Prichards12345 Only kidding. The Devil Rides Out is a great barnstorming horror-melodrama, which takes a fairly boring book (still Dennis Wheatley's best though - you should read his other ones) and turns it into an exciting and deftly acted near classic. Only the special effects - as usual with Hammer - disappoint.Christopher Lee gets a chance to play the hero for a change, and is a superbly convincing Duc De Richleiu, off-handedly telling his mate Rex to take any of his cars. Lee is up against Charles Gray's splendidly affable Mocata, the head of a Satanist Cult who's about to induce two young things to sell their souls to the Devil. Gray is fantastic in the part.Patrick Mower, a familiar face on British t.v. in the 70s, is one of 'em, and Lee, having been friendly with his Dad, determines to rescue him from a fate worse than death...The story begins at a rapid pace and doesn't let up, and is full of memorable moments - Lee chins someone in the first 10 minutes for a start! The Satanic Ceremony, with The Goat of Mendes in attendance, is splendid stuff - a truly startling moment occurs when his face is caught in the headlights of a car. Had this film been made three years later the celebrants would probably all have been starkers...The central sequence, with Lee and his cohorts trying to project Mower inside a magic circle from the forces of hell is utterly brilliant. Director Terence Fisher gives it real menace. It's a shame about the silly horse ridden by the Angel Of Death, though. Reversing the film makes him look extremely comical.Great movie from Hammer. And do you recall Dennis Wheatley's warnings with his book collection adverts about not dabbling with Satanism? I still giggle over the Not The Nine O'Clock News spoof of this..."Besides, there isn't room for two of us on this patch!"

Leofwine_draca A fantastic Hammer Horror film, a full-blooded Gothic masterpiece in the vein of their '50s triumphs like Dracula and THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, which recalls favourably the similar black magic shenanigans of the black and white classic NIGHT OF THE DEMON. In many ways this is the "last" of the old-fashioned stately Hammer films we know and love; the last time the producers had a budget to really do justice to the material, and the last time when the production values were high enough to ensure that every element in the film was hugely successful. Indeed, with a fantastic cast, a veteran director in Terence Fisher (arguably Hammer's finest when he got things right), some fine special effects and an excellent screenplay from the reliable Richard Matheson, there is little to complain about with this movie, which offers everything a fan of old-fashioned horror could wish for.The fast-moving storyline is awash with action, whether it be car chases, physical fights or more importantly, magic battles. The central characters are placed in constant danger right from the beginning and there is no letting up until the very end. Luckily the suspense and tension is sustained throughout meaning that you'll never find yourself looking at the clock. And indeed who would want to, when the film offers such delights as Christopher Lee protecting his companions against the Angel of Death (a winged skeleton on a horse) or fighting against a gigantic tarantula. The music is splendidly bombastic in the best Hammer tradition, helping to expand every dramatic moment into epic proportions. The special effects are sometimes a little wobbly but largely effective, relying primarily on simplicity for their charm (clouds of eerie smoke, fog rolling in, some straightforward back projection). One of the best moments in the film for me is the arrival of the grinning embodiment of evil that sends a shudder down my spine every time – the later appearance of the Devil is a disappointment in comparison.Christopher Lee is on top form and given a chance to shine in one of his rare roles as a good guy. Unfortunately the rest of the cast can't reach him but at least they make valiant attempts – there's Leon Greene (A CHALLENGE FOR ROBIN HOOD) as the strong but rather stupid friend Rex – forever getting himself into trouble – and a young, sweaty Patrick Mower as Simon, the boy in danger. Nikki Arrighi makes for an almost ethereal damsel in distress whilst Paul Eddington is excellent as a straight man unable to believe in what he sees. But acting awards go to Charles Gray (THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW), shining as the charismatic figure of evil, who is able to charm and hypnotise anybody with a mere stare. One of the best Hammer villains of all time. I don't really have much else to say about this great film, other than that if you like old-fashioned horrors, Hammer and otherwise, then it truly is unmissable entertainment and a creepy, evil classic of the genre.

dougdoepke For fans of old roadsters, circa 1925, and one lane English country roads, the movie's a gold mine. I love the driving here and there in those stylish old flivvers. I guess drivers didn't have to worry about oncoming traffic or they'd just pull off into a field if they met any. It's an okay horror flick, heavier on the mumbo-jumbo than blood and guts. The Duc (Lee) has to protect his circle of family and friends from an assault by the satanic Mocata (Gray) and his coven of devil worshipers. Good thing the Duc knows the right moves, whether invocations, symbols, or where to look.What atmosphere the horror flick has comes mainly from staging rather than lighting, which is mostly high-key Technicolor. I can't help thinking b&w with proper shading would have lent more menace. Then too, the commanding Lee would definitely have projected more menace as Satan's henchman than the rather dull Charles Gray. But maybe Lee was tired playing evil types, besides the good guy here has to have Lee- type gravitas to go one-on-one with the forces of darkness.I guess the movie's high-point (outside of the sudden slam-bang climax) would be when the coven goes party crazy. Too bad they don't doff their robes and go for an orgy, which I suspect is what the movie-makers would have preferred. Oh well, we get the idea, anyway. At times the various black magic-white magic maneuverings are hard to follow, the script not being heavy on exposition. Still, the production's slickly done and doesn't drag, with a wrap-up that should please church-goers.

Roman James Hoffman Famous since the late fifties for reviving the Horror Monster genre with the likes of 'The Curse of Frankenstein' (1957), 'Dracula' (1958), and 'The Mummy' (1959), Hammer Horror turned to famed writer Dennis Wheatley's 1934 novel 'The Devil Rides Out' for this suave and stylish take on Satanism among the English upper-classes. In doing so, they were able to produce something recognisably Hammer in its execution but noticeably different in its tone and were able to craft not only one of their finest pictures but also one of the first philosophical introductions to authentic occultism in cinema.Part of the feeling of familiarity comes from the presence of Christopher Lee (in one of his few good-guy roles) as the sombre Duc De Richleau, an occult authority who, along with his sceptical friend Rex, have to pit themselves against the charismatic Satanic cult-leader Mocata (Charles Gray) to save the souls of their friends Simon and his friend Tanith who Mocata wishes to baptise into his infernal organisation. Adding to this familiar feeling is the presence of other Hammer stalwarts composer James Bernard and director Terence Fisher who, in tandem, make sure the film is delicately placed between fast-paced and atmospheric. However, breaking with Hammer tradition the film is set in the English Countryside in the inter-war period rather than some Gothic castle in mid-19th Century Eastern Europe – a detail indebted to Wheatley's novel with all the affected airs of Englishness he was so fond of. The result is a ripping yarn that relies more on character and suspense than scares and builds on some wonderful exchanges between the parties of good and evil into a rightly famous climax when the magickal power of the two leads collide.All but forgotten these days, back in the 1930s, Dennis Wheatley made a successful career writing his novels of swashbuckling daring-do, the best known of which handled the murky topic of Black Magic. However, far from being an advocate, Wheatley's books were often prefaced with cautionary notes to the reader of the spiritual perils of just even reading about such topics and, putting aside cynical accusations of being a clever marketing gimmick, we can perhaps attribute this to the fact that in writing 'The Devil Rides Out' Wheatley sought the advice of famed English occultist Aleister Crowley for the occult references which abound in the film. Dubbed 'The Wickedest Man in the World' by the press of the day, by the 1930s Crowley was a spent magickal force. However, he undoubtedly could still make an impression as Wheatley not only styled the charismatic Mocata on Crowley but, despite their differing views on the occult, the two became good friends and saw each other socially long after the book was completed.If the movie has a flaw it is certainly the special effects which look awfully, awfully dated now, even slightly risible…something recognised by Lee in saying that he would love to see the film remade with contemporary effects and with himself reprising his role as De Richleau. It is also interesting to note the special connection Lee seems to have with the film as he both considers the film his personal favourite of his Hammer films and was also instrumental in it being filmed as he, too, had become close friends with Wheatley in 1959 after attending a lecture Wheatley gave in London. Later, in 1964, Lee approached the Hammer execs with the idea of adapting 'The Devil Rides Out' to the screen. Initially enthusiastic, Hammer found production of the movie delayed by the British censor on the grounds of the films earnest treatment of Satanism. Such concerns seem so quaint and, well, English these days as a modern viewer will certainly have been subjected to far more transgressive depictions of Satanism on screen. However, we have to remember that, for the time, the film was testing the limits; something Hammer studios had done since the late 1950s and it's unjust that by the early seventies Hammer Horror would suffer from being saddled with the label of "reserved" and, well, English as arguably the rising tide of horror coming from across the pond ('Night of the Living Dead' and 'Rosemary's Baby' (both also 1968) and 'The Exorcist (1973) to name a few) owed much to Hammer's intrepid spirit of stepping on hallowed ground.So, while other films may surely shock or scare more, 'The Devil Rides Out' can still manage to hold its own in terms of sheer style and atmosphere alone, but can also boast authentic occult credentials that few others can. Classic.