Devils of Darkness (1970)

Fantastic!

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

In a remote village in Brittany, Count Sinistre (Hubert Noel) is reactivated as a vampire four hundred years after being buried alive for his crimes. He kills and reactivates a gypsy girl called Tania (Carole Gray) to be his bride in blood. Meanwhile, writer Paul Baxter (William Sylvester), is holidaying with friends in the village. Two of them discover the resting place of the vampires whilst exploring caves and are murdered and another, Anne (Rona Anderson), is drowned after she discovers Sinistre's secret. However, Baxter and antiques dealer, Madeleine (Diana Decker) escape back to England. But, Sinistre is close behind as Baxter has stolen his secret Talisman, a gold necklace carved in the shape of a bat. Meanwhile, we learn that Madeline is involved with Sinistre's cult and that she helped him move to England. In addition, Baxter's new girlfriend, the model Karen Steele (Tracy Reed), is in grave danger as Sinistre intends to make her his new vampire bride...Notable as the first British horror film to bring vampirism into a contemporary setting, but it is a disappointingly tame offering with little in the way of thrills or suspense thanks to Lance Comfort's flat direction and since most of its horrors take place off screen. Lyn Fairhurst's screenplay has promise with its inclusion of themes like reincarnation and witchcraft as well as vampirism. Sadly, however, they are poorly integrated into the basic plot and we are left with a mish mash of occult mumbo jumbo that make very little sense.Nevertheless, there are still some things to enjoy here. Reg Wyer's Eastmancolor camera-work is atmospheric including a beautiful shot of Tania lying in her coffin surrounded by red blossoms as the Count sets about reactivating her as an Undead. Another great set piece is a portrait of Karen, painted by Sinistre, which gushes blood when Tania slashes it with a knife in a jealous rage since she knows that Karen is to replace her as the Count's vampire bride. The film has no real outstanding merits in the acting field and William Sylvester, who was excellent in Lance Comfort's notable b-pic thriller, Blind Corner, here playing a writer turned vampire hunter is a rather dull hero. We don't think much of Baxter's chat up techniques either. At a party where he meets Karen for the first time, he invites her back to his flat by saying: "If you get hungry, I know a place where the scrambled eggs taste great. I cook with a non stick saucepan." Overall, Devils Of Darkness, is a big disappointment considering its status as Britain's first modern day vampire film and the fact that a promising plot is left woefully underdeveloped. It is a film that I would like to see remade because, with a better developed script and a stronger cast, it could well be a front rank genre offering. But, there are some bright moments and die hard fans of British horror cinema, like myself, will love it anyway as it is in itself a pleasant reminder of a period of British filmmaking that has long since disappeared.

Writer Paul Baxter (likable William Sylvestor) and his newfound model girlfriend Karin (ravishing redhead beauty Tracy Reed) meet elegant French aristocrat Arman du Moliere (a supremely suave and sinister portrayal by Hubert Noel) while vacationing in rural Brittany. Moliere turns out to be a vampire who abducts Karin so she can be a human sacrifice for the Satanic cult that he's the leader of. Director Lance Comfort, working from a nifty and inspired script by Lyn Fairhurst, relates the compelling story at a steady pace, ably creates a creepy atmosphere, and offers a strong evocation of the remote rustic region. The solid acting from a sturdy cast rates as another substantial plus: Sylvestor and Noel are fine in the leads, with good support from Carole Gray as lusty gypsy Tania, Diana Decker as perky socialite Madeleine Braun, Peter Illing as the huffy, yet laid-back Inspector Illing, and Victor Brooks as the helpful, hard-nosed Inspector Hardwick. Reginald H. Wyer's vibrant cinematography, Bernie Fenton's spooky'n'shuddery score, and the rousing conclusion all further enhance the entertainment value of this enjoyable 60's fright feature.

I enjoyed the movie immensely. I had wanted to see it since I was a kid having read about it in SHRIEK! a short lived British horror movie mag.so, 35 years later I finally get to see it and I was not disappointed. It's not a great film, but it certainly shines above many of the horror films that were churned out during the same era (a la Blood of the Vampire 1958). The atmosphere and mood of the film is just right. The only truly annoying thing about the film to me was the beatnik-style music.Yes, it is a Hammer knockoff, but it was one of the better ones. (Even the later Hammer films were "Hammer knockoffs.")I say give it a chance! If you don't you will not know what you are missing.

I had never heard of this one when it was announced as part of the revived "Midnite Movies" line of DVD releases paired with the renowned WITCHCRAFT (1964); frankly, I was disappointed that this obscure title was chosen over, say, NIGHT OF THE EAGLE (1962) which would have been the ideal companion to Don Sharp's film. In any case, it did seem rather intriguing from the colorful stills posted on Internet sites which reviewed the disc(s) but, all in all, it emerged as pretty goofy, with risible accents and several instances of wildly dated 60s modishness; in fact, an unexpected degree of camp is present in the lengthy pre-credits gypsy dance sequence, when depicting the 'degenerate' lifestyle of a group of ostensible bohemians (read bitchy lesbians and buffoonish, tipsy gentlemen) and the climactic Satanic ceremony! The narrative, then, provides an unholy mishmash – with little rhyme or reason – of popular horror themes: vampirism, witchcraft and, most bafflingly, body-snatching are all called upon by the oddly female screenwriter. Clearly, this was made by people with no proper knowledge of genre convention: consequently, the end result is aloof and forgettable, if undeniably good-looking (particularly prevalent are the vivid, velvet robes sported by the Satanists) and eminently watchable; in essence, this lies somewhere between the generic output of Hammer and AIP. Predictably, most of the characters initially skeptical author William Sylvester comes into contact with turn out to be members of the devil/vampire cult. In the same vein (pardon the pun!), the police inspector investigating the various mysterious deaths and disappearances starts off as hostile but gradually becomes sympathetic – not to mention, a believer in the supernatural! Unfortunately, the film's slow-moving 88 minutes (misprinted as an even heftier 124 on the DVD back cover!) are capped by a rushed and altogether weak climax.Sylvester makes for a likable if wooden lead; he had already appeared in another notable horror film DEVIL DOLL (1964) and would later feature in 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968). Hubert Noel, though lacking most of the qualities one typically associates with a bloodsucker (not that "Le Comte Sinistre" sees much action in this respect – since all he seems concerned about is to recover his precious talisman!), along with Carole Gray (as the intended gypsy bride of the vampire who, for whatever reason, is jilted by him in favor of the former!), make a rather arresting pair of villains. The belatedly-introduced Tracy Reed is a striking, redheaded heroine – she is Carol Reed's niece, Oliver Reed's cousin and director Anthony Pelissier's daughter, and is best-known for portraying George C. Scott's bikini-clad secretary in DR. STRANGELOVE (1964)! Curiously enough, as I lay watching, I pondered on how it would have effected the film had Gray and Reed exchanged roles...