''Land of the Minotaur'' (UK title: ''The Devil's Men'') is a 1976

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, ap ...

directed by Kostas Karagiannis and written by Arthur Rowe. The film is also known as Minotaur and The Devil's Men. ''Land of the Minotaur'' is actually the name of the shorter 6 minutesU.S. edit of the film. When seen as ''The Devil’s Men'', it is the full 94 minute European cut.

Plot

Tourists visiting a

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

archeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsca ...

site are being abducted by a strange cult, intent on providing their God - the

Minotaur In Greek mythology, the Minotaur ( , ;. grc, ; in Latin as ''Minotaurus'' ) is a mythical creature portrayed during classical antiquity with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, a being "p ...

- with sacrifice. Irish

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

Father Roche (

Donald Pleasence Donald Henry Pleasence (; 5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995) was an English actor. He began his career on stage in the West End before transitioning into a screen career, where he played numerous supporting and character roles including RAF ...

) enlists the help of Laurie Gordon, an archaeological student, and Milo Kaye, a

private detective A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...

, to find out what has happened to them.

Cast

as Father Roche *

Peter Cushing Peter Wilton Cushing (26 May 1913 – 11 August 1994) was an English actor. His acting career spanned over six decades and included appearances in more than 100 films, as well as many television, stage, and radio roles. He achieved recognition ...

as Baron Corofax *

Luan Peters Luan Peters (18 June 1946 – 24 December 2017), also known as Karol Keyes, was an English actress and singer. Biography Born Carol Ann Hirsch, she made her stage debut in a pantomime aged four, then went on to win a drama scholarship at the ag ...

as Laurie Gordon * Kostas Karagiorgis (credited as Costas Skouras) as Milo Kaye * Fernando Bislamis (credited as Dimitris Bislanis) as Sgt Vendris * George Venlis as Max * Vanna Reville as Beth * Nikos Verlekis as Ian * Robert Behling (credited as Bob Behling) as Tom Gifford * Anna Matzourani as Mrs. Mikaelis * Anestis Vlachos as Shopkeeper - Karapades * Jane Lyle as Milo's Girlfriend * Jessica Dublin (credited as Jessica) as Mrs. Zagros

Reception

Critical response for ''Land of the Minotaur'' has been predominantly negative. ''

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'' gave the film one out of four stars, calling it " distinctly silly effort". ''HorrorNews.net'' found the film enjoyable in spite of its contrived plot, commending its soundtrack and chemistry between its two leads. Praising the "suffocating ambiance and dream-like atmosphere", as well as

Brian Eno Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop a ...

's electronic score, Chris Alexander argues that the film is underrated: "Make no mistake, it's a lowbrow

exploitation film An exploitation film is a film that tries to succeed financially by exploiting current trends, niche genres, or lurid content. Exploitation films are generally low-quality "B movies", though some set trends, attract critical attention, become hi ...

, but it's one that’s filtered through a very stylised

art house An art film (or arthouse film) is typically an independent film, aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made primarily ...

sensibility. Don't be swayed by the negative mainstream reviews and general fanboy silence." Emanuel Levy rated the film three out of five.

References

External links

* * 1976 films 1976 horror films Greek horror films British horror films American horror films English-language Greek films Films about cults Folk horror films Religious horror films Films set in Greece Crown International Pictures films Minotaur 1970s English-language films 1970s British films 1970s Greek films {{1970s-horror-film-stub 1970s American films