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Post by wmcclain on Oct 1, 2019 11:28:08 GMT
The Blood on Satan's Claw (1971), directed by Piers Haggard. When a plowman unearths a weird, demonic skeleton, all Hell breaks loose. The young people are instantly converted into some sort of satanic conspiracy and strange hairy growths appear on the bodies of villagers. The Devil needs body parts to assume a physical shape. This is nasty, early body-horror with intimations of The Evil Dead (1981), Hellraiser (1987) and The Witch (2015). We have ceremonial rape and human sacrifice and surgical excision of patches of satan's skin which are saved in a specimen jar so the local Magistrate can sniff it and give it to the dogs for tracking the beast. As one does. Remarkably good production values: clothes, props, countryside all look authentic, as if we were transported back in time. Not played for laughs at all. On the down side it is pasted together from three stories and plot cohesion is a problem. We're not even sure who the main characters are, but two tend to focus our attention: - Patrick Wymark as the Judge. He is skeptical at first but knows this stuff is real. He allows the cult to grow until he has a enough evidence and moves decisively to exterminate them. This contrasts with Witchfinder General (1968) and Cry of the Banshee (1970), where witch-hunting is an excuse for sadism.
- Linda Hayden as the chief seductress. She does full nudity at age 17. Pubic hair in church: you don't see that every day. The actress specialized in horror films and sexploitation comedies.
The villagers do the Monty Python "if she floats she's a witch!" routine. Photographed by Dick Bush. Available on Blu-ray as an all-region import from Sony in the UK. Prominent grain, noisy nighttime scenes, and no subtitles. Two commentary tracks: - The director, writer and Linda Hayden who played "Angel". She says she has a daughter about the same age as she was when she appeared fully nude in this film, which is a strange feeling. No way are her kids becoming actors.
- A laugh track from Mark Gatiss and friends. They revere this film and have been watching it since they were kids. Being American I sometimes have a hard time following their conversation.
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Post by The Herald Erjen on Oct 1, 2019 12:10:10 GMT
Very creepy, disturbing, and well-made horror film.
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Post by lostinlimbo on Oct 1, 2019 14:31:01 GMT
Intense and disturbing, despite its patchwork storytelling. A beautiful rural backdrop, is the perfect contrast to the unimaginable evil behind such an peaceful facade. It managed to get under my skin, especially the devil’s costume and Linda Hayden’s excellent performance. Pure dread.
I plan to watch this month a Linda Hayden starring film; ‘House on Straw Hill’ aka ‘Expose’.
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Post by TheOriginalPinky on Oct 1, 2019 15:32:23 GMT
Saw this in a drive-in when it was released on a horror movie double feature. It was really a big deal then, and very controversial. It remains one of my 70's favorites. And I agree about how it's brought together. A bit sloppy, but the movie is still a good watch! Thank you for posting about this!
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fatpaul
Sophomore
@fatpaul
Posts: 502
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Post by fatpaul on Oct 1, 2019 17:59:54 GMT
I reckon Cara Delevinge (Carnival Row, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets) is a dead ringer for Linda Hayden in that film, with the blonde hair and thick black eyebrows.
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Post by petrolino on Oct 3, 2019 21:29:56 GMT
Great movie.
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Post by poelzig on Oct 11, 2019 0:24:17 GMT
In a devilish coincidence the movie is on Turner Classic Movies at 2 am tonight. The horror movie theme tonight is devil worship starting with one of my all time favorite movies The Black Cat starring Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. If you have ever wondered what movie my avatar is from watch TCM tonight and find out. The lineup is awesome and includes: The Black Cat Curse of the Demon The Seventh Victim The Devil's Bride Blood on Satans Claw Dracula AD 1972 Great way to add to your October challenge. No need to thank me. The devil made me do it.
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Post by Prime etc. on Oct 11, 2019 1:02:09 GMT
"I mean to run this devil of yours to earth!" "I am ready to return, but understand, I shall use undreamt-of measures." Love this film. In my top 100. Never heard much of a peep about it through much of the 70s and 80s and then I guess it started to be mentioned in magazines. I love the score and the sense of being transported back in time. Few films set in the time gave that feeling so well as this. Some genuinely creepy atmospheric moments like the girl in the attic and the claw hand--as well as one scene near the end when the guy with the foot growth is in the attic and sees the procession outside. The Judge is an interesting character--you get the sense that he wasted his life thanks to his duties and missed out on marriage with that miserly woman who ends up getting her face clawed. The minister is also intriguing since he appears to have a pagan thing going on with the rabbits and snakes--and unlike many films where the church character is presented as a sex-crazed hypocrite, he isn't! I have seen the actor playing bad guys in a few films too. The commentary suggested the freezeframe at the end was supposed to indicate the Judge was possessed but I don't see that at all! In fact, I saw the story as his redemption--he was finding a purpose in life. The idea that the story was about pagan values vs Christianity as the director or writer said does not seem to be supported by the story IMO. How does incest and murder or weird hairy growths on your body fit into paganism? I think that is pretentious psychobabble they came up with after the fact. One thing I don't like is the nasty attitude of a couple of the producers in the making of video where they talked so badly about Hammer. Sounded like jealousy. The other interesting thing is how they just went with it, pushing the limits of censorship--and later expressed some regrets--like Hayden saying she wouldn't let her daughter do the nudity and also from what I heard, Wendy Padbury going from dancing on set "I am going to get raped today!" to renouncing the scene later on. This is a funny review: www.britishhorrorfilms.co.uk/satansclaw.shtml "Satan’s Claw, like its predecessor, is also a film which is deeply in love with the English countryside. Every scene is soaked in the lush greens and browns of a damp British summer, giving it a sense of time and place which (bad wigs and comedy accents aside) helps suspend disbelief and sucks the viewer in – it’s almost like the Tigon crew travelled back in time to film it. It is this quality that amplifies the horror, making you believe that what is happening on the screen actually happened. "Yokel Ralph (contravening several health and safety regulations by operating a plough wearing a bad wig)..." "After this latest incident, the judge leaves for London, mumbling something about "letting the evil grow" (cheers) and attendance continues to drop at Sunday School as the children, led by Angel Blake ( saucepot Linda Hayden), continue their games. The local quack reckons witchcraft is afoot (he's not wrong), but unlike Witchfinder, everyone doesn't start burning people at the mere mention of the word, and things are allowed to continue."
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Post by politicidal on Oct 11, 2019 16:17:44 GMT
Sweet. Just recorded it. Hadn’t the foggiest notion that was the plot.
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Oct 18, 2019 1:33:15 GMT
I'm a fan but It's a film of two differing halves, with the ending resorting to silliness.
Tigon's Talons.
Out of Tigon Productions comes The Blood On Satan's Claw. Directed by Piers Haggard (who co-writes with Robert Wynne-Simmons) it stars Patrick Wymark, Linda Hayden, Barry Andrews, Michele Dotrice & Wendy Padbury. Story is set in rural 17th century England and sees a village fall under demonic possession after a living one eyed skull is unearthed by the local ploughman.
Well it's quite a title the film has got, the sort that conjures up many a blood curdling image. Yet it's some what misleading, but in a good way. There is indeed claws involved, and definitely "Old Nick" is part of the equation, but Haggard's film is more moody and quirky than the title suggests. It has definite links to Tigon's flag bearer, "Witchfinder General", though not nearly as clever or as brilliantly cruel as Michael Reeves' film. We are in the company of Wiccan ceremonies and satanically influenced children, throw in some sexually charged dalliances and we are good to go. Hell there's even some smarts in the writing about class distinction and snobbery.
However, the first half of the piece is more rewarding than the last half. The atmosphere and eerie thematics give way to standardised jolts and gore, with a finale that just comes off as slow-mo silliness that doesn't befit the earlier build ups in the script. The music (Marc Wilkinson), photography (Dick Bush), costumes (Dulcie Midwinter) and the acting (particularly petticoat terror Hayden) are of a very high standard. It's such a pity that the director loses sight of the tone marker set and fails to see it through to a satisfying conclusion. Still, it's definitely one of the better British horrors from the 70s - with eye catching period detail and a haunting poetic feel for the most part, The Blood On Satan's Claw is a safe recommend to those that like a bit of Witchcraft and Satanism in their horror diets. 7/10
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Post by Prime etc. on Oct 18, 2019 1:40:42 GMT
I like the weirdness of the devil-he's hopping on one leg at the end because he still doesn't have the limb growing on Ralph (not to be confused with the Ralph of Spider Baby).
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Post by poelzig on Oct 18, 2019 4:00:58 GMT
I like the weirdness of the devil-he's hopping on one leg at the end because he still doesn't have the limb growing on Ralph (not to be confused with the Ralph of Spider Baby). A one legged Satan hopping about made me think of this historical oddity. Devil's Footprints
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Post by movielover on Oct 18, 2019 5:59:39 GMT
7/10 - I taped it off TCM a few nights back, and I just watched it tonight. Started a little slow, but then got more interesting about 38 minutes in. Nice little creepy horror flick. Very authentic looking, as the OP said, and like him, I did feel transported in time.
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Post by Prime etc. on Oct 18, 2019 6:57:16 GMT
A one legged Satan hopping about made me think of this historical oddity. Devil's Footprints By coincidence as I read this the soundtrack of the movie was playing on my VLC.
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Post by poelzig on Oct 21, 2019 0:26:08 GMT
A one legged Satan hopping about made me think of this historical oddity. Devil's FootprintsBy coincidence as I read this the soundtrack of the movie was playing on my VLC.
Did you notice any hoof prints outside your windows or perhaps catch a glimpse of a goat headed guy out of the corner of your eye? How cool would that be?
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Post by Prime etc. on Oct 21, 2019 0:35:39 GMT
One time when it snowed I saw snow tracks going under a shed but I imagined them to be Wampa tracks. I suspect they were a raccoon family.
However, many years ago at another place one day after a night of snowfall there were footprints leading from the back to the door at the basement level in the morning. Um that was creepy and it wasn't a racoon.
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