The Devil's Bride (or The Devil Rides Out)Reputation-wise, The Devil's Bride (or its original title, The Devil Rides Out) is considered one of the crown jewels of the Hammer Film series. At the recommendation of their top star Christopher Lee, they optioned the rights to the popular Dennis Wheatley novel. Their top director Terence Fisher (Horror of Dracula) was brought on board to helm the project, and acclaimed novelist Richard Matheson (I Am Legend) was hired to write the screenplay. The film is regarded as a classic of the genre. I guess you can call me the party pooper, but I think it is a great idea that unravels as it goes.
The film has an intriguing premise. The Duc de Richeleau (Christopher Lee) and Rex (Leon Greene) are old friends. A third friend had passed away many years before, and Richeleau and Rex had promised to watch over his son Simon (Patrick Mower). Unfortunately, Simon has fallen under the influence of a satanic cult leader named Mocata (Charles Gray). Luckily enough, Richeleau also just happens to be a master of the occult. The movie becomes a battle of wills between the villainous Mocata and Richeleau, with Simon's soul in the middle. Richeleau and Rex also try to save Tanith (Nike Arrighi), another potential young victim who is definitely due to be sacrificed to the devil.
The first half of the movie is pretty good, as Richeleau and Mocata keep interfering with each other's plans. There are actually some genuinely creepy moments, especially when Mocata begins to use his hypnotic influence over the weak-willed Simon and Tanith. The stakes raise, lives are threatened, we have car chases, evil genie demons, a dark and bloody ceremony in the woods, and the momentum builds to an awesome idea for a climax. Hiding out in a country estate with friends Marie (Sarah Lawson) and the skeptical Richard (Paul Eddington), Richeleau draws an magical protective circle on the floor. So long as they stay in the circle, they are safe. But Mocata's dark powers assault them at all sides, trying to either break through the barrier or convince the good guys to come out. This is a fascinating idea and an opportunity for some truly horrific magic coolness. Unfortunately, this set piece never lives up to its potential and as the film barrels to the climax, there are just so many "huh???" moments, that I was continually taken out of the movie.
For example - Spoiler Here - if you live in a house that is about to be attacked by a satanic cult, why would you put yourself in a protective magic circle, but tell your 8-year old daughter to just go upstairs to her room and go to sleep. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. So later in the movie, when they find out that Mocata has kidnapped the girl, should they really have been surprised? I wasn't. The last act of the movie has a lot of moments like this that kind of ruin the rest of the movie for me. And don't even get me started on how the movie talks about the space-time continuum. Yes, The Devil's Bride talks about the space-time continuum.
But when it works, it really is enjoyable. Terence Fisher's direction is dependable as usual, and the acting is all quite good. Christopher Lee and Charles Gray are of course the highlights - two confidant and charismatic men who are great foils for each other. And like I said, there are some genuinely cool moments. I just wish the film didn't fall apart near the end.
Overall, I think this film is worth watching, but I don't understand why it is considered one of Hammer's best.
MVP: Christopher Lee, for once playing a good guy, is the clear MVP. It's his show from the beginning. He even sells some implausible plot points - the fact that he is a master of the occult is literally just mentioned with a "oh, by the way" slight of hand. But I bought it, because I believed that Christopher Lee believed it. I think that's why Lee and Cushing are considered such icons of the genre. Because even in the most ridiculous circumstances, they seem like they believe it; they seem like they belong in this world. It makes the choice easy: Christopher Lee owns the movie.
TRIVIA: In England, the film was called The Devil Rides Out. But the U.S. distributor was worried that American audiences would think the film was a Western, so they retitled it as The Devil's Bride. It's a pity, because The Devil Rides Out is a way cooler title.
BEST LINE: A rare moment of comedy. Sitting in the magic circle, Richard says: "I think we are behaving like a pack of idiots."
Richeleau: "It begins."
Richard: "What? What begins?"
Richeleau: "Mocata is working on you. Because you are the weakest link."
Richard: "What?"
Richeleau: "Uhhh, from his point of view!"
Interesting---my wife and I were just watching this film on Halloween, the night before you posted your review, and she said the exact same thing: "They should have sent the daughter off somewhere safe." I couldn't disagree with that, although I don't remember if there was some reason within the context of the story that got lost in translation. I do know that Wheatley was very pleased with Matheson's adaptation, which kept the film moving along at a faster pace than his somewhat digressive novel. I think one of the film's greatest strengths is its refusal to talk down to its audience, giving Lee's convincing explanations their full dramatic weight. For further information, see my book RICHARD MATHESON ON SCREEN (http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/book-2.php?id=978-0-7864-4216-4), now on sale.
ReplyDelete--Matthew R. Bradley
I gather from your reviews and our discussions that if nothing else all the Hammer films have at least some cool/different/interesting moments as this one did.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment, Matthew! I do like that they didn't dumb anything down for the audience. With the movies we normally get nowadays, that intelligence was much appreciated. I just didn't like the way the time travel bit was explained...I think the last 30 minutes, in general, just could have been better.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your book - I see it just came out a few weeks ago! I'll definitely have to check it out. I really liked the book I am Legend and am a fan of Matheson's screenwriting (though I will be the first to admit that I haven't seen enough of his work; I need to see more!).
And Chris - you are correct. Even the bad Hammer movies still have something cool in them. There are some exceptions though. Stay away from The Mummy's Shroud. It is terrible!
ReplyDeleteAppreciate the kind words about the book. Another Matheson film you may want to check out if you haven't seen it already is THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE, which he adapted from his own novel, HELL HOUSE. It similarly refuses to talk down to its audience. And I quite agree with you about THE MUMMY'S SHROUD; I was never a big fan of John Gilling's work. When I interviewed Barbara Shelley and the late George Baxt (both of whom worked with Gilling on SHADOW OF THE CAT) for FILMFAX, they both portrayed him as a bit of a pill.
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