Devil's Partner

An old man (Ed Nelson) sells his soul to the devil, and turns into a young man (also Ed Nelson). He then uses witchcraft and black magic to win a woman (Jean Allison) from his rival (Richard Crane).

Nelson is probably not a well-known name to many, but perhaps he should be. For fans of horror and science fiction, it is worth pointing out that he worked with famed B-movie producer Roger Corman on such films as "Cry Baby Killers", "A Bucket of Blood", "Teenage Cave Man", and "Attack of the Crab Monsters". That is not a bad bunch of films to appear in!

Stanley Clements should be given credit for writing a simple yet compelling plot. He was primarily an actor and was known to be a part of the East Side Kids or Bowery Boys film series. Apparently, he could have been just as successful as a writer if he had chosen that route!

"An old hermit makes a pact with the Devil and, in exchange for his obedience, is given restored youth and vitality. He returns to his hometown, after assuming the identity of his own nephew, and takes up residence in his former home. He begins a campaign of terror against those he feels will oppose him and sets his sights on a beautiful girl, causing harm and hardship to her fiancé in order to win her over," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis.

"Devil's Partner" is a difficult feature to enjoy; a thriller with no frills (or thrills), it might have been made for drive-ins and Saturdays. Ed Nelson is "introduced" as the star, and he seems to have what it takes for the big screen - but, this slightly Faustian story was no career helper. Instead, Mr. Nelson successfully moved into television's "Peyton Place". Co-stars, like "Petticoat Junction" resident Edgar Buchanan (as Doc Lucas), were also familiar TV faces.

** Devil's Partner (1962) Charles R. Rondeau ~ Ed Nelson, Edgar Buchanan, Jean Allison

Don't get too attached to the idea presented by the movie poster or the film box cover for this movie - there is no beautiful naked woman bareback-riding a wild centaur anywhere to be found. Sorry. But despite this fact, The Devils Partner is not a terrible film. It makes up for in mood and performances what it lacks in the style that a bigger budget might have given it. A nasty, hairy, smelly old hermit sacrifices a goat in his dingy shack and is given a new life by the Devil Himself...or at least I'm assuming it was the Devil. You only get to see a burned black hand co-signing a contract that our hermit has already signed with the blood of the poor, aforementioned goat. Anyway, the hermit - minus about 40 years and having benefited from a recent flea bath - waltzes into our story which takes place in a heat blasted desert town. Mr. Brand New SatanicPants never breaks a sweat, strolling cool as ice cream into the lives of Nell and her boyfriend and causing major problems for both of them before he can be dispatched. True enough, this is a low budget extravaganza, but it makes the best with what it has to work with. The performances are sincere, the mood is spooky and the plot is actually rather original and benefits from some light yet surprising touches of perversion and sadism. Filmed in black and white and totally devoid of gore, The Devils Partner still manages to be disturbing, especially when you take into consideration the year in which it was made. Harmless entertainment, and not a total waste of an hour and a half or so.

In a small rural town an unpopular old hermit sells his soul to the devil. He dies and his mysterious nephew subsequently turns up. A string of bad events follow in his wake.

This low-budget occult horror film is pretty decent considering its obvious lack of resources. It has a fairly by-the-numbers set-up but it maintains the interest just the same. Ed Nelson, who plays the evil nephew, is good and certainly looks the part. Interestingly, he uses animals to do his evil bidding - sometimes, possessing them, other times shape-shifting into them. This includes a dog, a horse and a snake. The scene with the horse is the best one in the film. In it, a wino is chased in the moonlight by a black stallion, which catches up with him and tramples him to death.

The movie on the whole is well handled and should please those with a taste for old cheap black and white horror flicks. Although a word of warning – don't be fooled by the cover art that is often used. It has a scantily clad woman riding a centaur…sadly, there's none of this to be seen anywhere.

Enough has been said regarding the summary of this flick. Sure, the plot doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I'd even go so far as to say the the makers may have switched stories 20 minutes into filming this movie. The deal with the guy coming back and not seeming to know anyone in the town he's lived in all his life just makes me think there was another version of the story at one time... Maybe not though. Maybe the plot just wasn't thought out enough. But what the movie does have is atmosphere. From the opening shot of a sinister shadow on a decrepit shacks wall with a scared goat bleating in the background , to a faithful pet going berserk and attacking it's master this movie is creepy. All you folks who like these old spook flicks know...That's the important thing. The Alpha Video version is very cheap but is in pretty bad shape especially at the beginning of reels. Sinister Cinema has a better copy but you'll pay more for it. I'd say at the very least get the Alpha Video version. You can't go wrong spending $6.00 and getting a quality spook.