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Devils Of Darkness / Witchcraft Posters
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Rating:  -
I gotta be honest, I don't remember that much about these, and I only saw them a week ago. I suppose that says something. As I recall, they both has a nice Cold War paranoia about them, and were pretty typical for horror films of the period. Themes of emerging sexuality, xenophobia, and challenges to the Capitalist authoritarian patriarchy may be read between the lines (I guess here between the frames). Good films to do your taxes by.
Rating:  -
For those who enjoy British and Italian b&w horror films from the 60's like City of the Dead/Horror Hotel, The Mask of Satan/Black Sunday, Night of the Eagle/Burn Witch Burn, Danse Macabre/Castle of Blood, etc, you just might like Witchcraft as well. And especially if you like creepy, haunting witches, like Elizabeth Selwyn in Horror Hotel and Asa the vampire witch in Black Sundy, I think you will find Vanessa Whitlock, the resurrected witch in Witchcraft, to be in some ways the most chilling of all. Yvette Rees plays Vanessa, and she plays the character as much less animated than Elizabeth or Asa. In fact, she doesn't say a word in the whole film, but Rees' understated performance works, conveying a cold, icy feeling. I agree with other reviewers that the cinematography is good, with well lit scenes; the script and acting for the most part are good; and there are nice, eerie touches, like when Vanessa Whitlock breathes onto the voodoo doll of her next victim. Are there flaws in the film? Yes, as in other b-movies of this era, but I agree with Phil Hardy in the Encyclopedia of Horror when he describes Witchcraft as "quietly effective" and "better than average."
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This edition of Midnight Movies offers two non-Hammer British horror films from the early-1960s. Both are competently made. "Witchcraft" is probably the better of the two. Directed by Don Sharp after his Hammer outing "Kiss of the Vampire," it's in atmospheric black-and-white and offers Lon Chaney, Jr. as a warlock. Chaney looks tired and blusters a lot as a somewhat improbable British squire, but he is sincere enough in his approach to the role. He can't be faulted for not being Christopher Lee or Vincent Price.
"Devils of Darkness" is in color and tries merging vampirism and Satanism, much less successfully than in the aforementioned "Kiss of the Vampire." It's one of those "guilty pleasure" films. This one especially shows quite clearly why Hammer Films were the gold standard for British horrors at the time.
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Fans of classic horror movies will be very pleased with this outstanding double feature, part of the new wave of the Midnite Movies series.
DEVILS OF DARKNESS (1965) is an enjoyable British gem from the mid-60's, starring William Sylvester and Carole Gray in leading roles. Paul Baxter (William Sylvester), a vacationing American tourist stumbles across a small village where devil worshippers congregate on a regular basis. After his girlfriend is abducted, he steals the powerful talisman belonging to Count Sinistre (Hubert Noel) and his "chosen bride" Tania (Carole Gray). Sinistre will stop at nothing to re-claim the talisman, even luring Baxter with swinging red-headed model Karen (Tracy Reed).
Beautifully shot on EastmanColor filmstock, DEVILS OF DARKNESS looks really spiffy on DVD. Fans of Carole Gray will be especially interested in this title. Best-remembered for playing Cliff Richard's spunky girlfriend in "The Young Ones"; Gray has a very substantial role in DEVILS OF DARKNESS, playing the ill-fated gypsy maiden who becomes Sinistre's immortal bride. It was originally released as a double bill with Fox's "The Curse of the Fly", which also co-starred Carole Gray and can be found in the superb Fly Collection box set.
WITCHCRAFT, filmed the previous year, makes for a perfect companion piece. Horror movie legend Lon Chaney Jr. stars as Morgan Whitlock, at the center of an age-old feud between two dynasties. When the graveyard of the Whitlock clan is disturbed during an excavation, witch-matriarch Vanessa Whitlock (played by Yvette Rees in a truly-unsettling performance) returns from the dead to seek her revenge on the Lanier family. The cast also features Diane Clare and Jack Hedley.
Starkly-filmed in black and white, WITCHCRAFT makes for an ideal companion movie for DEVILS OF DARKNESS. Each movie has it's own disc, with bonus animated picture gallery (DEVILS OF DARKNESS also has a brief trailer in b&w).
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A little dissapointed "Witchcraft" is not widescreen. Only the titles are in 1.66.1, the ratio of British films of the period. Still, mustn't grumble. Never thought this forgotten film had a chance of a release. Must be Witchcraft!
I have reviewed it elsewhere but suffice to say that it was the first horror film I was ever allowed to stay up and watch and I have a soft spot for it. Aspects of it are routine, but there are at least three or four great scenes to make it worthwhile. It is also beautifully lit. I like the small details, like the resurrected witch's puzzlement at rain after being "away" for so long. Also, it is the female characters that confront her alone, and their facial reactions are spot-on. Oh, and did I mention that the vengeful witch - Vanessa Whitlock - is absolutely cracking? I reckon there is a cheeky lift from Sunset Boulevard in one scene. You'll know it when you see it!
You would think a combination of Pressburger, Beat Generation and French fruitiness could not possibly bore but "The Devils of Darkness" manages it in spades. Best treated as a comedy. The funniest moment is when Victor Brooks enters a scene playing exactly the same role as an Inspector he did in "Witchcraft", almost as if he exited one door in black and white and entered another in colour. Also, I can't bear "give the game away" names like "Dr De'ath", "Mr Diabolique" or, in this instance, "Count Sinistre." I know its his secret name, but really!
Get this DVD for Witchcraft, which is a minor classic.
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