The Devil's Hand

I was introduced to this film when I stumbled across a VHS copy at a well known video retail store. At the time I was buying up and devouring as many B-movies as I could find. I think that in the same trip I purchased The Wasp Women, and Catwomen of the Moon in 3D.

The first couple of times I watched this movie, I didn't feel it was that spectacular, but I did particularly like the opening sequence theme music, a definite nod to Dave Allen and the Arrows. I was however, not able to quite pin down the plot at first because, admittedly, I fell asleep the first few times I saw it.

After several more viewings though, the film began to take on a strange, almost psychedelic feel and I realized that all of the confusion really lends itself to the themes of hypnotism and mind control in cults, which is I think the heart of the film. Whether or not this effect was obtained on purpose by the director, I can't say. It doesn't really matter. I still enjoy watching this one years later.

I saw this by chance as one of those DVD package deals(reasonably priced with cinema nuggets). This particular film grabbed from the outset with it's "graveyard twangy" credits theme. The story is part"I Walked with a Zombie", "Eraser Head",and a dab of "Rosemary's Baby". A sporty dressed Robert Alda goes through the film as if on tranquilizers adding to the black&white "dreamlike' quality of the movie.The actors should be credited for doing their best to sell this very kooky story with equally kooky dialog. There's a sexy " Siren Witch" and a sinister Warlock, who looks like a bank president.Considering the apparent woeful budget of this endeavor , I say kudos for trying and take a look- you've seen worse.

"The Devil's Hand" is a slick little B-film that moves at an amazingly fast clip. Don't look for deep characterizations, or explorations of motives, or anything else that would make the story stumble.

This flick takes itself seriously. It's established at the outset that the Gamba cult is real, and several scenes indicate that it has actual power. And there's never a nudge or wink from any of the characters to indicate otherwise.

The acting may not be top-notch, but it's credible enough. The opening theme is quite cool, too, and would be a good addition to a surf rock collection; unfortunately, it's never identified.

And the overall theme is still relevant today—how easy it can be to get sucked into a cult (religious, political, philosophical—take your pick) because of one's hopes of improving his lot. Look at the worshipers; by and large they look just like you'n'me. No wild-eyed zealots, no borderline personalities, just…ordinary people.

My only real quibble is the casting of Neil Hamilton as the villain. He seems to have been rather a one-note talent; his demeanor throughout the movie, whether fronting the doll shop or presiding over potential human sacrifice, is rather bland. Or maybe I just can't accept Commissioner Gordon being on the wrong side of the law!

A happily engaged man becomes plagued by vivid dreams of a beautiful woman. He ultimately meets her face-to-face, finding that she is a member of a secretive, near-lost religion which enables its loyal followers to obtain their heart's desires. Bewitched by this seductress, he quickly casts aside his fiancée to become her lover and converts to said religion. Predictable but amusing turmoil ensues in this poverty row potboiler, one which some viewers may find surprisingly watchable despite its very evident financial privation.

Briskly paced cheap thrills with a deliciously tacky veneer distinct to early-60s low-budget cinema...this much-forgotten curiosity should please most undemanding genre fans and enthusiasts of vintage lower-berth film oddities.

5.5/10

An early effort from Crown International Pictures, The Devil's Hand stars Robert Alda (Alan's dad) as Rick Turner, who is visited nightly in his dreams by a beautiful blonde woman. After finding a doll in a shop window that is the exact likeness of the mysterious woman, Rick is able to track down his nocturnal visitor, Miss Bianca Milan (Linda Christian), but, hypnotised by her beauty, finds himself lured away from his longtime girlfriend Donna (Ariadne Welter) and into a devil worshipping cult run by sinister doll-maker Francis Lamont (played by Neil Hamilton, TV Batman's Commissioner Gordon).

A cheap and cheerful piece of '60s Satanic horror, The Devil's Hand is undemanding drive-in fodder that benefits from a brisk pace (and a not-too-long running time), reasonable performances, and a fun plot that includes voodoo, bongo drums, a traitor in the cult's midst, ritualistic gyrating, Russian roulette with swords, and a fiery demise for the baddies at the end. All this and a cool twangy surf guitar number during the opening credits make for a reasonably fun, if not all that memorable, time.

Favourite moment: when Rick sneaks into the doll shop, a front for the cult, and proceeds to make a total racket whilst bumbling around their place of worship. Way to go, twinkletoes!