's personal belongings looking for some reasoning behind the senseless slayings. Initially doubtful that demons are actually involved, he senses something is a little off with stern, overprotective Mother Superior, Sister Vicenza (Franca Stoppi),who tries to keep her fellow sisters from talking, seems to be hiding something and refuses to let anyone get near the attic. Is it indeed a case of possession or are the nuns just finding therapeutic new ways to deal with their repression?

Even though it drags from time to time, L'ALTRO INFERNO still has many things going for it. First off, the performances are actually pretty good. Stoppi, who has a very expressive, somewhat sinister looking face, gives the standout performance as the secretive head nun. De Mejo is also tolerable as the hero and all of the smaller roles seem to be done with some skill. Secondly, there's some imaginative set design inside the convent. One corridor is lined with hundreds of skulls, leading up to a secret alchemist's lab (?!) complete with a fiery cauldron, bubbling test tubes, beakers and coffins. Upstairs is another strange Bava-esquire room full of cobwebs and angelic-looking mannequins hanging from the ceiling. Another memorable thing about this one are some truly tasteless touches, notably when a crazed nun cuts the vagina (!) out of a corpse and a flashback sequence where a newborn baby is tossed in a pot of boiling water. The movie seems a little overloaded when it comes to the plot, incorporating most of the religion-themed horror bases; possession, stigmata, voodoo, the birth of the antiChrist... Surprisingly, there's almost no nudity. The score by Goblin I believe is mostly lifted from BUIO OMEGA (BEYOND THE DARKNESS).

Those looking for the typical sex and nudity expected in a nunsploitation film need to look elsewhere. This one is pure horror, with a genital removal starting the blood-fest.

The evil Mother Vincenza (Franca Stoppi) provides the best performance despite the outrageous lines given to her.

Father Valerio (Carlo De Mejo) is called in to investigate several murders that are reportedly the work of Satan. One suspects, along with the good father, that there is a psychopath lose in the convent. The answer may lie in the middle of both explanations.

Exciting pieces with long periods of nothing in between. For serious fans of Italian horror, it will be a treat, but for others, it may not be so good.

Great music throughout.

THE OTHER HELL is a grisly slice of nunsploitation from Italian schlock director Bruno Mattei, up to his elbows as usual in blood and depravity. The setting is your usual isolated convent, where weird goings-on are resulting in murder and mayhem and some of the nuns appear to be involved. As usual there's a Satanic link to the crime, but most of this looks like Mattei was shooting in a basement somewhere and going through the motions. Attempts at creepiness, like the random dolls hanging around, are laughable more than anything. The acting is as histrionic as you'd expect, not helped by the usual dubbing job, although Carlo De Mejo is good value when his investigator turns up to solve the mysteries taking place. The film isn't as gory as you'd imagine, although there are a few sleazy scenes; the real surprise is that it's less inept than you might imagine.