Belladonna of Sadness (1973)

Jeanne and Jean, a newlywed couple, experience a moment meant to be filled with joy. However, their wedding night takes a dark turn when Jeanne is attacked and gang-raped by the local baron and his courtiers, shattering their peaceful existence.

After Jeanne returns home, traumatized by the horrific events of the night, Jean tries to calm her fears and suggests they can start anew. In a shocking act of violence, Jean, overwhelmed by his emotions, strangles Jeanne into unconsciousness before fleeing their home.

Soon after the traumatic night, Jeanne begins to have eerie visions of a spirit with a phallic head. The spirit claims it has heard her silent plea for help and offers her power, promising that it can grow as large and formidable as she desires, leading Jeanne into a dark pact.

Amid a famine in the village, the couple's fortunes mysteriously rise. Jean is unexpectedly appointed as the tax collector, allowing them to escape the cycle of menial labor, yet this newfound status comes with hidden dangers and responsibilities.

Jean's new role as tax collector quickly turns dark when he fails to gather enough funds for the baron. As punishment, the baron brutally cuts off Jean's hand, plunging him into despair and leading him down a path of drunkenness and sorrow.

Desperate for power and wealth, Jeanne again encounters the spirit, which has grown larger. She is coerced into a troubling exchange where the spirit rapes her, yet fiercely asserts that her soul remains tied to both Jean and God, highlighting her inner conflict.

Jeanne, driven by a desire for independence and authority, borrows a significant sum from a usurer. Entering into trade, she quickly rises to become the true power in the village, transforming her life and that of the townsfolk around her.

As Jeanne's influence grows, the baron's wife, consumed by jealousy, accuses her of witchcraft. The baron returns from war, and together they rally the townsfolk to turn against Jeanne, creating chaos in the village.

In the midst of the turmoil, Jeanne desperately tries to return home. However, she is violently refused entry, resulting in a brutal assault that reflects the villagers' misguided rage against her newfound power.

As soldiers close in on her, Jeanne makes a daring escape into the nearby forest. It is here that she forges a pact with the spirit, who reveals himself as the Devil, granting her magical abilities and transforming her destiny.

Returning to a village ravaged by the bubonic plague, Jeanne uses her newfound powers to create a miraculous cure for the illness. The villagers, recognizing her as their savior, flock to her for help, and she gains their loyalty.

A page in love with the baron's wife seeks Jeanne's help, and she provides him with a love potion. The potion leads to an affair that ends in tragedy when the baron discovers it and murders both individuals in a fit of rage.

The baron, frustrated by Jeanne's growing power, sends Jean to invite her for a meeting. In a deeply emotional reunion, Jeanne and Jean reconcile, rekindling their connection before Jeanne grapples with her ambitions and the baron's threats.

At the meeting, the baron offers Jeanne a prestigious position in exchange for her cure to the plague. In a moment of defiance, Jeanne refuses, declaring her ambition to conquer the world, which incites the baron's wrath and sets her fate in motion.

The baron, enraged by Jeanne's refusal, sentences her to death by burning at the stake. In a tragic turn of events, Jean attempts to protect her but is killed by soldiers, leading to a riot amongst the villagers as Jeanne's pride leads to her martyrdom.