La messaggera del diavolo

First of all, the use of a hell-like place is sort of fun. The problem is, it is handled so poorly and so dully by Lon Chaney, Jr. that is becomes pointless. More of a problem than that are a trio of pretty dull stories. They are highly predictable with weak endings. A decent writer could have been given these three premises and made them very scary. As it is, we start with the photographer who must be psychotic. He murders a young woman who doesn't want her picture taken. Then images keep reappearing. The second, and weakest, is about a deranged anthropologist who kills his rival so he can hook up with a woman, frozen in a chunk of ice. It doesn't get much more asinine than this. The most intriguing is about a man who is told by a fortune teller he will be killed by midnight "and by her." The setup is good. Things work their way out. But the ending is a real disappointment and fizzles. These are TV like and apparently were, originally. Chaney must have really fallen on hard times. He looks old and tired. But he does have a document for mankind at the end. They should have sent it back.

This cheapo horror omnibus features Lon Chaney Jr. as the devil. He sends a young female suicide victim back to Earth on a series of interventions involving men destined for purgatory. The film is split up into three short stories within this framework.

The first story about an amoral photographer and a ghost has a reasonable premise but it isn't executed very well. The idea of the ghostly woman in the photograph advancing ever nearer is a little reminiscent of the central idea in Ring. And it's a good idea but there isn't enough time for the story to develop and the ending feels rushed.

Story two about the discovery of a prehistoric woman found in-cased in a block of ice is a complete washout. The lead character has an obsession with the ice lady that is never explained. He kills his colleague, the ice melts and the lady vanishes. It all seems a bit pointless.

The third story about the man who encounters the fortune-teller is probably the best, as it has more time to develop. However, despite an intriguing set up, the pay-off is distinctly uninteresting.

The Devil's Messenger is not terribly good but, as it contains three stories within a 75 minute film, it does at least move along at a brisk pace.

I don't know why some people just don't like this film, i thought Lon Chaney Jr. was great in it; as the Devil, he sends a woman, Satanya to Earth to deliver objects to people he wants to see in hell, This movie was very creepy and entertaining, as well as engrossing. some people say they didn't like Chaney's face all bloated, so what, the acting was good, and he was very conniving as the Devil, I really didn't find too much wrong with the film except a couple of noticeable scenery that was obviously fake, but hey if that's all that's wrong with it then i have no problem with it. as far as taking the 3 installments from 13 demon st. i couldn't really tell. if they did it , then it was done very seamlessly. the movie reminds me of the old TV shows. Alfred Hitcock Presents. and Rod Sterling's .. The Twilight Zone.

I once asked John Carradine on the set of one of his last pictures if he or Chaney felt like they wasted their talents on flicks like this and in saltier language he Said "Screw it,I like to play the ponies and it beats watching TV." Aptly put. Early in 1960 Curt SIodmak( The WOlf Man ) and Herbert Strock ( I Was A Teeenage Frankenstein ) went to Sweden and filmed in English with Swedish Subtitles about a dozen half hour playlets for a TV series called 13 Demon Street.It was pretty awful from what I've seen and didn't get picked up for U.S. syndication. Each week Chaney would would spin a weird tale from his old curiosity shop and three of these are included here and made into a ersatz feature with a cheezy wrap around with Chaney as a very happy Satan.If you are a Chaney completist you have to have it and it's certainly not as bad as some low budget flicks of the early sixties but Little SHop Of Horrors it's not. Because Of Chaney's status The Devil's Messenger received top billing on a drive-in double bill with the far superior Carnival Of Souls.

The Devil's Messenger was a feature film cobbled together from three episodes of a failed TV series, "13 Demon Street" and later shot footage featuring Lon Chaney as Satan. Chaney offers a woman who committed suicide a chance to escape the horrors of hell if she agrees to run a few errands for him. That is how they tie everything in the film together, as she delivers items that are used in each story and is really the catalyst for the stories.

Story number one deals with a stressed out photographer in need of a break. He takes a vacation to the mountains, but lets his lustful ways get the better of him as he murders a woman he tries to make advances on. After he returns to the city, the woman suddenly appears in a photo he took. Every time he looks at the picture, the woman appears closer in the picture, as she is making her way towards him to take her revenge.

The next story is about a group of scientists who discover a woman frozen in a block of ice deep in a cave. One scientist becomes obsessed with the woman and will go to any length to free her and make her his own.

The final story concerns a man who has a series of dreams concerning his death. His doctor advises him to go to the building that is in his dreams, in hopes that this will bring him some sort of relief. Instead he finds a gypsy woman who has a vision regarding his death as well.

The series this movie derives from was another in a long list of Twilight Zone imitators that just didn't make it. Each story itself was solid and made with good production qualities. The performances were fine, and Chaney seemed to be having a good time in his role. Pick this title up if you happen upon it, as its a fine old horror film with a lot to offer.