Review of The Devil Rides Out (1968) by Jill H — 18 Apr 2006

[font=Times New Roman][size=4][color=#000000]This classic Hammer Studios movie is a must see for Horror genre fans. It is one of Hammer?s better productions and according to various sources, one of Christopher Lee?s favorites out of the many movies he did for Hammer. I can understand his fondness for the film as it is indeed one the few (if not the only) of the Hammer films he was in where he did not play a Vampire or other sinister bad guy. In this film he gets to be the good guy.[/color][/size][/font].

[color=#000000][font=Times New Roman][size=4] Lee plays a friend to a younger man, the son of one of his deceased good friends. When the young man becomes involved in satanic worship and a group lead by a powerful man (obviously a tip of the hat to Alistair Crowley), Lee?s character must draw upon his quick mind and his past studies of the occult to save his friends son from becoming a permanent member of the evil doer?s coven. The plot is interesting and has a good mix of mystery, action, and super-natural events.[/size][/font][/color].

[color=#000000][font=Times New Roman][size=4] The music score is not bad by any means, but I have to admit, it is not really memorable in any way either. It does its job in that it shows up in various scenes to support the tension or emotion of the movie, but not in any real solid way. The special effects are not bad, but certainly not amazing or cutting edge for their time. They serve their purpose and help advance the plot well enough. Hammer Studios made some good horror films during its days of production and this one should be placed up at the top of the list of their good productions.[/size][/font][/color].