The Devil Rides Out
Director: Terence Fisher
Year: 1968
Rating: 8.0
There are a bunch of things in life and film
that give me the creeps - heights, spiders, sushi but especially Satanism.
Even after the film is over, Satanism sticks to me for hours sending chills
up my body. Last week I watched an episode of the Snoop Sisters that dealt
with a Satanic Cult and even that worked its wickedness on me. This Hammer
film has it in clover. By today's standards, no doubt it is considered tame
fare but it had me in its claws right from the beginning. It is a brilliant
film directed by the master Terence Fisher, a tight suspenseful script by
author Richard Matheson and from the novel by Dennis Wheatley. Matheson follows
the book to a large degree even using much of the dialogue, but he cuts out
most of the superstitious goobly-gook that the main protagonist indulges
in within the pages of the book. Wheatley had studied the Black Arts extensively
and wanted to show that in his supernatural books. In the film some of it
is left in and one has to guess that it is from the research that Wheatley
did. He was a prolific author and used to be very popular though I don't
think he is read much these days. I read a bunch as a teenager and I just
finished this one.
The main character is Duc de Richleau who
was the lead character in eleven of Wheatley's books - some straight out
adventures and others of the occult. Not mentioned in the film but the fictitious
Duc was born in Russia to a French nobleman and a Russian Princess. He joined
the French army but was thrown out when he tried to overthrow the French
Republic. Later he joined the British Intelligence and later became a soldier
of fortune. The other three male characters in the film - Simon, Rex and
Richard - were to show up individually or as a group in other of his books.
When all four were together Wheatley called them the Musketeers. The Duc
is a fascinating character and no more so then when played here by an intense
Christopher Lee as he battles evil. It is a commanding performance and one
can only wish that this had launched a series of Duc films with Lee. But
no such luck.
Rex (Leon Greene) has just returned from
time spent overseas and a reunion is planned with his friends the Duc and
Simon (Patrick Mower). But the Duc tells him that Simon has gone incognito
for months and he has no idea why. They decide to go to his house and
come upon a cocktail party that he is throwing with an odd assortment of
people. He apologizes to them both for not inviting them but tells them that
it is a private group and if they don't mind, could they leave. The Duc agrees
but says he just wants to go up to the observatory and take a look. There
he finds a pentagram on the floor and two chickens in a basket. This is the
tip he needed. He has stumbled on a Satanic coven and that Simon is about
to be initiated into it.
He knocks Simon out as Rex looks on with
astonishment. What is going on, The Devil is going on. They take Simon with
them but later he escapes and goes back to the leader, Mocata. Mocata is
played by Charles Gray who was born for this role as the conduit to the Devil.
Those light gray eyes of his and his smirking disdain make you hate him.
The film turns into a battle for the soul of Simon and another female initiate
that Rex falls for. They get the assistance of the other member of the Musketeers,
Richard (Paul Eddington - much younger than he was as Yes, Minister). Mocata
throws all he has at them - tricks, imaginary traps, child sacrifice - and
The Angel of Death that never goes back empty handed. But the Duc had spent
the day at the British Museum studying ancient books of the occult and was
prepared! The film never slows down - something is always happening and the
mental battle between Lee and Gray is a chess game of spells and incantations
to the death.
