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The Devil Rides Out
[Hammer/Anchor Bay]
1968; color
Directed by Terence Fisher
Starring: Christopher Lee, Charles Gray, Nike Arrighi, Leon Greene, Patrick Mower, Gwen Frangcon-Davies, Sarah Lawson & Paul Eddington
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Widely regarded as one of Hammer's finest horror films (if not one of the best productions to ever come out of the legendary UK studio regardless of genre) The Devil Rides Out is top notch from top to bottom. Starring Christopher Lee as the heroic Duc du Richleau and Charles Gray as the villainous Mocata (a character many people have said is somewhat based on Aleister Crowley), the film is brilliantly acted and the direction and editing are as crisper and tighter than just about any other Hammer production. No slow moments or plodding setup, no wait for 40 minutes until we get a killing or see the monster; the film sucks you into it's vortex in the first few minutes and doesn't let go until the very end. In brief, the plot revolves first around du Richleau and his close friend, Rex, trying to rescue their longtime pal, Simon, and Tanith (a girl Rex was once involved with), from the evil hypnotic clutches of Mocata before he can give them their Satanic baptisms and they give their souls up to the devil. Later the plot shifts to them trying to rescue du Richleau's young niece from becoming a sacrifice to Satan, also at the hands of Mocata. I don't know if it's possible to be a scene stealer when you're the star of the movie but Lee so dominates every scene he's in, the other actors almost become window dressing to help move the story along. It's not that anyone's slacking off here either, virtually every performance is noteworthy, but they all take a backseat to Lee when he's on screen. The only actor who comes close to being as dominating as Lee is Charles Gray, who at this point was approximately seven years - or just a "jump to the left and a step to the right", if you will - away from his most well-known role as the criminologist / narrator in Rocky Horror. While most of the movie relies on dialogue over action, there are some sequences that are among Hammer's most memorable, like the pivotal scene involving the appearance of the angel of death and the outdoor Sabbat celebration where the devil appears. For this production director Terence Fisher broke from the traditional mode of shooting everything at Hammer's studios, instead opting for real location shots in the English countryside, and the difference really shows; the attention to detail in the sets, specifically the occult-related aspects, makes everything look convincingly real. Apparently filmed at Lee's insistence, it's no surprise this was his favorite Hammer film. (Although he's also said he felt his performance in The Wicker Man was better.) I know it's definitely mine.
—the Kommandant
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