| Directed by Terence Fisher Written by Richard Matheson Christopher Lee ..Duc de Richleau Charles Gray .. Mocata Nike Arrighi .. Tanith Leon Greene .. Rex Patrick Mower .. Simon Sarah Lawson .. Marie Paul Eddington .. Richard While Mr Lee feels Wicker Man is his best work I have to disagree with him.The Devil Rides Out is a much better film.This is a dvd that I picked up as a lark and wound up enjoying it immensely.It is one of Hammer's better period films set in the 1920's. The Duc and Rex are on their way to a reunion with their young friend Simon.Arriving at Simon's the Duc recognizes some unsavory people at the small gathering.They are introduced to a young lady named Tanith and to Mocata who spirits Simon away. Duc and Rex head upstairs to the observatory.Duc finds Satanic symbols on the floor and cockrels to be sacrificed.It seems young Simon has joined a Satanic cult.When Simon asks them to leave Duc knocks him out.They take the young man away much to the consternation of Mocata. However Simon manages to flee.Rex gets Tanith away on a pretense as Duc informs him that an unholy sabbath is to take place inducting the youngsters into the coven of 13.However Tanith also escapes Rex with mystical help from Mocata.Rex doggedly follows her to the site of the Black Mass. Rex summons Duc who gets there just in time to see the Devil himself appear.The duo charge in and disrupt the ceremony.Once again Simon and Tanith are taken away by Duc and Rex. The foursome show up at the door of their friends Marie and Richard. When Duc leaves to get some things Mocata shows up.Slowly and insidiously he puts the household under his power.When things look bleak the spell is inadvertantly broken up by Marie's young daughter.Marie instructs Mocata to leave.As he does so he has a great line that is underplayed brilliantly: "I won't be back.But something else will.." Tanith flees and Rex follows after her.Marie informs Duc of the situation which is grim indeed.Tanith and Rex must fend for themselves as the house will be under seige at dark by Mocata's demonic forces. That night Simon,Duc, Marie and Richard are within a pentacle.When darkness fails they are attacked by demons in the guise of the little girl and Rex.Even worse is a hideous giant spider followed by the Angel Of Death. When the evening is seemingly over one member is dead and the little girl has been abducted by Mocata. The remaining members mount a seige on Mocata's coven as he prepares to sacrifice the little girl.The Duc's forces are overwhelmed and all seems lost.. or is it? Lee is wonderful in a rare role as a hero.While the Duc is extremely well versed in the occult he also shows great fear at the forces he can summon up. He also knows that Mocata may actually be even stronger than he is.Lee brings great authority to his role.Gray is wonderful as the polite, urbane totally evil Mocata.The others do well but Rex's voice is dubbed by Patrick Allen (who was married to Sarah Lawson). Fisher does an excellent job with this film and belies critical jabs that he was just a journeyman hack.The musical score is quite stirring and Bernard Robinson once again did an amazing job on the sets with very little money. In the commentary Lee remarks that the suits at Fox changed the name of this in the US to The Devil's Bride as they thought the public would think Rides Out was a western! |
| The Devil Rides Out |
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