Disciple of Death

1972's "Disciple of Death" marked the 4th and final vehicle for former British disc jockey Mike Raven, who managed roles for Hammer and Amicus before venturing forth with a pair of more personal items, "Crucible of Terror" and this last, desperate attempt. Comparisons to Christopher Lee were inevitable in Hammer's "Lust for a Vampire" (second in the Mircalla Karnstein trilogy), given that Lee's blood shot orbs were used for close ups of Raven's sinister Count Karnstein, before appearing thoroughly outclassed by both Lee and Peter Cushing in the Jekyll/Hyde Amicus version "I, Monster," then starring in the independent "Crucible," whose writer/producer Tom Parkinson also took on the mantle of director here, for his first and last feature, on such a pitifully small budget that exhibitors were none too keen on such an amateurish effort. On location shooting in Cornwall doesn't help a wretched script that establishes its plot and little else, Raven's enigmatic 'Stranger' (referred to by some reviewers as Lord Asher) a suicide restored to Satanic life by a blood pact between young lovers during the 18th century, a single drop of the virgin on his deconsecrated tomb enough to make her the target for this 'Lord of the Manor' to begin systematically sacrificing young maidens to his evil master. Virginia Wetherell's comely Ruth gets her heart cut out in the most gruesome sequence, her brother rushing off with the Parson (Ronald Lacey) for help from a long bearded Cabalist (Nicholas Amer) who conjures up sand, holy water, and a magic talisman to ward off the evil one's power. A fanged dwarf (!) cuts short Lacey's embarrassing turn, the acting as awful as the story, not the best way to conclude a lackluster career for Mike Raven that never caught fire, a long forgotten obscurity that continues to defy viewers who dare to seek it out.

An overuse of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor is a sure sign of a really cheezy horror and barely a minute goes by in Disciple of Death without the familiar organ tune striking up. Bach's composition is the perfect accompaniment to minor British horror star Mike Raven, who hams it up a treat in this gloriously schlocky slice of occult nonsense that is so wonderfully daft that it proves fairly entertaining.

Raven plays The Stranger, who is released from the depths of hell when a drop of blood is accidentally spilt on the grave of a suicide victim. Free to roam the Earth once more, The Stranger assumes the identity of a lord and begins his hunt for a maiden willing to sacrifice herself for him, thus permanently releasing him from damnation. Pretty squire's daughter Julia (Marguerite Hardiman) seems like the ideal candidate, but farmer Ralph (Stephen Bradley) will do anything to save his beloved. Teaming up with the village parson (Ronald 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' Lacey), Ralph attempts to end the Stranger's wickedness...

With terrible dialogue, awful acting (there are some hilarious 'Oooh arrr!' West country accents), pitiful direction from Tom Parkinson) and a woeful script (Parkinson and Raven every bit as bad at writing as they are at directing and acting), it's easy to understand the panning the film received from critics upon its initial release. One can occasionally detect a hint of tongue in cheek, but it's never explicit, and it's not hard to imagine Raven (an occultist in real life) taking his role all too seriously. Raven provides most of the (unintentional?) laughs with his performance, although additional light relief comes in the form of a comical Jewish cabalist who gives Ralph some magic artefacts that come in handy when an evil dwarf (played by Britain's Bounciest Weather presenter, Rusty Goffe) causes mischief.

4.5/10, rounded up to 5 for the mean-spirited murders: an old hag is garotted, a pair of lovers (Joe Dunlop and Doctor Who babe Louise Jameson) are interrupted when The Stranger gets stabby, and Ralph's sister Ruth has her heart cut out.

'Disciple of Death' (1972) remains in many inexplicable ways a bizarrely entertaining, if somewhat rudimentary period Brit-shocker 'starring' that wan-faced fright-light, Mike Raven, a radio DJ, turned vanilla horror impresario. This mesmerisingly dramatic void whose strident, razor-sharp goatee provides a welcome respite from his lugubrious, and somewhat ephemeral charisma! Vengefully unleashed from hell by a drop of virgin's blood, 'The Stranger' (Mike Raven) proceeds to run devilishly amok in this once sleepy god-fearin' Cornish village!

All that being said, I do secretly admire the stalwart, Dunkirkian effort, Raven expends in his wholly specious attempt to be the consummately creepy B-movie Bogey Man! To be fair, it is, Mr. Raven's theatrically rigid, implausibly grand mannerisms as vile necromancer 'The Stranger' which ultimately makes crude satanic oddity 'Disciple of Death' such a riotously amusing exercise in home-brewed horror hokum! Do watch out for a modest cameo from luscious future Dr. Who & 'The Omega Factor' star, Louise Jameson as an evilly zombified, sinisterly be-shrouded Satan serving succubus! The divinely absurd plot, rustic FX, mirthsome dialogue, and Raven's stupefyingly sulphurous shenanigans elevate 'Disciple of Death' to that of unmissable schlock!

Julia(Marguerite Hardiman)accidentally releases a stranger(Mike Raven)from the depths of hell with a drop of her blood.The stranger is cursed to supply his master Satan with the blood of virgins until he can find a maiden to spend eternity with him.Using Julia's blood to control her the stranger plans to make her his eternal bride,unless her boyfriend Ralph(Stephen Bradley)can stop him and free Julia."Disciple of Death" is extremely cheap horror movie with inept special effects and amateurish acting.Some scenes resemble much better Tigon's horror classic "Blood on Satan's Claw".Still I had fun watching this cheesy piece of trash and I can't wait to check out the other Mike Raven's vehicle "Crucible of Terror".6 out of 10.

Low budget English film set in the 18th century about a Satanist brought back to life when the blood of a virgin drops onto his tomb. As he sets about trying to find a willing virgin to spend an eternity in Hell thus ending his damnation (I don't understand it either) two lovers, the daughter of a rich nobleman and a young man who is slowly buying up the land in the area, try to find away to be together.

Shot on the cheap this film looks more like a dress up party than reality. It doesn't help that the two lovers are probably ten years too old for their roles. Still the film has a certain amount of charm thanks to a rather bizarre performance by Mike Raven who says his lines with often odd inflections. This isn't to say its a good film, its really not but those who like interesting misfires should look for this film. Those who don't want to see a misfire should stay away.

(I have an odd relationship with the film in that I had several images from the film burned into my head since the mid 1970's when to pictures from the film appeared in a then history of current horror films.The haunting image of two horsemen by a gallows and pictures of Raven during the sacrificial ceremony squeezing the entrails of a young woman into a cup stayed with me for the last 30 years as iconic images that belonged to some movie somewhere-which I've only just discovered)