Like most of the other reviewers, I saw FEAR NO EVIL when it was first broadcast on NBC back in 1969. I must have been impressed at the time but all I could remember was Carroll O'Connor's final scene with the mirror. So when I watched the movie again after 50 years it was like seeing it for the first time until the very end. Now that I have seen FNE again, I must say that the film holds up rather well. It was the first regular made-for-TV movie and was supposed to be the pilot for a potential series featuring Louis Jourdan as occult psychologist David Sorrell. The ratings were good enough to warrant a sequel, RITUAL OF EVIL, but then it was dropped by Universal in favor of Rod Serling's NIGHT GALLERY.
The story deals with Jourdan investigating a group of Satanists who attempt to bring forth a major demon by means of an antique mirror. In order to do this they need an unknowing victim to be the "host". Unfortunately this person dies before the demon can be released and so they seek a replacement in the victim's fiance' who is then bewitched by his image in the mirror. It is then up to Dr Sorrell to prevent her from committing suicide to fulfill the Satanists' pact. Bradford Dillman and Lynda Day (later George) co-star as the unfortunate couple with Carroll O' Connor, in one of his best pre-Archie Bunker roles, as the leader of the Satanists. Wilfrid Hyde-White plays Jourdan's mentor who tells him to tread carefully.
RITUAL OF EVIL, the followup movie, is not as good. This time around instead of Satanists, Dr Sorell must deal with a group of bored rich people who are celebrating a black mass without realizing the consequences of what it means. Unbeknownst to them, one of their members is a real witch who has the power to destroy people by burning the photographs she has taken of them. As members of their circle dwindle, Dr Sorell discovers who the witch is but falls under her spell. She, however, is interested in the young daughter of a faded film actress. Can he persevere? Anne Baxter stars as the actress with a wonderful performance from Diana Hyland who would tragically die a few years later from cancer.
This DVD / Blu-Ray combo is just one of a number of Universal made-for-TV movies from the late 1960s-mid 1970s that are being released by Kino Lorber as part of their Studio Classics series. Both movies have undergone a 2K restoration and look as good as they ever have or probably ever will. Remember these are TV movies not big budget Hollywood offerings which is why it's good to see someone taking the trouble to make them available for a new generation. The discs come with a number of extras including commentary, trailers for both films, image galleries, and much appreciated subtitles for those of us who saw these movies when they were first broadcast over half a century ago...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.
