Rona De Ricci

Set during the height of Spanish Inquisition. The beautiful and kind-hearted Maria is arrested as a witch when she inadvertently cries out in horror at the public whipping of a child. As Maria’s husband Antonio tries to save her, Torquemada, the Grand Inquisitor, determines to punish Maria with torture for the desire she inflames in him. Loosely based on Edgar Allen Poe's classic short story.

The Penitent (1988) isn’t faith-affirming drama—it’s lurid exploitation mocking Catholic penitents. In a devout New Mexico/Mexico village reenacting Christ’s Passion (flagellation, crucifixion), jealous husband Ramon (Raúl Juliá) joins fanatical Penitentes while his virginal wife Celia falls for ex-con friend Juan (Armand Assante), sparking deadly love triangle amid rituals. Directed by Cliff Osmond, it sensationalizes "primitive brutal" self-mortification as barbaric cult, blending sex, betrayal, and gore—not exploring redemption or biblical penance. Secular gaze shames Hispanic Catholic traditions as repressed pathology. Cherry-picks extremism to caricature piety, ignoring healthy devotion. Obscure PG-13 thriller for grindhouse fans, not believers.

An ancient evil lurks betwixt the walls in the castle of the Bormoncinis, and Catherine seems to have inherited the family curse along with the estate. During the Inquisition, the castle was a hotbed of religious zealotry overseen by a madly devout monk named, where women were persecuted and burned as witches. With Catherine’s arrival, old demons have awoken, and the past has come back to haunt the castle.

An avowed anarchist and Stern Gang hitman is sent to Jerusalem to assassinate a senior British officer creating much tension within the already troubled cell and almost brings its collapse, as the British operatives are closing in.