Genteel, unspectacular horror.
This anaemic and little known horror film from the 1960s has some good moments and performances from its little-known cast - but its lack of gore or horror atmosphere makes the 84 minutes something of a slog.
This is made by the company Planet Film Productions, who are perhaps best known for their Terence Fisher-directed 'Island of Terror', which involved Peter Cushing fighting jelly monsters called Silicates. Perhaps the word 'genteel' describes the company's output, or less kindly, 'dull'.
I admire anyone for wanting to create something horror-based; it is my favourite genre by far. With all due respect to everyone involved here, it seems they have little idea how to tap into to any kind of unsettling atmosphere, any way in which to raise a few scares or much in the way of tension.
While the ceremonies and debonair French vampires have an unusual and enjoyable quality, you have to sit through talky scenes of no consequence to get to them. Day for night filming takes place, but is so ineffectual, the night-creatures appear to be walking around in sunshine. Director Lance Comfort, for whom this was his last film, makes fine use of colour, giving this low budget venture a bright veneer, with some lush red used for the cultists' ceremonies.
Hammer films had become a force to be reckoned with long before this was released, and watching 'Devils of Darkness' makes it easy to see why: Hammer had a company style, which ran right up to their final releases, that has proven difficult to emulate. Subsequent Planet Films would hire Hammer alumni and still struggle to generate the elder company's technique.
A mainly bloodless piece with a spiralling storyline, 'Devils of Darkness' isn't a bad film, but it isn't a terribly good one either. My score is 6 out of 10.
This is made by the company Planet Film Productions, who are perhaps best known for their Terence Fisher-directed 'Island of Terror', which involved Peter Cushing fighting jelly monsters called Silicates. Perhaps the word 'genteel' describes the company's output, or less kindly, 'dull'.
I admire anyone for wanting to create something horror-based; it is my favourite genre by far. With all due respect to everyone involved here, it seems they have little idea how to tap into to any kind of unsettling atmosphere, any way in which to raise a few scares or much in the way of tension.
While the ceremonies and debonair French vampires have an unusual and enjoyable quality, you have to sit through talky scenes of no consequence to get to them. Day for night filming takes place, but is so ineffectual, the night-creatures appear to be walking around in sunshine. Director Lance Comfort, for whom this was his last film, makes fine use of colour, giving this low budget venture a bright veneer, with some lush red used for the cultists' ceremonies.
Hammer films had become a force to be reckoned with long before this was released, and watching 'Devils of Darkness' makes it easy to see why: Hammer had a company style, which ran right up to their final releases, that has proven difficult to emulate. Subsequent Planet Films would hire Hammer alumni and still struggle to generate the elder company's technique.
A mainly bloodless piece with a spiralling storyline, 'Devils of Darkness' isn't a bad film, but it isn't a terribly good one either. My score is 6 out of 10.
- parry_na
- Apr 16, 2021