THE DEVIL RIDES OUT
Blu-ray / DVD. Studio Canal.

In 1968, Hammer shot their first Dennis Wheatley films – the boys own adventure The Lost Continent, and this, their first overtly occult movie, taking advantage of the British censor’s reluctant loosening of their Christian morals. At the time, Wheatley’s books had begun to have a revival that would last through the next decade, thanks to raunchy covers that barely reflected the somewhat stuffy and reactionary content, and a wider interest in Satanism, devil worship and all things occult in the world at large.

In the film, Christopher Lee plays the Duc de Richelieu, an aristocrat who finds that his young protégé Simon (Patrick Mower) has become involved in a Satanic cult led by Mocata (Charles Gray). Along with his friend Rex (Leon Greene), he endeavours to rescue Simon and fellow initiate Tanith (Nike Arrighi), but Mocata is not about to let them go that easily.

Sympathetically adapted for the screen by Richard Matheson (who sticks closely to Wheatley’s original story but tightens up both the action and the cumbersome dialogue considerably), The Devil Rides Out is a genuine Hammer classic. Terence Fisher directs in his usual efficient, unflashy style, keeping that action thundering along – this is a film full of car chases, fights and spectacular horror scenes, all heightened by a James Bernard score that is histrionic even by his standards.

Lee – a fan of Wheatley who, if interviews are to be believed, genuinely believes in the power of occult evil – gives one of his most enthusiastic performances as the Duc, who is some sort of occult expert himself, but firmly on the side of the angels. It was rare to see Lee as the hero in a horror film, but he’s excellent in the role. Gray too is impressive as the insidiously smooth Mocata, oozing an oily charm yet seeming convincingly dangerous. The rest of the cast are perhaps less impressive – Paul Eddington, in a supporting role, is convincing as an initially sceptical family friend, but Greene seems woodenly stoic – his performance not helped by being dubbed by an instantly recognisable Patrick Allen. His performance isn’t helped by the fact that Rex is one of the most spectacularly useless heroes you’ll ever find in a horror film. Tell him not to look into the eyes of an apparition and he’ll immediately stare at it; tell him to stay calm and he’ll blunder in, fists flying, or break a trance by shouting just as the vital information was about to be revealed.

One of the most impressive sequences in The Devil Rides Out – not quite the climax, but near enough – has the heroes inside a magic circle as Mocata’s satanic forces are sent to attack them. It’s a powerful, dramatic, almost hysterical scene that ranks amongst the best of Hammer’s dramatic set pieces, and renders the actual finale of the film a bit of an anti-climax. It’s also long been one of the most problematic moments of the film thanks to some special effects that were pitiful even at the time. Both the giant tarantula and the Angel of Death that Mocata send to attack are neutered by really, really rotten optical effects. This new version tweaks these and other effects in a surprising George Lucas style spot of digital revisionism. Okay, it’s not that dramatic – but unusually, there are several moments of new digitally created or revised effects in the film to improve on original imperfections. These are most obvious in this scene – the spider is made much more effective, the arrival (and facial close-up) of The Angel of Death arguably less so (simply because they are more obvious digitally created). None of these changes alter the dramatic thrust of the film, and I’d argue that even the most questionable are actually improvements over what was there to begin with – Hammer purists, however, might want to hold on to their old DVDs as well as own this.

The Devil Rides Out feels like an end of an era film – it has the look, feel and sound of a 1960s Hammer movie, while everything that came after it feels more like their 1970s work, and there is a dramatic difference in style between the two eras (personally, I’m a bigger fan of the Seventies stuff, but still have a love for the previous decade’s work). It certainly feels like the last of the traditional Hammer horrors, with its unambiguous tale of good vs evil (this is a film that ‘does God’ quite unashamedly). Hammer’s next Wheatley film, the criminally underrated To the Devil a Daughter, was a decidedly more modern affair, with all the sex, gore and moral ambiguity that is absent here, and is arguably the more interesting film. But if you were to choose one Hammer film to represent their most successful era, then The Devil Rides Out should probably be the one, and if people call it the company's best film of the decade, I wouldn't put up too much of an argument.

This new release comes with a fascinating pair of documentaries covering the making of the film and the Hammer-Wheatley years, as well as a look at the digital restoration (a good game – watch the film without seeing this first and see how many tweaks you actually spot).

DAVID FLINT

BUY IT NOW (UK)