Rating: Summary: Very good B horror film Review: The special effects are not up to par. The acting is good if a bit predictable. The direcing although a bit mechanical is better then average Hammer. The music is typical Hammer. Some corny horror exploitation scenes Cris Lee looks way to young for his role.Otherwise for Hammer - one of their best looking and most expensive looking productions. Beautiful sets. Great story about Satan Worshippers. The screenplay by Richard Matheson is excelent and cannot be ruined. Great color, beautiful film stock and sound. This film should have been great with that story and screenplay and sets. - but if not a perfect film its is still great fun. In spite of the flaws it s entertaining, fun, colorful and delivers some good chills. The Anchor Bay version is beautiful and well worth owning for horror and occult fans. Even none horror fans will be entertained.
Rating: Summary: A mystical classic of social criticism. Review: This Hammer cult classic can be enjoyed in two ways: 1. as a campy horror melodrama, with daft names, covens, black magic rites, absurdly solemn uttering of Tolkitsch, and risible special effects. 2. More seriously, as an investigation into the smug assumptions of Middle England. Richleau is a very ambiguous hero - a devout Christian, he is versed in the black arts, homosocial (at least!), and seemingly anti-family. The Satanists, with the their pagan evocations of Camelot, have more claim to rural England than the timid stockbrokers who now populate it.
Rating: Summary: Lee plays the good guy! Review: This has to be one of the finest of the Hammer collection. Lee is piercing in his role as the Duc De Richelieu. There are occultists galore and it's up to Lee and his pal to save the son of a friend and his lover from the eternal grip of the creepiest villan Hammer studios ever unleashed. You must see this movie in widescreen! The visual created by director Terrence Fisher, of the English countryside, will give you a warm fuzzy until the final clash between good and evil.
Rating: Summary: Great horror film - one of the best made Review: This is - simnply put - one of Hammer Horror's best horror films ever made. This is a truly engaging and scary film on Satanism. It has everything a horror fan would want - blood, gore, guts, gothic and, of course, cheesy old Satan himself! Christipher Lee - who along with Peter cushing was hammer horror's greatest actor - gives a grand performance. He carries the film and makes the chills even chillier.
Rating: Summary: "Hammer horror meets Dennis Wheatley..what more can you ask? Review: This is in my opinion Hammer's best film of the sixties and definately Christopher Lee at his very best. Refreshing to see the screens greatest villain in a heroic role for once and to appear in a film which he survives without being staked,disintegated or burnt to death. Hammer's star director Terence Fisher is back on fine form with this taut satanic thriller which is the best adaption of a Dennis Wheatley novel to be translated to the screen. Chris Lee plays the Duc de Richeleau a nobleman out to protect his young protege Patrick Mower from falling into the clutches of a group of satanists led by the excellent Charles Gray (remember him as Blofeld in Diamonds Are Forever and as Henderson in You Only Live Twice). Excellent set pieces troughout including a classic scene in which the Angel of Death turns up on a horse to claim a soul and cannot return empty handed. Superb acting throughout from all paties including Leon Greene and Nike Arrighi but this film is a landmark in the careers of both Christopher Lee and Terence Fisher and its the only Hammer film where both of them can really excel themselves makes one wonder why the studio didn't use them more wisely before. This is a classic film and although a little dated in parts still remains one of the best satanic horror films ever made.
Rating: Summary: THE DEVIL RIDES OUT is an outstanding movie... Review: This is one of the greatest horror movies of the 60's. The critic above who stated that this film 'wouldn't appeal to modern horror fans' is, sadly, probably right. There's no MTV heavy metal music droning during some 'cool' escape sequence. Jennifer Love Hewitt does not get to trill and squeal. Even more painfully, most teenage viewers would be coming to this film without the benefit of a 24-hour MTV ad blitz to tell them that it was a 'cool' film to see at the local multiplex before going out for a pizza with their respective 'babes' and 'dudes'. Hey - it gets worse. Terence Fisher's directorial technique actually assumes some capacity for imagination and intelligence on the part of the viewer, Christopher Lee's performance burns with vigour and committment (as opposed to moping around in a state of apathetic irony, whilst occasionally deeming listeners worthy enough to thrill to some oh-so-witty Gen-X pop culture comment laboured over by Kevin Williamson - so witty, dude), and composer James Bernard actually seems to take this story seriously. Hammer Films reached various peaks in their two decades of film production, but THE DEVIL RIDES OUT is easily near the top of the bunch. The film unfolds, step-by-step, like a great story, and Anchor Bay's disc, with Christopher Lee on the commentary track, is a treasure.
Rating: Summary: A hands On Approach To Magick Review: This movie gives a realistic approach to the world of the occult. In the movie you actually see the various rites being proformed using animal sacrifice and symbols. What's interesting also, is that the movies shows you two side of the world of magick. The movie shows you how magick can be used for evil and how it can be used to protect one from the misuse of it. This movie may only be truely appreciated by those who understand the inner workings of metaphysics.
Rating: Summary: HAS EVERYONE GONE MENTAL! Review: THIS MOVIE STUNK IN SUCH A MAJOR WAY THAT I WANTED TO BLOW MY T.V. UP WHEN THIS PIECE OF JUNK FILM WAS OVER. AND FOR THOSE OUT THERE WHO THINK THIS IS GOOD. I HAVE ONE QUESTION FOR YA. WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN SMOKING?
Rating: Summary: Hammer horror's finest hour? Review: Were I to identify Hammer's finest film, it would almost certainly be a close call between the 1958 Horror of Dracula and this impressive occult thriller from 1968.
In The Devil Rides Out, adapted by Richard Matheson from the book by Dennis Wheatley, the Duc de Richleau (Christopher Lee in perhaps one of his two or three greatest roles) finds himself in a battle with the forces of evil in the guise of satanic ringleader Mocata (a sinister Charles Gray). Terence Fisher directs a riveting and intense "fairy tale for adults" in which darkness and light collide, and God triumphs over the Devil. The suspense and fear are effectively conveyed through Fisher's sharp direction, James Bernard's macabre and sometimes frenetic musical score, and Arthur Grant's brilliant lighting and photography, which comes into its own in the justly famous library scenes in which our protagonist and his allies must defend themselves against a nightlong satanic assault.
Rating: Summary: Hammer at it's best!!!!!!! Review: What an absolutely beautiful presentation this is, Anchor Bay have really pulled out all of the stops for this presentation, sheer quality. The guys and gals at the Bay must really work their socks off presenting these Hammer Classics and this is no exception, a crystal clear and almost pristine print. The master of Horror Mr, Christopher Lee gives us commentary, which is very informative. He talks about his role as de Richleau(?), and the production of what must surely rate as one of Hammers best. A trailer is included and an episode of 'The World of Hammer' series titled 'Hammer'. If you buy no other movies on DVD this year then please, please buy this one and enjoy the dark foreboding times of cinema before 'The Exorcist' became the parody of modern day stories of black magic and possession.
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