La Nuit du maléfice

The British horror boom of the 60s and 70s was dominated by Hammer, but a couple of other studios, Amicus and Tigon, tried their best to make their mark. Amicus are probably the better remembered of the two, with a few well loved anthologies to their credit (e.g. 'Asylum'), but Tigon actually made the better movies, especially the now classic 'Witchfinder General', directed by doomed cult figure Michael Reeves, as well as 'The Creeping Flesh', and 'The Blood On Satan's Claw', which is what 'Satan's Skin' is best known as. This movie frequently gets compared to 'Witchfinder General', but apart from being set in a similar era, and even having one actor in common (Patrick Wymark who plays The Judge here had a small cameo as Oliver Cromwell in 'Witchfinder General') they are quite different in approach and execution. Piers Haggard is no Michael Reeves but he's had an interesting career which has included the underrated final 'Quatermass' series (which starred Sir John Mills) and the entertaining Oliver Reed/Klaus Kinski exploitation thriller 'Venom', as well as working with Dennis Potter on 'Pennies From Heaven'. I still don't think 'Blood On Satan's Claw' is as good as 'Witchfinder General', but it's an excellent chiller nevertheless, and one of the most underrated British horror movies of all time. Like Reeves Haggard knows how to make the most of a small budget, and he manages to create an unsettling and creepy atmosphere. Also like Reeves he makes brilliant use of the English countryside. Patrick Wymark sadly died shortly after completing this movie, but it's a good testament to his talent. He gives a terrific performance. Also look out for his work in 'Repulsion' and 'Journey To The Far Side Of The Sun'. Seventies sex siren Linda Hayden ('Baby Doll', 'Madhouse', 'House On Straw Hill') is also memorable as Angel Blake, the leader of a Satanic group of young villagers. She looks absolutely stunning, and has one unforgettable nude scene. The supporting cast includes a few familiar faces, most notably Michelle Dotrice ('Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em') who plays Margaret, and Wendy Padbury (Zoe from 'Dr Who') who plays Cathy. The only thing I can really fault with this movie is the ending, which is a bit rushed and anti-climactic, but apart from that it's one of the best British horror movies of the early 70s, and highly recommended viewing.

In 17th Century England a man ploughs a field and comes across the skeletal remains of something . Summoning a judge he tells him that the remains belonged to a fiend and takes the judge to the field only to find the remains have disappeared

This acquired a cult following in DOCTOR WHO fandom circa 1990 when the fan press revealed it contained a scene where Wendy Padbury ( 60s companion Zoe ) appeared topless in a scene . Knowing this no one bothered to ask about the rest of the film but the major problem was trying to track it down . It was a time before the internet and Britain was confined to four TV channels and despite Hammer horror movies being broadcast on a fairly regular basis BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW was made by an entirely different film company and no one could recall it being broadcast or released on video . In other words it became something of a cult film and a cult film no one had seen but it eventually turned up on Channel 4 a couple of times along with the occasional screening on satellite channels

It'd be all too easy to dismiss this a Hammer clone full of lowbrow thrills and historical hokum featuring witchcraft but this would be slightly unfair to the film whose central idea revolves around Satan trying to reassert himself on Earth by using a 17th Century English village as his bridgehead . Realistic ? Of course not but my disbelief was totally suspended for the entire running time . There's quite a few themes going on at the same time such as the abuse of authority , of scapegoating , sexual repression and sexual awakening and the hypnotic power of sexuality

Piers Haggard doesn't have a massive budget to work with but he does the absolute best with what he's got . Where he succeeds best is in the production design . This isn't the expensive looking interiors you'd find in a big budget historical movie but far more cramped and drab interiors befitting of the times which comes over as being totally realistic . The cast too are very good especially when you compare to these all too good looking and sassy teens we've seen over the decades in American horror movies . Their accents might be a bit too cod regional but this is a minor flaw . The ending itself might be a too silly for its own good where the supernatural comes to the fore but this is always the problem featuring the supernatural . Up until then the human aspects is enough to keep the story going in a horror film that remains something of a cult but perhaps deserves to be better regarded in horror circles

It's a bit like Never Let Me Go, but instead of donating parts for others, it's Diablo's parts you grow, as you're young and quite untainted, the beast takes hold and gets acquainted, growing on you as you grow, the parts he needs to take a hold, having been ploughed up all broken, he's not much more than a token, but his powers of persuasion, quite soon leads to a pervasion, of youths rising up in rage, against traditions that have caged, all perpetually conditioned, brainwashed, pressured and conditioned. Alas, the patriarchy of middle aged men cannot allow this to take place and the rebellion is curtailed and quelled, sadly, but not for the first time and definitely not the last.

In the XVIII Century, in the countryside of England, the landsman Ralph Gower (Barry Andrews) finds a skull with one eye and fur on the field. He summons the local judge (Patrick Wymark) to see his finding but it has disappeared. Meanwhile the local Peter Edmonton (Simon Williams) brings his fiancée Rosalind Barton (Tamara Ustinov) to his aunt's house to marry her on the next day. However during the night Rosalind becomes insane and in the morning she is sent to an asylum and Peter sees a claw that has replaced her hand. Then Peter wakes up with a claw attacking him and he cuts it out, but he finds that he has hacked down his own hand. The local children have a strange behavior under the command of Angel Blake (Linda Hayden) and they rape and kill others. In common, they have a strange fur on their skin. The judge returns from London and concludes that evil has possessed the children. What will he and his search party do?

"The Blood on Satan's Claw" is a weird and cult British horror film. The plot is very strange and original but some scenes are sort of disconnected. The beauty of Linda Hayden tempting the reverend is worthwhile watching. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "O Estigma de Satanás" ("The Stigma of Satan")

Note: On 28 Sep 2019 I saw this film again.

Quite simply, 'Blood On Satan's Claw' is the finest horror film produced in Britain in the Seventies. Haunting, horrific and hopelessly compelling it deserves far greater recognition than it currently warrants. Linda Hayden, the most talented actress working in British exploitation films at the time, delivers her finest performance in the film, and it is one light years ahead of the standard in the genre. Patrick Wymark, in his last film role, is also excellent, and music, direction and art direction are all of an exceptionally high standard. Interestingly, the film was shot as 'The Devil's Touch', and originally released late in 1970 as 'Satan's Skin'. For some reason business wasn't too good and it was rereleased the following year on a more succesful double bill with 'The Beast In The Cellar'. Don't miss it!