The Devonsville Terror

The little town of Devonsville, 1683. Three slightly eccentric, yet innocent women are gruesomely tortured and executed. Devonsville, 1983…around the same time three hundred years later 3 single women come to settle in the town that is still congested by Puritan, superficial villagers. The 20th century-inhabitants of Devonsville simply seem like reincarnations of their forefathers and they quickly begin to suspect the newly arrived ladies of witchery. The gorgeous new teacher (Suzanna Love) in particular.

Ulli Lommel's The Devonsville Terror is cheap 80's taking on the gruesome subject of the Inquisition and witchery, a horror sub genre that I personally cherish highly. Obviously, the atmosphere and tension doesn't come near the classic titles in this sub genre, like 'The Witchfinder General' or 'Mark of the Devil' but it does feature some chilling scenery and ingenious horror moments. Veteran horror actor Donald Pleasance stars as the town's doctor who constantly has to pick living worms out of his own flesh (due to a curse placed on his family, centuries ago). The film is overall decent and certainly worth a watch if you're an undemanding horror lover. Too bad about the bad ending, though…Well, it isn't exactly a BAD ending. More like an unsatisfying one. Just when the plot takes a vicious new twist, the end-credits start rolling over the screen and you're left behind with an empty feeling in your stomach.

Three women accused of witchcraft are executed in Devonsville, Massachusetts, 1683. Three hundred years later, Dr. Warley (Donald Pleasence) investigates the purported curse on the remote village as three unfamiliar women come to town, a school teacher (Suzanna Love), a DJ (Deanna Haas) and an environmentalist (Mary Walden). Are they reincarnations of the executed? Paul Willson, Robert Walker Jr. And Michael Accardo play male denizens of the town.

"The Devonsville Terror" (1983) is an Indie mystery/horror that combines flashback scenes reminiscent of "The Blood on Satan's Claw" (1971) with modern scenes akin in tone to "Let's Scare Jessica to Death" (1971), "The Shuttered Room" (1967) and "The Fog" (1980). You could view it as an early 80's precursor to "The Lords of Salem" (2012).

While it's noticeably low-budget compared to those films, director/writer Ulli Lommel tries to make up for it with an impressive artistic style and mostly succeeds. There's a nice eerie rural ambiance. It would've helped if the evil religionists were counterbalanced by one or two noble believers, but it's not like hateful, lying legalists don't exist.

The film runs 1 hour, 22 minutes, and was shot in Gleason & corresponding Lincoln County, Wisconsin.

GRADE: B-/C+

Typically I dislike films about witches (with the exception of Dario Argento's horror classic Suspiria), but The Devonsville Terror is quite amusing. The script is disastrous, the performances are over-acted, and the special effects are anything but special. The plot is devoid of any significant twists or surprises. The audience anticipates the impending events faster than do the characters, and the conclusion is accomplished suddenly and sloppily. However, I can't deny that this film makes me curiously happy when I watch it. Something about the lighting and overall appearance of the film. The soundtrack is also quite good, and gives the film an eerie quality. I particularly like the scene where Walter Gibbs' face melts (the special effects are primitive but cleverly done using wax melting in time-lapse). That scene always gives me the creeps. The storyline, despite its uncreative, allows the characters to really show their true colors. Walter Gibbs' character specifically is quite gross, and almost matches with his looks. A film worth trying, and for those who are skeptical, Donald Pleasence of John Carpenter's Halloween also stars.

I watched this film completely sober, which is never a great idea when you're watching low-budget horror films. But this one was alright. The plot was firmly established, the death scenes were obviously amateur but at least creative in their methods. And Donald Pleasance, who can really do no wrong (I watched this film about a week after seeing "Alone in the Dark" - I should have made it a double feature). Other critics of this film might say it is not original. Maybe so, but the director and the actors were able to establish a "creepy level" unparalleled in any other film. Almost every two minutes some character acted in a way that weirded me out. What was made into a 90-minute film should have been a Twin Peaks-esque television show. The only thing really missing in this film is a woman talking to a log. Were there plot holes and other flaws? Sure. The laser beams from the eyes were a bit unusual, and the weekly meetings with the drunk priest, and the unexplained need for hypnotized people to be naked, and the obvious fact the wormy arm was not a real arm... but I digress. A fine film ion its own right - 6 out of 10.

"The Devonsville Terror" focuses on a small town in New England where three women perceived to be witches were executed in 1683. 300 years later, a mysterious woman, Jenny (Suzanna Love) arrives in town as the new school teacher. She seems to be a student of the feminist movement, which doesn't sit well in these parts. Little has changed in Devonsville— the one room schoolhouse has a class of about 20 kids and still has a fireplace, and the people still seem to have retained a colonial mindset. The arrival of two other women (a scientist and a female sex radio host) gets the townsmen riled up and curious as to whether or not the witches have returned reincarnated. Meanwhile, a doctor (Donald Pleasance) spends all of his screen time pulling worms out of his arm and studying a curse bestowed on his family linked back to the executions.

I'm not even going to get into Uli Lommel's filmography of the past decade because it truly is that bad, but I will stand up for him on two counts, because he did make two decent horror films in the '80s: this, and "The Boogeyman" (1980). "The Devonsville Terror" plays out like a Halloween TV movie of the week and draws from historical occurrences such as the Salem witch trials. Because of this, the script is actually pretty informed and intelligent in terms of logistics. It's a Lommel film, so some coherence has either been lost in editing or was never entirely present to begin with, but overall it's a mostly cohesive picture.

It's obvious from the get-go that this film's thematics are rooted in feminism, and it acts as a reiteration of the modern issue of cultural progress vs. tradition, which, for a horror film, is a bit sophisticated. All three of the modern female characters who enter the town represent three things that much of conservative America fears: feminism, sexuality, and science. That alone sets this film apart for me and elevates it above most horror fodder. Thematically, this film is far elevated above what it need be.

As for the horror— it's not scary. There are a few spooky shots and some really cool camera-work (the kaleidoscopic flashback shots of the witch executions are the things horror classics are made of), but I'd say it's more atmospheric than anything. It has the autumnal New England setting down to a tee, and is a perfect October/November watch. The opening scene in the film where the witches are executed is perhaps the best scene in the film, and really sets the tone for the rest of the movie. Not only is it well shot, but it's also well acted and actually still fairly shocking.

The acting in the film is not great, but is good. Suzanna Love plays the vulnerable, educated schoolteacher and has a gentleness that juxtaposes nicely with the harsh, judgmental nature of the townsfolk who seem to be against her. Donald Pleasance has little screen time and spends all of it in a single setting pulling worms out of his arms (which is apparently the result of a curse by the witches tracing back through his paternal lineage), but he's a pleasure to watch as always.

Overall, "The Devonsville Terror" is a shocker for those who thought Uli Lommel never made a decent film. This is not a bad movie. It's actually on par or even above average as far as '80s horror goes, and it is a thematically sophisticated genre film. Not only is it well made, but it's also plain fun to watch. Definitely not something just anyone would enjoy, but if you like your witches and ghouls served '80s TV movie style, then "The Devonsville Terror" is prime pickings. 7/10.