Devils Of Darkness
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''Devils of Darkness'' is a 1965 British
horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...
directed by Lance Comfort and starring William Sylvester, Hubert Noël and
Carole Gray Carole Gray (born 1938)
Linked 2017-07-11
is a British actress and dancer ...
. It was written by Lyn Fairhurst. It was the last feature film directed by Comfort.


Plot

Count Sinistre was put to death in the sixteenth century for his evil deeds, but rose from the dead. He later killed gypsy girl Tania, whom he then raised from the tomb and married. In 1964 he attacks again, at a small village where Paul Baxter and friends are on holiday. He murders three of Baxter's friends. Baxter, initially sceptical of the supernatural nature of the killings, becomes suspicious and stays in town with a talisman belonging to Sinistre taken from the scene of one of the murders. Sinistre pursues Baxter in an attempt to recover the talisman and murders Baxter's acquaintances along the way.


Cast

* William Sylvester as Paul Baxter * Hubert Noël as Count Sinistre *
Carole Gray Carole Gray (born 1938)
Linked 2017-07-11
is a British actress and dancer ...
as Tania * Tracy Reed as Karen Steele * Diana Decker as Madeleine Braun *
Rona Anderson Rona Anderson (3 August 1926 – 23 July 2013) was a Scottish stage, film, and television actress. She appeared in TV series and on the stage and films throughout the 1950s. She appeared in the films ''Scrooge (1951 film), Scrooge'' and ''The Pr ...
as Anne Forest *
Peter Illing Peter Illing (4 March 1899 – 29 October 1966) was an Austrian-born British film and television actor. Selected TV series * '' The Four Just Men'' (1959) as Dr Mozek * '' Deadline Midnight'' (1961) as Captain Dnieprovsky * '' The Saint'' (1962 ...
as Inspector Malin * Gerard Heinz as Bouvier, hotel manager * Brian Oulton as the Colonel * Walter Brown as Bruno * Eddie Byrne as Dr. Robert Kelsey * Victor Brooks as Inspector Hardwick * Marie Burke as old gypsy woman * Marianne Stone as the duchess * Avril Angers as Midge


Reception

''
The Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...
'' wrote: "Unconvincing excursion into the macabre, which is consistently disagreeable but never in the least alarming." '' Boxoffice'' wrote: "Set in a twilight world of demons, this thriller in DeLuxe Color has an eerie mood to please the chill seekers as it depicts the adventures of visitors in a small town in Brittany who stumble, unwittingly, into the hands of devil worshippers. Since so much has been written in recent years on the subject, we can assume that producer Tom Blakely had technical authority for the impressive ceremonial rooms where black magic rites are performed. ... Running as the second half of a dual bill with ''
Curse of the Fly A curse (also called an imprecation, malediction, execration, malison, anathema, or commination) is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to one or more persons, a place, or an object. In particular, ...
'', this is well produced of its kind." In ''The
Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...
Guide to Films'' Alan Jones gave the film 1/5 stars, writing: "The first British vampire movie to use a contemporary setting finds undead Hubert Noel posing as an artist in Brittany ... Little sense of terror, or even atmosphere, is raised in this undistinguished, stilted dud." In ''Sixties British Cinema'' Robert Murphy called the film "undeniably shoddy, its mixture of Celtic vampirism and smart-set witchcraft unconvincing. But the film's hero is played by the ever-reliable William Sylvester, and there is some satisfaction to be derived from the way in which the most boring characters are killed off by an avenging bat. Critic
Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic, film historian, and author. He is known for his book of film capsule reviews, '' Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide'', published from 1969 to 2014. Maltin was the film criti ...
awarded the film two out of four stars, calling it "intelligent, with great use of color, but flat, slow, and ultimately trivial." Leslie Halliwell said: "Mainly tatty shocker with a few lively scenes."


Home media

The film was released on DVD in 2007 by Odeon Entertainment.


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Devils Of Darkness 1965 films 1965 horror films Films directed by Lance Comfort Films shot at Pinewood Studios British vampire films 1960s English-language films 1960s British films English-language horror films