Director: Terence Fisher
Cast: Christopher Lee, Charles Gray, Nike Arrighi, Leon Greene, Patrick Mower, Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies, Sarah Lawson, Paul Eddington
Screenplay: Richard Matheson
95 mins. Rated G.

I got into Hammer Horror films because of their Dracula and Frankenstein series. Christopher Lee (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring) and director Terence Fisher both had a hand in shaping these series, but I often forget how prolific these two were in the world of Hammer, even in standalone tales, including bleak and shocking satanic horror, The Devil Rides Out. This is one of the darkest films of Hammer’s history, but it’s also one of their most underdiscussed.

It’s the end of the 1920s, and the Duc de Richleau (Lee) has taken it upon himself to investigate Simon Aron, a protege and son of his late friend, when he discovers pentagrams and mysterious symbols in Simon’s home. When he learns that Simon is involved with a devil-worshipping cult, De Richleau teams up with Rex Van Ryn (Leon Greene, Flash Gordon) to rescue Simon and put a stop of the cult’s villainy. They soon find that the cult’s leader, Mocata (Charles Gray, The Rocky Horror Picture Show) is not willing to let Simon go so easily.

Lee and Gray are at the top of their game here as hero and villain of this incredibly dark film. Oftentimes, there’s a playfulness with Hammer’s output, but not here. Fisher’s direction leaves no silliness in the final product. Even some of the more outlandish sequences, like the manifestation of a giant spider and the Angel of Death himself, are played with complete seriousness. There’s a heightened tone to the movie, but Fisher never lets it get out of hand.

If anything, the more repetitive nature of the back half of the film struggles a bit with maintaining pacing. They try to rescue their friends, and then Mocata wants them back, and so they have to go rescue again, and the back-and-forthing slows proceedings down a bit. It doesn’t break the film, but the espionage angle of the first half is much stronger.

The Devil Rides Out is a bit of an anomaly in Hammers’s arsenal. It’s less fun than their other films, but that excitement is squeezed into a far more dark and brooding experience that works just as well. The serious tone works in large part due to Fisher’s capable handling of the material and executing his vision with strong performers. It has all the right ingredients to pair with other Hammer film for a great double feature.

3.5/5
-Kyle A. Goethe

• For my review of Terence Fisher’s The Phantom of the Opera, click here.