[3] Purificata "Purif" is a lonely, uninhibited young peasant living in a small village of Lucania, where she is treated as a pariah by the locals.

Purif has an unhealthy obsession with Antonio, an engaged man, and makes desperate, inappropriate attempts to court him.

On one occasion, Purif tricks Antonio into drinking wine laced with her blood, and then claims he is cursed to die.

The following morning, while bathing in a creek, Purif is greeted by Salvatore, an adolescent boy who has apparently recovered from a long illness.

Puri's parents dig a hole on their property and create a makeshift bedroom for her, which they cover with wood planks and soil to keep her hidden from the locals.

"[5] Hawk of Variety called it "a gruesome tale made even more frightening by fact its loosely based on recent actual happenings.

"[5] Film scholars Keith McDonald and Wayne Johnson cite Il demonio as an early progenitor of the folk horror genre due to its themes of superstition and curses, occurring in a pastoral setting.