Sklavin des Satans

"Satan's Slave" sure was a pleasant surprise, since I went into it with not a lot of expectations (back in 2007, on a first time DVD viewing). Before this one, I had previously seen one other Norman J. Warren effort, namely "Inseminoid" (what I would describe as a dubious "Alien" rip-off with a bit of an early Cronenberg-vibe to it). But never mind that one.

"Satan's Slave" moves at a rather slow pace, but I didn't hold that against it (movies from different eras usually have a different pace to them anyway). A gorgeous leading lady witnesses her parents dying in a car crash. She is kept at her uncle's mansion to recuperate. Uncle and nephew have rather sinister plans with her.

"Satan's Slave" is not exactly a 'satanic worshiping cult' movie, but more a macabre tale of reincarnation. Lots of 70's female nudity, some torture, some sacrifices, some nice atmospheric looking scenery surrounding the mansion and a few nasty & gory make-up effects. The make-up was handled rather well also, given the budget available. And we have a nice twist at the end, wrapping things up.

By now I have seen all of Norman J. Warren's horror films - even became a bit of a fan of the man - and I think his "Satan's Slave" still ranks up there as my favorite. Followed by the aforementioned "Inseminoid" (something most people can't really grasp, since it's usually to be found at the bottom of their list with Norman J. Warren favorites).

This is actually quite a bright spot in the late 70's Brit Horror Film Industry breathing its last few gasps. It comes in a few different versions, some bloodier and sexier than others. It actually works in either the softer or hotter versions. The grue-- including a nude woman threatened with scissors, a head crushed in a door, a gory fall of a ledge, a woman slashed with a jagged piece of glass, and a nail driven into an eye-- is lively, but the central story about the traumatized heroine being cared for by her malevolent uncle and his murderous son is strong enough to stand on its own. There are also the expected scenes of black mass and nude female worshipers. The film plays nicely on our expectations and manages to surprise. With all the garish colors and hazy turn of events, we're never quite certain if everyone is off their rocker, the heroine especially possibly going off on some flight of fantasy triggered by the accident and exacerbated by the legend of the ancestress witch. Plus, characters you expect to play a pivotal role die suddenly, it's hard to tell who is trustworthy and who isn't, and Martin Potter as the cousin vacillates so perfectly between being a morose companion to the girl and a frenzied monster to everyone else that I found myself just as lulled in by him. The violent scenes are shocking and unpredictable, while the talkier sequences have a weirdly cold atmosphere to them. For me, this one gets unfairly written off far too often.

But thats fine since the ladies are all very pretty. The eyes of the main actress are worth watching the movie. The slow pace of the movie makes it very relaxing.

The strange atmosphere of this film seems to lead many to find it boring, but I disagree and in fact find it unsettling and, well, really absorbing. Some of the over the top T and A (I wonder if the rest of the cast was there at the same time as the nudie cuties, these scenes feel like awkward inserts) but at any rate the acting is very good overall. I like the sicko relationship between Francis and the brother. The fact that the mystery has been given away before the final double reverse is actually quite interesting, and puts you in the place of Candice. I wish they had done a final reversal at the end and had Gough get it, but still, I like this sick little film quite a bit.

I got this movie in a pack of twelve movies called gore house classics or something. I figured they would all be total crap, but as I like watching horror movies and reviewing them I had to buy it, especially seeing as how I had never seen any of the movies on it. This is the first one I have watched on it and while not a good movie by any means it had its moments and did entertain me for its run. The movie does have gore in it, nothing that looks all that great at times, but it is the 70's, a time for the red paint to come splashing out. It also had a good deal of nudity too, I always enjoy seeing 70's ladies nude from time to time as they have a natural look that is just hard to find these days. The story has its moments as I really enjoyed the beginning of the movie and the end quite a bit. It is the middle that at times muddles the movie down as there is a strange love story going on between the female of this tale and her cousin that really seems to be added to pad the film. Basically, she is visiting this uncle that until recently she did not even know she had and there is tragedy shortly after she arrives with her parents. The rest of the film is watching her try to figure out and realize what you the audience already knows, she is in deep trouble. So while not great it was entertaining, rework the script a bit and this one could have been a classic. Though Michael Gough's performance in this one does help the more talkative scenes seem more tolerable.