Le miroir de la mort

This hard to find made for TV movie is one of my all time favorites in the suspense department. The movie's plot is innovative and creepy without resorting to any of the hackneyed standard scare tactics that discredits so many other horror films. Outstanding performances by Carroll O'Connor and Louis Jourdan are a highlight and Marsha Hunt is also excellent as the mother who secretly does not have her son's fiancé best interests at heart. The movie's climax is also extremely well crafted and gripping as psychiatrist Louis Jourdan uses guile and creativity in his attempt to save Barbara from the antique mirror that seeks to possess her. I would recommend this movie to fans of the genre-if you can find it.

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.

After the tragic death of her fiancé a young woman see visions of her boyfriend in an old mirror he bought one day before their car accident.The psychiatrist who is interested in esoteric knowledge and occult decides to help her...First of all I haven't seen "Ritual of Evil" yet,so I won't compare "Fear No Evil" to it.Basically "Fear No Evil" contains no gore and nudity.Still the story is captivating and the acting is very good.The plot moves slowly and the climax is quite eerie and memorable.Several plot twists are quite unexpected.If you are into late 60's or 70's TV-made horror "Fear No Evil" is worth checking out.The evil in the mirror concept is usually fascintaing.7 mirrors out of 10.

I have a taped copy of this movie ...... somewhere. It is quite special, so I was surprised to find it unlisted in guidebooks such as Mauldin's. An important element involves a demonic force trying to seduce a young woman when she gazes into a mirror. Maybe it's just me, but the idea of an evil force from inside a mirror trying to distort your view of reality and control you seems particularly frightening --- of course one thinks of Dead of Night (1945), the old classic horror film. Also, the scenes where the demon is being summoned are quite disturbing --- the makers of the film seem to have had some special insight into demonology. Bradford Dillman is already dead for most of the movie, but he plays a great haunted spirit on both sides of the grave, and Louis Jourdan is good as the calm, rational psychiatrist trying to help the woman by any means possible, including unorthodox ones.

FEAR NO EVIL is a sophisticated blend of suggested horror and surprising sexual content for its time ('69) and place (tv). I haven't seen this movie since it was first broadcast, and I wish it were available on video so I could reconfirm my impressions about it. The opening scene, at a party, in which Louis Jourdan intrigues and frightens his friends about the contents of a box in his possession, sets the tone for the film and is a masterfully edited sequence of the unknown and unseen that scares the viewer without resorting to gore or cheap shocks.

The plot of the picture, dealing with passion from beyond the grave, is exceptionally well done and quite daring and bold for a late-sixties tv movie. Again, I wish I had the opportunity to re-view the movie to re-experience the pleasure it gave me, so that the story would be fresher in my mind and I could do it more justice here.