When Nivea asked me to test out their Stress Protect deodorant, I had to think about what sort of things might make me sweat and would be suitable for this site (and a family audience). I decided to lower the lights, switch on the TV and go for an Exorcist marathon, and see if this anti-perspirant could keep me fresh through all five films, as stress is apparently the 2nd most common cause of sweating. And even worse, it has a more rapid onset and smells much worse, making it harder to control.
And it’s not just the scariness of the first film the Stress Protect anti-perspirant had to keep me going through, but also the dreadful confusingness of the second, which lets off such a stink on its own I wouldn’t have been surprised if the smell lingered on me.
The deodorant contains a unique formula which combines two ingredients Stress Protect Actives and a Zinc Complex which work together to help provide protection in stressful situations. Added Avocado Oil also helps to care for and moisturise underarm skin.
I wish I could say I waited until it was dark outside, but with nine hours of films to get through, I had to pull the blinds, switch the lights off and fire the DVD player up midway through the afternoon. Of course I also had to put on the anti-perspirant, so I decided to do a highly unscientific experiment. I used the roll-on on one armpit and the stick on the other, to see if one helped more than the other.
The first film, 1973’s classic The Exorcist, is definitely the scariest, with Linda Blair spinning her head, doing very naughty things with a crucifix and vomiting pea soup all over the place. Thankfully though, the Stress Protect anti-perspirant kept me fresh for the running time. I can’t say it removed the stress induced the movie, but at the end of the film I still smelled nice. Indeed that was one of the things I liked best about these products, that they smelled fresh and clean, but don’t overpower your nostrils with wafts of gag inducing faux-manliness.
Nope, they just make you smell quite nice while you’re hiding behind a cushion because Pazuzu is possessing a little girl.
I was also fine through Exorcist II: The Heretic, although I wasn’t very stressed by that movie, except by the fact it seems like it’ll never end. It was worth rewatching it though, as I’d nearly forgotten what a strange movie it is, with its confusing visions and refusal to decide what the plot is.
Things improved with The Exorcist III, which may not be as good as the first movie, but is an intriguing and often creepy film with plenty of interesting ideas.
After nearly six hours I have to admit I was considering giving up, and I wasn’t sure I had the stamina for both prequels after having already spent almost six hours in the company of demonic entities. Luckily though, even at this point those demonic entities did not include my armpits, which were dry as a bone.
I persevered though, deciding to go for Renny Harlin’s official’ prequel first, Exorcist The Beginning. It’s not a bad movie, even if it does sometimes delve a bit too far into Hollywood silliness rather than genuinely trying to scare us. Then it was time to cap my marathon off with Paul Schrader’s Dominion: Prequel To The Exorcist.
If you don’t know the tale behind this film, Warner Bros. gave Schrader the cash to make the film, but balked when they saw what he’d produced, a character driven psychological thriller that they thought would be impossible to market. As a result they refused to release to movie and instead got Renny Harlin to reshoot about 75% of it to make it more like modern horror movies. After calls from fans to see what Schrader had produced, Warner eventually brought the movie out on DVD as Dominion.
It’s a bit odd really, as while Schrader’s movie is no masterpiece it’s actually the closest of the sequels/prequels to the tone of the first film. It’s interesting and has some genuinely unnerving moments, so if you haven’t seen it, I’d suggest you try and track down a copy.
After nine hours and five scary movies, had Nivea’s Stress Protect anti-perspirant worked? I have to say it did. I can’t even say I noticed much difference from the armpit I’d used the roll-on on to the one with the stick, although I think there was a little more of the smell of the roll-on left. While I didn’t have to worry too much anyway about nauseating people with my stench sitting alone watching horror movies, they’d certainly be good if you’re worried about overpowering people’s olfactory senses in the cinema. Indeed I might use them for just that.
NEW NIVEA STRESS PROTECT IS IN STORE NOW AT TESCO, BOOTS AND SUPERDRUG
Beiersdorf RRP: 250ml spray £3.29, 150ml spray £2.29, Sticks £2.49, Roll On £2.03 find out more on the Nivea Website