Les chevaliers du démon

Being an 18thc fan, when a movie takes place in that era, I kind of like it already, though sometimes it falls below expectations. That wasn't the case with this film. Though it's a bit misleading from the title, as very little of it has to do with that infamous club, but nonetheless, I enjoyed the story of the hero fighting to reclaim his estate and title from his evil cousin, who inherited everything due to his supposed death, and intends to make that happen!

There was some comedy here, too, when our leading man waylays the Frenchman on route to the family mansion, steals his close and takes his place, going way over the top with his phony accent and effeminate style.

There's also some romance, as he's torn between two women. I'm happy to state that he makes the right choice!

Worth watching!

This cheap 'n' cheesy British swashbuckler is very much like the costume adventure films that Hammer were making during the same period, albeit on a much lower budget. There's a wobbly, fake look to the whole production; the costumes are anything but authentic, and nothing looks very believable when it comes down to it. It has the same authenticity as an episode of DOCTOR WHO around the time of Jon Pertwee, but that's not to say it isn't fun.

The plot is completely predictable, involving a guy who comes home to claim his inheritance, only to discover that a bad guy (his cousin) has taken his place. It's rather amusing to see Keith Michell (THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII) as the straight-laced lead, but the prevalence of familiar faces in the supporting cast helps to even things out a bit. Watch out for a small, fussy turn from Peter Cushing, Peter Arne and Francis Matthews as the suave villains, Adrienne Corri (VAMPIRE CIRCUS) as a potential love interest, Miles Malleson as a judge and Bill Owen (LAST OF THE SUMMER WINE's Compo!) as a circus performer (!).

The production is quite poorly staged and the fight choreography is all over the place, with punches thrown so badly that you can clearly see they never connect. There's a half-rousing sword fight at the climax but it still pales in comparison to other fare from the era. There's lots of titillation though, thrown in as if to make up for the other deficiencies. Nevertheless I love period films from this era, so I still enjoyed THE HELLFIRE CLUB despite the obvious shortcomings.

THE HELLFIRE CLUB is often wrongly sighted as a Hammer Films production probably because the film was written by Jimmy Sangster and features Peter Cushing in the cast. (I found this film on the Hammer Films shelf at my local video store.) In this adventure set in 1700's, Jason (Keith Mitchell) is driven out of his family estate after his mother is killed and raised by a band of circus performers. When Jason returns to claim his birthright as Lord of Netherden Castle, he discovers it has been taken over by his evil cousin Thomas (Peter Arne) who is a member of the nefarious 18th century secret society The Hellfire Club. With much Errol Flynn style derring do and a capture and an escape, Jason is able to rightfully claim his birthright and expose an evil conspiracy against the crown by the French and the wicked noblemen of The Hellfire Club.

Despite The Hellfire Clubs reputation (the real life secret society, not the film) for depravity and debauchery, mostly what we see of it in the film is pretty tame, even by 1960 standards. The orgy sequence that includes several scantly clad buxom babes in harem outfits is done tongue in cheek and looks as if the films makers were spoofing a harem sequence from some Maria Montez Arabian knights epic. Keith Mitchell as Jason is a bit stiff at times but he performs the sometimes cartoonish heroics convincingly. Peter Cushing is fine as usual in a rather small role as Merryweather. The film has nice production values and moves at a good pace, but overall THE HELLFIRE CLUB is just another movie.

Having been aware of this film from its poster found in an old scrapbook of my father's as well as Leslie Halliwell's positive write-up in his film guide and given my own partiality to swashbucklers, I made it a point to catch this one during its sole TV screening in my neck of the woods which occurred in the mid-1990s. Somehow, I didn't tape it back then but, thankfully, I subsequently acquired it via Dark Sky's double-feature DVD where it was coupled with another vintage British genre film (albeit of the horror variety) BLOOD OF THE VAMPIRE (1958; which I caught up with recently during this year's Halloween Challenge) produced by the same film-making duo behind THE HELLFIRE CLUB i.e. Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman. Swashbucklers had been Hollywood's most popular genres during the 1950s so it was almost inevitable that it should also flourish in Europe (Britain, France and Italy) as well. Other British examples were a handful of rather atypical Walt Disney productions and Hammer Films but also rare one-offs like THE MOONRAKER (1958) - another film whose poster graces that aforementioned scrapbook of my father's where he used to paste sundry posters and articles of movies released locally during the 1950s and early 1960s.

The plot line of a deposed aristocrat fighting to regain his rightful place is an age-old premise - think of Tyrone Power's South Seas adventure SON OF FURY (1942) for example - and this film follows in that fashion as well as Keith Michell is ousted by his villainous cousin (Peter Arne) who claims both his title and lands following the former's departure as a boy (played by the 1960 VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED's Martin Stephens) from under the clutches of his would-be Satanic father and his 'depraved' peers – hence the title which, incidentally, was an underground society that truly existed but, unsurprisingly, this is no historical account. Ironically enough, the flight of the child and his long-suffering (and ill-fated) saintly mother was precipitated by the boy's cousin goading him to witness the debaucheries of their elders being held in the basement! Needless to say, such wickedness is only mildly (in fact, too mildly if you ask me) depicted by the film-makers and these quaint orgies (relagated to the start and end of the film) are more prone to raise a smile than an eyebrow but, even so, there are three instances of censor-baiting where fetching females (including red-headed Adrienne Corri and Kai Fischer) are shown bare-backed!

The hero had been taken by his loyal guardian (David Lodge) to stay with a travelling circus troupe where he grew up a strong,agile man with a penchant for theatricality, qualities which he will be forced to rely on in his future run-ins with Arne and his men. Swordfights, floggings, prison escapes and impersonations (by Michell of a foppish French ally of Arne's) are the order of the day making for a pacy, full-blooded entertainment punctuated by Clifton Parker's rousing music score (not to mention an amiably goofy cameo from Peter Cushing as Michell's attorney) that, while perhaps falling short of more renowned entries in the genre, is reasonably representative of its British variant made during its time.

1961's "The Hellfire Club" is really nothing more than a typical swashbuckler that promises more than it delivers. Co-scripted by Hammer's Jimmy Sangster, Keith Michell stars as Jason Caldwell, rightful heir to the Earl of Netherden, which has been claimed by wicked cousin Thomas (Peter Arne) as his own in Jason's absence. The actual Hellfire Club barely figures in the plot, merely a device carefully avoided by the filmmakers, making Jason's father and cousin Thomas members to justify its inclusion (and the title). In deference to its subject matter, both leading ladies are seen in compromising bathing situations, with Adrienne Corri and Kai Fischer supplying equal parts pulchritude and love interest. It's certainly quite watchable, action aplenty, and bolstered by a good cast, Keith Michell acquitting himself well in his athleticism. Best of all, Peter Cushing guest stars as wily attorney Mr. Merryweather, who agrees to take on Jason's case yet behaves in a rather untrustworthy manner, allowing his client to be convicted of murder and sentenced to hang (he's introduced watching the execution of one of his 'less fortunate clients'). A hint of necessary corruption indeed manifests itself in that first scene, as a dismissive Merryweather suggests a way to obtain the document that would prove Jason's inheritance: "if one was dishonest, which of course one is not, one could steal the letter!" His masterful use of props involve spectacles, snuff, and handy handkerchief, a memorable five minute cameo worth the price of admission.