31 Days of Halloween
Day 6 – The Devil Rides Out
Hay, this is the second film I’ve written about in the past two days and this is my sixth review. And as we know, six is the number of the Devil! Could this mean something??? Well, no actually. That would be silly, just as today’s movie is a bit silly but it’s sure entertaining and so I bring to you Hammer Studio’s "The Devil Rides Out".
Hammer Studio’s churned out one classic horror movie after the other in its day and this film is one of the best. Based on the novel by Dennis Wheatly, The Devil Rides Out takes place in 1930’s London. A group of friends rescues a member of their group plus another from an evil cult. They flee across the countryside and have one supernatural encounter after the other as the cult’s leader Mocata pursues them. Luckily one of the friends, Duc de Richleau played by the legendary Christopher Lee, is an expert on the occult and it will take all of his knowledge and skill to save them.
While the film can be a little bit hammy at times with the way it presents its supernatural elements you have to remember that the movie was made in 1968 by a small studio and plus it’s based on a book from the 1930’s and the film follows it closely. Despite all this, The Devil Rides Out manages to be both a supernatural thriller and a fun adventure movie. The plot moves at a brisk pace and is never dull, jumping from one encounter with the unearthly to the next in rapid succession. Terence Fisher directs the film masterfully as always with well composed shots that make the small space Hammer had in their studio seem gigantic by comparison. The special effects doesn’t hold up quite so well but if viewed in their context as coming from an older film on a low budget this isn’t a problem.
Unsurprisingly, the stand out performer here is Christopher Lee, who’s tall, imposing presence and deep booming voice commands the screen. It’s fun to see Mr. Lee finally play a hero in this film and it’s too bad that it didn’t happen more often. Charles Gray plays the villain Mocata with the appropriate sleaze and nastiness to make it easy to cheer the hero’s on against him.
All in all, The Devil Rides Out is just a fun little horror movie that’s great for late night or rainy Sunday afternoon viewing. Highly recommended.
Rating – 7 out of 10.
Day 6 – The Devil Rides Out
Hay, this is the second film I’ve written about in the past two days and this is my sixth review. And as we know, six is the number of the Devil! Could this mean something??? Well, no actually. That would be silly, just as today’s movie is a bit silly but it’s sure entertaining and so I bring to you Hammer Studio’s "The Devil Rides Out".
Hammer Studio’s churned out one classic horror movie after the other in its day and this film is one of the best. Based on the novel by Dennis Wheatly, The Devil Rides Out takes place in 1930’s London. A group of friends rescues a member of their group plus another from an evil cult. They flee across the countryside and have one supernatural encounter after the other as the cult’s leader Mocata pursues them. Luckily one of the friends, Duc de Richleau played by the legendary Christopher Lee, is an expert on the occult and it will take all of his knowledge and skill to save them.
While the film can be a little bit hammy at times with the way it presents its supernatural elements you have to remember that the movie was made in 1968 by a small studio and plus it’s based on a book from the 1930’s and the film follows it closely. Despite all this, The Devil Rides Out manages to be both a supernatural thriller and a fun adventure movie. The plot moves at a brisk pace and is never dull, jumping from one encounter with the unearthly to the next in rapid succession. Terence Fisher directs the film masterfully as always with well composed shots that make the small space Hammer had in their studio seem gigantic by comparison. The special effects doesn’t hold up quite so well but if viewed in their context as coming from an older film on a low budget this isn’t a problem.
Unsurprisingly, the stand out performer here is Christopher Lee, who’s tall, imposing presence and deep booming voice commands the screen. It’s fun to see Mr. Lee finally play a hero in this film and it’s too bad that it didn’t happen more often. Charles Gray plays the villain Mocata with the appropriate sleaze and nastiness to make it easy to cheer the hero’s on against him.
All in all, The Devil Rides Out is just a fun little horror movie that’s great for late night or rainy Sunday afternoon viewing. Highly recommended.
Rating – 7 out of 10.
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