Hammer Time: The Devil Rides Out (The Devil's Bride) (1968)

This film I first learned about entirely from The History of Sci-Fi and Horror documentary, in their chapter about movies concerning the devil and witchcraft. It didn't show much in the way of footage, save for Christopher Lee and some people recoiling in horror from a demonic entity riding on horseback, but Butch Patrick's narration about how great Lee was in his heroic role, saying it was right up there with any of his Dracula performances, got my attention, as at that point, I primarily knew Lee for playing villains. That little piece of the documentary was all I knew of the movie for a while, although thanks to the internet, as well as its being mentioned in 101 Horror Movies You Must See Before You Die, I did come to learn that The Devil Rides Out was considered one of the best movies for both Hammer and director Terence Fisher. I first saw it in early 2011, when I bought a DVD-R of it at a small horror convention in Chattanooga, and when I watched it, I did think it was a good movie, although the ending was a little confusing. I haven't watched it too many times since then but, each time that I have, I've found myself agreeing with the consensus that this is a true gem among Hammer's filmography, to the point where I bought Scream Factory's Blu-Ray release in early 2020. Other than some badly dated special effects and the ending, while no longer confusing to me, coming off as a bit of a deus ex machina, there's nothing bad I can say about it, as it's very well-directed, has some great acting (indeed, Lee is the man here), good production values, and nice instances of atmosphere. Therefore, and because I didn't want to go out on the studio's low point in the 70's, I figured it would be the perfect film on which to end this month-long Hammer marathon.

England, 1929. Nicholas, Duc de Richleau meets up with his old friend Rex Van Ryn for a reunion, but Rex learns from him that their other friend, young Simon Aron, hasn't been seen for months. Knowing he's bought a large house in the English countryside, the two of them go to see him and find he's in the middle of a get together with members of a supposed astronomical society, led by a man named Mocata. After they're introduced to other members of the group, Simon tells them they must leave, since they're not members themselves. Before they go, de Richleau decides to have look up in the house's observatory, where he finds strange markings on the wall and floor, as well as a black cockerel and a white hen being kept in a basket. Being an expert on the occult, he realizes the sinister meaning behind this and confronts Simon, ultimately having to knock him out and forcibly remove him from the house when he refuses to leave himself. De Richleau and Rex take Simon to de Richleau's home, where he uses hypnosis to keep him asleep until morning. He then explains to Rex that the people Simon was involved with were a satanic cult, although Rex doesn't take it seriously. At that moment, Simon, under the influence of the cult, escapes the house. De Richleau and Rex go back to his own house but find no sign of him there, instead encountering a demonic entity up in the observatory, from which they just barely manage to escape. Now knowing the extent of Mocata's satanic powers, de Richleau and Rex decide to find Simon through Tanith Carlisle, a female member of the cult whom Rex had met before. Picking her up and taking her to the home of their friends, the Eatons, Rex learns that, like Simon Tanith has not yet received her satanic baptism and thus, opts to save her as well. Due to Mocata's influence on her, she manages to escape Rex, but he tails her to a ceremony in the middle of the woods where both she and Simon are to receive their baptism. With de Richleau's help, they manage to save both of them, expelling the conjured devil himself in the process, and take them back to the Eaton household. But, Mocata will not let his two initiates go, and begins terrorizing the group with his formidable powers in order to get them back.

As he made only two other movies following The Devil Rides Out, many consider it to be Terence Fisher's last great film. Personally, I think that honor goes to Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (although, as I said yesterday, Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell does certainly have its own merits), but regardless, there's no denying that Fisher was indeed in rare form when he made this, no doubt helped by the fact that it was a movie he himself was very keen on making. At this point, he'd just done his last non-Hammer film, 1967's Night of the Big Heat (released in America as Island of the Burning Damned), which would also be the last time he directed both Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in the same film, and had the great advantage here of working from a script written by the legendary Richard Matheson, who'd worked with Hammer before on the screenplay for the 1965 thriller, Fanatic. He also had more creative control than he usually did at Hammer, as he was able to personally select some of the actors, who were typically a done deal before he came on as director. Following this film, Fisher was all set to direct Lee again in Dracula Has Risen from the Grave, but, of course, during post-production, he got caught up in the first of two car accidents that would all but derail his career permanently, making this the final movie in which he would work with Lee.

It was Christopher Lee himself who pressed Hammer into producing The Devil Rides Out, based on a novel by author Dennis Wheatley (of the three films based on his work that Hammer would ultimately produce, this is said to be the one he really liked), and so, it fits that he would absolutely own this movie in the lead role of the Duc de Richleau. As he often did, Lee has a very commanding and powerful presence here, showing that he was just adept at playing a good guy as he was a villain. He wastes no time in investigating what's happened to Simon Aron, whom he sees as something of a son, since he was good friends with his late father, after all contact with him is lost for months and he learns he's quit the club he was once a member of. Arriving at his house and finding him in the middle of a get together, de Richleau isn't fooled when Simon says he's joined an astronomical society, especially when Tanith Carlisle mentions how his and Rex Van Ryn's joining them would make the group more than the required thirteen. Knowing their going to be asked to leave, de Richleau goes along with it when it happens, but asks Simon to show him his observatory, and when he does, he's aghast to find evidence that Simon is dabbling with the occult. Unable to convince Simon to leave with them, he knocks him unconscious and he and Rex spirit him away back to his own home. After using hypnosis to make Simon placid and less likely to leave the house, de Richleau tells the skeptical Rex that the group Simon was with were devil worshipers, but then learns from his servant that Simon has fled the house regardless. When the two of them go back to his house but find it empty, de Richleau says their only way of finding Simon is to learn the real names of the people at the get together, explaining that each of them must receive a satanic baptism and be renamed after notable figures in the occult. They're then confronted by a demonic entity summoned by Mocata, and despite his warning not to look into its eyes, Rex becomes entranced by it, forcing de Richleau to banish it with a cross. Once they escape, de Richleau realizes how much of a master of the satanic arts Mocata must be, and also figures that, with the following night being April 30th, the Grand Sabbath of the year, he will likely give Simon his baptism then.

After locating Tanith's hotel, as Rex knows her, de Richleau sends him to fetch her, while he goes to the British Museum to study up on the occult through valuable volumes they have there. That night, through happenstance after he temporarily loses Tanith, Rex discovers the spot in the woods where the ceremony for Simon's baptism is to take place and contacts de Richleau. The two of them meet up and watch the ceremony from the edge of the woods, which leads to the summoning of the devil

himself in the form of the Goat of Mendes. Just as they're about to lose Simon forever, the two of them manage to save both him and Tanith by driving into the midst of the ceremony, banishing the devil with a cross, and racing away with both of them. They take them to the home of Richard and Marie Eaton, the latter of whom is de Richleau's niece, and he warns the couple of what's going on and what will happen. He tells them that they must eat as little as possible during the day and that, because they have not yet

encountered Mocata, it will be harder for him to influence them. Having to leave them for some time, he tells Richard to look after Simon, warning him not to leave him alone for an instant. By the time he returns that afternoon, he learns that Mocata had been there but had failed to take Simon, that Tanith fled the house, and that Rex is watching over her somewhere, but refuses to say where exactly. Initially thinking Rex is being foolish, de Richleau learns that it's Tanith's idea, as she doesn't want to be there when Mocata tries to attack through her again, and he prays that Rex can keep her under control. After getting some sleep before night falls, de Richleau prepares for the attack he knows is coming. He has the furniture removed from the drawing room, draws a protective circle in the floor around himself, Simon, Richard, and Marie, and has them stay there, where they endure one attack after another. With Mocata attempting to influence them through Richard's skepticism, fooling them with illusions of their loved ones in danger, and Simon's weak will, de Richleau struggles to keep them all safe and within the circle. When Mocata summons the Angel of Death, it gets to the point where de Richleau has no choice but to speak the last lines of the Sussamma Ritual, an incantation that could possibly kill them as well. When he does speak it, it seems as though it works and spirits them out of danger, but they then learn that Tanith was killed and the Eatons' young daughter, Peggy, has been taken by the cult.

De Richleau summons Tanith's spirit and has her possess Marie in order to use her connection to Mocata to find him, and while she's only able to give them a single clue, it's enough for Rex to figure out where he and the cultists are. When they arrive, it's not de Richleau who saves the day but rather Tanith's spirit, who again possesses Marie, breaks Mocata's control over Peggy, and has her recite the Sussamma spell again, which defeats the cult, kills Mocata, and reverses time for them. De Richleau explains this to them, saying that now, the future has been reset in their favor, as Tanith has been returned to life, while the Angel of Death has taken Mocata himself as the life he must take upon being summoned. He says they must indeed thank God for this turn of events.

De Richleau's friend, Rex Van Ryn (Leon Greene), is initially skeptical of the idea of Simon being caught up in satanism. At first, when the two of them go to Simon's home, walk in on the get together he's having, and de Richleau confronts him about what he's up to, Rex has no idea what's going on but goes along with de Richleau's removing Simon from the house. When they get back to his house and he tells him that the "astronomical society" were actually devil worshipers, Rex dismisses it as nonsense, saying that he believes in evil only as an idea and thinks the power of darkness is superstition. He continues holding onto this skepticism when the two of them head back to Simon's home when he escapes, until they encounter an evil entity that appears in the observatory and he falls under its spell. After de Richleau banishes it with a cross and the two of them escape, Rex is as much a believer as anyone could be. He also has a significant bit of knowledge in their locating Simon, as he's Tanith Carlisle before. Once de Richleau finds her hotel, Rex goes and fetches her, intending to have her tell them where Simon's satanic baptism is going to take place. On the way he learns that, despite her occult name, she herself has not been baptized either, giving Rex the incentive to save her from Mocata as well. But, when they arrive at the Eaton household, as de Richleau told Rex to get her as far away from London as possible, Rex is forced to chase after her when she escapes in his car. Due to Mocata's influence, Rex ends up crashing into a tree, but when he regains consciousness, he comes across their meeting place at an English country house and stows away in one of their cars when they drive to the spot in the woods where the baptism is to take place. Rex calls de Richleau to the spot via a payphone he finds on the road and the two of them manage to rescue Simon and Tanith before the ceremony is completed and take them back to the Eaton home.

There, while de Richleau is out for the day, Rex keeps watch over Tanith while she's sleeping in an upstairs bedroom. But, unbeknownst to him while he himself is sleeping, Mocata arrives at the house and attempts to use his influence over Simon and Tanith to take them back, almost driving Tanith to stab Rex. It's only after Mocata is foiled and Tanith runs off that Rex realizes what happened, chasing after her into the woods. When he catches her, she tells him she doesn't want to go back to the

house, fearing Mocata will again make her attack him or the Eatons. Rex's solution is to take her to some old stables and watch over her until morning. There, after suffering numerous spiritual attacks from Mocata, Tanith falls under his influence and hypnotizes Rex into untying her. By the time the night has passed, Rex awakens to find that the Angel of Death, summoned by Mocata, has killed Tanith. He brings her body back to the Eaton house, and stands by when de Richleau summons her spirit to tell them where Mocata and the cult is so they can save young Peggy. By the end of the movie, when Tanith's spirit has saved the girl and defeated the cult, causing time to reverse, she's been restored to life and reunited with Rex, the two of them having now fallen in love (which, unforunately, is as arbitrary as it usually is in these films and doesn't add anything to it, something that Terence Fisher agreed with).

Like Simon Aron, Tanith Carlisle (Nike Arrighi) is a young newcomer to Mocata's satanic cult, one who is under his influence far more than even Simon. Because of her name, which is the same as a moon goddess prevalent in the occult, it's initially believed that she's already been through her satanic baptism. But when Rex picks her up and takes her to the Eaton home, he learns that really is her name and she has not yet been through the ceremony, prompting him to attempt to save her as well. That's when you first see the hold Mocata has over those to be initiated into his cult, as he takes control of her on the way to the home and has her speed off without Rex once they arrive. He also helps her to elude Rex so she can meet up with the cultists and travel to the spot in the woods where her and Simon's baptism is to take place. De Richleau and Rex manage to save both of them and take them back to the Eaton house, though Tanith fears that Mocata will take control of her again and make her attack them. Her fears are justified when Mocata does show up at the house and uses his power to try to make both her and Simon kill those watching over them. Fortunately, Mocata's hold is broken before they can go through with it, and Tanith, knowing how dangerous she is to everyone, runs away, though Rex is able to catch up with her. The two of them stay together in some old stables, with Rex watching over her, but Mocata eventually takes control of her once more and she entrances Rex into untying her. But, when Mocata summons the Angel of Death and de Richleau is forced to use the potentially dangerous incantation to dispel him, he kills Tanith, as he can't return empty-handed upon being summoned. After Rex brings her body to the Eaton house that morning, de Richleau summons her spirit in order to find Mocata's location after he and the cult kidnaps Peggy. Possessing and speaking through Marie Eaton, Tanith, now completely pure, agrees to help them, especially since she loves Rex, but finds it hard to locate Mocata and is frightened to enter where he is. Despite her fear, she manages to give them a clue that leads them to the location, and later, when all hope seems lost, she, again, possesses Marie, awakens Peggy from the trance Mocata has her under, and has her speak the incantation that defeats the cult and reverses time. As a result of the time reversal, Tanith is restored to life and reunited with Rex.

Having been drawn into Mocata's cult and not seen his friends and family for a long time, Simon Aron (Patrick Mower) becomes very nervous when de Richleau and Rex show up at the meeting of the cult at his home. He acts courteous enough, but after Mocata talks with him privately, he asks them both to leave, since they're not members of the group. Though they agree to do so, de Richleau asks Simon to show him his observatory before they go, saying he has an interest in astronomy, only for him to discover proof of the group's satanic nature up there. At first admonishing them for butting into his private affairs, Simon then fearfully tells de Richleau that he can't leave with them and also can't permit them to stay, forcing the Duc to knock him unconscious and remove from the house by force. Once at de Richleau's house, Simon is put under hypnosis, made to go to sleep, and told to awaken the following morning. But, not too long afterward, Mocata's influence takes hold of Simon, making him choke himself with the crucifix de Richleau gave him for protection and ring for Max, de Richleau's servant. Max removes the crucifix and, when he goes downstairs to tell de Richleau what happened, Simon flees the house and isn't seen again until Rex comes across the cultists the next day. Just as Simon and Tanith are about to receive their diabolical baptism, de Richleau and Rex rescue both of them and take them to the Eaton household. At this point, Simon is now trying to resist Mocata's power and does what he can to aid the others in saving him, but he proves to still be very susceptible when Mocata tries to force him to strangle Richard Eaton to death. That night, when he, de Richleau, Richard, and Marie are fending off Mocata's spiritual attacks on them, Simon is almost forced to leave the circle, with Richard having to knock him unconscious. He awakens when the Angel of Death comes for him and breaks the circle in his fright, forcing de Richleau to speak the potentially dangerous incantation that can reverse time. The next mornin, it seems like the danger has passed, but when he hears that Mocata has taken young Peggy, he rushes to confront the cult. He tries to get Mocata to exchange Peggy for himself but Mocata intends to sacrifice Peggy's untainted soul, and though Simon tries to stop him, he's beaten back into submission by Mocata's power, reducing him to a helpless bystander during the climax.

The ultimate salvation for them all comes in the unlikely form of Marie Eaton (Sarah Lawson), de Richleau's niece. At first, she, as well as her husband, Richard, serves as little more than added protection for both Simon and Tanith when the two of them are brought to her home, as their having not yet encountered Mocata would make them better at resisting him. That resistance is put to the test when, after de Richleau leaves, Mocata shows up and talks with Marie in the drawing room, where he uses his hypnotic powers on her. Slowly but surely, she falls underneath his spell, completely helpless under his strong will, and is forced to tell him where both Simon and Tanith are in the house. Mocata then tries to make them attack the people watching over them, when little Peggy walks into the library, distracting Mocata and causing him to lose his grip on everyone. With her senses back, Marie forces him out and when he leaves, he says that while he won't be back, something will come for Simon that night. When de Richleau returns, Marie tells him what happened, as well as that Rex rushed off after Tanith and has her somewhere that allows him to watch over her without endangering the others. During the onslaught of Mocata's attacks that night, Marie is almost fooled into leaving the protective circle when she sees a vision of Peggy, who's then supposedly menaced by a huge spider that appears in the room, but de Richleau is able to reveal it as the fraud it is. Marie truly becomes significant during the climax, when she's twice possessed by the spirit of Tanith: first so she can help them find where Mocata and the cultists are when Peggy is taken, and then, when she awakens the girl from her trance and has her recite the spell that brings divine retribution upon the cultists.

Like Rex at the beginning of the movie, Richard Eaton (Paul Eddington) is totally skeptical of de Richleau's claims about the cult, Mocata's power, and his influence over Simon and Tanith. When they're brought to their home, de Richleau tells Richard to watch over Simon while he sleeps, telling him not to leave him alone for an instant, and while Richard initially makes light of it, he does what he says. When Mocata shows up and tries to force Simon and Tanith to come with him, he makes Simon attack Richard and nearly strangle him, though he's stopped before he can kill him. As bizarre and unexpected as this was, Richard still doesn't take it seriously when de Richleau has the furniture in the drawing room removed, draws a large circle on the floor, and has them lie in the middle of it, with their heads next to each other, as he says he feels like they're acting like morons. De Richleau tells him Mocata is working on him because of his skepticism, trying to break the circle through him, but Richard scoffs at it and even tries to go for a drink, though de Richleau stops him. But, as the attacks go on, with various entities and hallucinations appearing to them, Richard quickly gets all the convincing he needs, and when the Angel of Death appears, he pushes de Richleau to use an incantation he's reluctant to speak because of its potential danger. And then, after the night is over, both Richard and Marie are horrified to learn that Peggy has been taken, and when they confront the cultists at their hideout, Richard is so aghast at what Mocata plans to do with her that he rushes at him but is restrained by the other cultists. Fortunately, Tanith's spirit then intervenes and saves them all.

Peggy (Rosalyn Landor) is very much a bystander for the most part, with her only significant moment in the middle of the movie being when she walks into the library and breaks Mocata's spell over her mother. That night, while the adults stave off Mocata's attacks in the drawing room, Peggy stays in the nursery and is watched over by the Eatons' servant, Malin. But come morning, they learn that Peggy has disappeared, having been kidnapped by the cult, which incenses Simon into going to their hideout in order to save her. However, he's unable to get Mocata to agree to exchange him for her, as he intends to use her as a sacrifice during the satanic ceremony, and it doesn't look like the others stand much chance in saving her either. That is, until Tanith's spirit possesses her mother, awakens her from the trance Mocata has put her under, and has her speak the spell that punishes the cultists and reverses time in their favor.

Mocata is played by Charles Gray, an actor who, before this, I knew best as having played Blofeld in Diamonds Are Forever. Given the rather comical take on the character in that film, which is almost assuredly the campiest in that whole series, you'd never guess that he'd be able to play a truly menacing villain, but you'd be dead wrong, as  Mocata is one of the greatest bad guys who's ever appeared in all of Hammer. Initially coming off as a warm, debonair, and charming man when Simon introduces de Richleau and Rex to him when they show up at the get together, that veneer is slowly peeled away, as you see the extent of his satanic power in the hold he has over Simon and Tanith, controlling and moving them to escape from those who try to rescue them from the cult, and in his ability to summon demonic spirits and create hallucinations. Not only does he raise the demon de Richleau and Rex encounter in Simon's observatory, during the ceremony for Simon and Tanith's baptism, he actually summons the devil himself in the form of the Goat of Mendes. But Mocata's most notable scene, as well as probably the best in the whole movie, comes when, after de Richleau leaves, he shows up at the Eaton household and talks with Marie in the drawing room. He comes off as charming, saying he wants to dispel the "bad image" of him de Richleau has given her, and when Marie tries to make him leave, he begins to work on her, telling her to hear him out and slowly overpowers her will. He talks softly and smoothly, first explaining what the magic arts are all about, how there is nothing good or evil about them, and that they are merely a science, but as he goes on and she falls deeper under his spell, he shifts into telling her that she's now under his power and makes her tell him where Simon and Tanith are. When he does, learning that Richard and Rex are looking after them respectively, he turns his attention to the ceiling and influences them to attack their guardians. It's only when Peggy walks in, surprising him, that he loses his grip on all involved, and is promptly thrown out by Marie. He leaves without any struggle, but tells her, "I shall not be back... but something will. Tonight. Something will come for Simon and the girl."

Mocata makes good on his threat, as he not only terrorizes those in the drawing room with various hallucinations and evil entities, but also manages to take control of Tanith again and uses her to escape Rex. Ultimately, he summons the Angel of Death, forcing de Richleau to use the spell he was leery of using because of its potential danger. Mocata also kidnaps Peggy Eaton, intending to use her in a sacrifice, one which Simon attempts to stop but, like before, Mocata's hypnotic influence is too much for him to resist. De Richleau, Marie, Richard, and Rex are unable to do much else when they show up, and Mocata comes very close to performing the sacrifice, when Tanith's spirit takes possession of Marie, awakens Peggy from her trance, and has her recite a powerful spell. The spell not only defeats the cultists and destroys their coven, turning it into something holy, but when time is reversed, it's revealed that, in this instance, the Angel of Death took Mocata's life in exchange for Tanith's.

The devil does make a brief appearance here, though some may find his visage as the Goat of Mendes, or more precisely, Baphomet, as a tad ridiculous, as it's a bare-chested guy sitting cross-legged on a stone block, with a goat's head and legs. While I can't deny that it wasn't exactly what I was expecting the first time I watched the movie, I think it's actually kind of unnerving, thanks to the way Terence Fisher shot it and also due to the design, which was one of the free-lance jobs Roy Ashton did for Hammer after he officially left the studio following The Reptile. And in case you're wondering, Christopher Lee's longtime stunt double, Eddie Powell, is the one who's actually playing him.

While that depiction of Satan is maybe a bit too traditional and stereotypical for today's audiences, and as we'll see, the demonic manifestations that occur throughout the film aren't done that convincingly or effectively, what The Devil Rides Out does do successfully is present satanists in a very realistic manner. Like those in Rosemary's Baby, released the same year, they're initially depicted as ordinary-looking people, respectable members of high society in how they're dressed in tuxedos and are having an upscale

soiree when you first meet them at Simon's house (only the character of the Countess d'Urfe, with her noticeably crossed eyes, looks somewhat odd). Gradually, their true, sinister nature is unveiled, first by the discovery that de Richleau makes in Simon's observatory and then by the first demonstrations of Mocata's power, but even after that, when you see them getting together at their hideout before driving off into the woods for Simon and Tanith's baptism, they look like normal

people out for a nice afternoon drive, dressed as though they're heading for another get together or a club meeting. It's only when you see them in their robes, with Mocata, whom original author Dennis Wheatley is said to have based on Aleister Crowley, leading them in worship of the devil and sacrificing a goat as part of the ceremony, that they've finally shed their veneer.

While he wasn't exactly devout, Terence Fisher is said to have been a very religious person nevertheless, and one who was deeply convinced of the eternal triumph of good over evil. This belief is clear in many of his films, especially in his three Dracula films, with their many moments of holy images combating evil and the constant defeat of Dracula, and with how Baron Frankenstein is often resoundingly defeated at the end of those films, but here, he was able to go with it in the purest form possible. Things are very cut and

dry here: those who have faith and believe in the power of God over Satan, like the Duc de Richleau, are protected against evil, while those who are faithless and skeptical, like Rex Van Ryn and Richard Eaton, are more likely to fall prey to it. It's never more blatant than the ending, where the spirit of Tanith, who has accepted Jesus Christ in death, has Peggy recite the incantation that completely obliterates the cultists and creates a large, glowing cross in the back of their ceremony room. And at the end of the movie, when time has been reversed in the protagonists' favor and Mocata's life has been taken by the Angel of Death, de Richleau blatantly states that they must give thanks to God.

Terence Fisher and cinematographer Arthur Grant truly brought their A-game to The Devil Rides Out, as it is one of Hammer's best-looking movies period. It has that high-class, glossy, mid-to-late 60's color film look to it, with a rather rich palette (as you can see, the purple shrouds that Mocata and some of the other satanists wear really pop off the screen) that lets you know you're watching a top of the line movie (you would never suspect that it actually had a fairly low budget of 285,000 pounds). As usual, Fisher and Grant are able to create a nice feeling of

atmosphere with the cinematography, with scenes shot in spooky darkness that act as a nice contrast to the number of those that take place in lovely broad daylight, and are also dim enough to come off as creepy and to suggest things, while also not being so dark that they prevent you from seeing what's going on. Speaking of which, this is an instance where the day-for-night photography, which is used fairly sparingly anyway, helps with the film's mood, giving it an otherworldly,

unnatural vibe that accentuates the feeling of evil in the air, mostly effectively during the night when Mocata uses his powers to attack both those at the Eaton house and Rex and Tanith in their shack in the woods. And, in the scenes in the early morning following the night of spiritual attacks, there is a faint mist in the air, which is always a nice touch and one that, in this case, seems to herald the notion that it's all over now.

As he always did, Fisher employs a subtle, non-intrusive, measured approach in his direction, using any notable instances of camerawork only to accentuate the action. Significantly, there are a number of close-ups of people's eyes, particularly the piercing blue, hypnotic ones of Mocata and those under his influence, like when he hypnotizes Marie Eaton and when Tanith falls under his power and, in turn, does the same to Rex (these shots are very akin to those you see in the Hammer Dracula series and are just as, if not more,

effective). These shots also often involve the edges of the frame being blacked out in a halo effect that's similar to the visual cues Freddie Francis often employed in his films as director. Going back to the confrontation between Mocata and Marie, that scene is as well shot as it is acted. When Mocata begins to work on Marie, the camera very gradually pushes in towards her as she falls to the couch and slowly succumbs to his will, while the camera gets closer to Mocata's face through the editing. As he talks continuously, with the camera going in

closer and closer on her face, accompanied by James Bernard's swirling music, it perfectly captures the feeling of someone being hypnotized, until we get right in on her face, as she's now wide-eyed, unblinking, and slack-jawed. Then, when Mocata orders her to tell him where Simon and Tanith are, the camera is just as close on his face, and uses a downward angle shot when he looks up at the ceiling, intending to put them under his control. It's just a very effective scene that shows a talented director at the top of his game.

This was when Hammer still had the benefit of production designer Bernard Robinson who, as usual, was able to create some truly magnificent, elegant, and expensive-looking sets at Elstree Studios in Borehamwood. The standouts include Simon's observatory at his house, which is absolutely stunning, particularly with that glossy floor and that large, occult symbol on it; the large drawing room of the Eaton household, which you see both when it's completely furnished, with some notable red pieces of furniture, a large rug on

the floor, a fireplace, and various wall adornments like bookshelves, an animal trophy, various paintings, and two swords above the fireplace, and when the furniture has been removed, with de Richleau drawing a large, protective circle on the floor and lining it with large candles; and the inside of the house where the climactic confrontation between the protagonists and the cultists takes place, which is their ceremonial room, with a raised section of the floor in the back that houses a pedestal where Mocata places Peggy in his attempt

to sacrifice her. After Peggy is made to speak the incantation that enacts divine retribution on the cult, the place is completely cleared of anything sinister, with a large, glowing cross appearing in the back of the room, signifying that the place has been totally cleansed. All of the other sets, such as the ballroom where Simon holds his get together at the beginning of the movie, the large drawing room in de Richleau's own home, and the various other rooms in the Eaton house, look just as nice and elegant, while the straw-filled stables that Rex and

Tanith take shelter in make for a more confined and rustic change of pace. When it comes to actual locations, you'd be right in suspecting that the scenes in the woods, particularly the satanic ceremony, were shot at Hammer's beloved Black Park, and it's also fitting that the exterior of the building where the climax takes place is High Canons, the same place that would serve as the exteriors for Pelham House in The Satanic Rites of Dracula. Interestingly, the exterior of the Eaton home is actually the Edgwarebury Hotel in Buckinghamshire, while Grim's Dyke House served as the exteriors for Simon's.

Because the movie as a whole is so strong, the few flaws that it has stick out like sore thumbs, and a major one that most people, including Christopher Lee himself, have referred to are the special effects, which are very heavy for a Hammer film. A couple are fine, like Mocata's eyes appearing in the mirror of Rex's car when he's driving Tanith to the Eaton house and when the windshield turns completely opaque and white during the car chase, but the majority of them are very badly dated instances of matting and blue screen work. Not only does

this include major effects shots but also simple ones, like the matting of the observatory onto the exterior shots of Simon's house, the blue screened, moving backgrounds during the driving scenes (they're not so bad when the top on Rex's car is up but when it's down, it's blatant with a capital "B"), and the blue screen used during the climax, when there's fire burning around the cultists. However, that's nothing compared to how cringe-worthy the effects depicting the satanic entities Mocata conjures up are, like the black, genie-like

figure de Richleau and Rex encounter in the observatory (who it's painfully obvious wasn't in the set, even when he's the only one in the shot), with the matting of him with Christopher Lee and Leon Greene in the foreground looking really bad, with the scale being totally off. During the sequence in the Eaton drawing room, Mocata conjures up a vision of a large spider to scare the characters into leaving the protective circle, but I didn't know it was supposed to be a giant until I saw it in the wide shots with the actors, as the

close-ups of it crawling around give no indication of scale. Also, as you probably suspect, the compositing of it with the actors, especially when it seems to be threatening Peggy, looks only slightly better than something you'd see in a Bert I. Gordon movie. The Angel of Death looks no better when he appears out of nothingness in the wide shot with the actors, and because the horse they were forced to use was old, decrepit, and barely able to do what was required of it, the filmmakers

tried to compensate by using slow-mo and rocking the footage of the horse rearing up back and forth, but it comes off as ridiculous and archaic instead. And when you see the Angel's skull face, you'll notice that the background behind him is a deep blue... because they forgot to matte out the blue screen.

As I said, as much as he really liked this movie, Christopher Lee freely admitted that the special effects were badly dated and did hurt it to a degree. In his audio commentary, which he did with Sarah Lawson, Lee stated that he felt the movie could benefit greatly from a remake that took advantage of modern technology. While no such remake was made in his lifetime, and still hasn't happened to this day, when the film was released on Blu-Ray by Studio Canal in the UK in 2012, they gave it the George Lucas treatment and used digital

technology to try to fix some of the previous errors. Not only did they smooth out many of the matte shots but also added CGI effects to certain scenes, such as a digital background of an overcast night sky for the exteriors of Simon's house rather than the poorly matted observatory, replacing the unfinished blue screen shot behind the Angel of Death with digital flames, and also replacing an old-fashioned, animated lightning bolt seen during the climax with a CG one. But, while it may not make

the movie feel as creaky and archaic as it did before, I, like a lot of people, feel that you should let old movies be. As dated as those effects are, they're what audiences saw in 1968, they're a product of their time, and, as an anonymous reviewer noted in Cine Outsider, it's the version of the movie Terence Fisher signed off on. Plus, seeing digital effects in a movie that you know was made in the late 60's doesn't feel right. Like with Lucas, I think this version is the only one you can see now... at least with the original The Devil Rides Out title; Scream Factory's Blu-Ray release has it, as well as the version sporting the American title, The Devil's Bride, which is totally unaltered (there's no difference between the movie's content, save for the title).

This is not a con itself, but I'll say that those who go into this expecting to see some Kinsington gore like many Hammer films will be disappointed, as there's only one truly bloody moment: during the ceremony in the woods, Mocata kills a goat as a sacrifice and you see its blood pour into a large pot, which he then holds up. A few moments later, some of the blood is poured onto Tanith's chest as she stands next to Simon. Later, as they attempt to conjure Tanith's spirit, some blood is used in the ritual, but that earlier moment is the only one that will appeal to gorehounds, as that's simply not what this movie is about.

It starts off very leisurely, with Duc de Richleau meeting Rex Van Ryn after the latter flies in on a small biplane and lands in a field. When they drive off in de Richleau's car, Rex, after asking where Simon Aron is, learns that de Richleau hasn't seen him in three months, Richard and Marie Eaton haven't heard from him since Christmas, and he's quit the club he used to be a member of and bought a large house. They decide to stop by there to see Simon, arriving there at night,

and when Rex rings the doorbell, de Richleau notes the observatory on the roof. The door is answered by a butler, who shows the two of them to the drawing room, where a party of some sort appears to be underway. Spotting them, Simon, despite not expecting them to show up, greets them and explains that it's not a party but actually a meeting of an astronomical society he's joined. He introduces them to the Countess d'Urfe, and then to Tanith Carlisle and Mocata. While Rex talks with Tanith,

whom he says he's met before, de Richleau speaks with Mocata and Simon, with the former talking about how happy they were to welcome him into their society, draping his arm around his shoulders. Simon tries to acknowledge de Richleau's mentioning how they haven't seen him in so long and that he seems to have forgotten their reunion, when Mocata takes him aside to tell him something in private. De Richleau then explains to Tanith that he, Rex, and Simon's late father were friends for many years and that they've agreed to keep an eye

on Simon for him. Tanith asks them when they joined the group, when two other members arrive, confusing her, as there are only supposed to be thirteen. Rex mentions that they aren't members and just dropped by to see Simon, missing de Richleau's warning not to say so. Tanith excuses herself and de Richleau, watching Simon speak with Mocata, who turns to look at them, tells Rex they're likely about to be asked to leave. He asks him to move about the guests and listen to what they have

to say. Simon walks up to Rex and, just as de Richleau said, says he's going to have to make them leave, as the meeting is about to start. De Richleau, meanwhile, walks among the guests, listening to their conversations, when Simon walks up and says the same to him. The Duc says they both understand and allows him to lead them out of the drawing room. But then, he says he'd like to see the observatory, as he's fascinated with astronomy. He doesn't give Simon a chance to answer and walks through the door to stairs leading to the observatory, followed by Simon and Rex.

On their way up the stairs, Simon rushes ahead of de Richleau and enters the observatory first. Rex asks de Richleau why he wants to see the telescope and he answers, "I don't." Inside the room, they marvel at the size of the place and the telescope in the space next to the window, when de Richleau notes some charts on the wall by the door, saying they're not astronomical. Simon, clearly nervous, says they're meant as decoration, nothing more. He's about to lead de Richleau to the

telescope, when the Duc raises his hand, silencing him, as he hears a scratching sort of sound behind him. Turning around, he flings open a door, finding a wicker basket on the floor. Simon tries to stop him from opening it, saying he'll have to leave, but de Richleau shoves him aside and opens the lid, revealing two chickens: a black rooster and a white hen. While Rex is confused by this, de Richleau becomes enraged, as he grabs Simon and exclaims, "You fool! I'd rather see you dead than meddling

with black magic!" Simon tells him to take his hands off him, and when he does, he says that he didn't ask them to come and they have no business butting into his personal life. De Richleau, in turn, says he feels like a father who's seeing his child doing something potentially hazardous, and tells Rex that what they've found means, "Simon here is playing the most dangerous game known to mankind." Simon insists he's making a big deal out of it, but when de Richleau says,

in that case, they should be allowed to stay, he refuses because they aren't members of the "circle," before correcting himself and saying "society." Figuring that their presence would be significant, as it would increase the number of people from thirteen, de Richleau, saying he's made a study of what Simon is dabbling in, asks him to come away with him and Rex. Simon, who's now sweating, says he can't, and also says he can't allow them to stay. Seeing no other recourse, de Richleau decks him, knocking him to the floor. They're then see walking

down the stairs, with Rex carrying Simon over his shoulder. When they reach the foyer, de Richleau looks at the closed door to the drawing room before motioning for Rex to go on ahead. They head for the door, when a servant comes charging at them from another door to the right. De Richleau makes short work of him, knocking him to the floor, but he knocks over an urn that breaks with a loud smash. Mocata emerges from the drawing room and, seeing the downed servant, rushes to the door and watches them drive off.

When they arrive at de Richleau's home, he has Rex put Simon on the couch, and his butler, Max, bring him a mirror. De Richleau uses some smelling salts to awaken Simon and, as he comes to, he has Rex point the lampshade towards him. He then uses the mirror to reflect the light into Simon's face, telling him to look into it. At first, Simon squints at the light, but he does as de Richleau says and keeps looking. De Richleau tells him, "You have been hurt, and your mind is troubled, but

you're with your friends now, and there is nothing more to worry about. I'm going to send you to sleep, Simon. Your eyes will close as soon as I touch them." He then does so and Simon's eyes do, indeed, close. He further instructs him, "You will wake up at 10:00 tomorrow morning. Your mind will be free from all pain, and from all anxiety." He then takes out a crucifix from a desk drawer and tells Simon to stand up. Entranced, Simon opens his eyes and does so, and de Richleau tells him he's

going to place the crucifix around his neck and that he won't remove it. Putting it on him, he leads him to the doorway, telling him he will go to his bedroom, lie down, and fall asleep immediately. He then has Max lead him up to the bedroom. De Richleau pours some drinks for him and Rex and, when he hands him his drink, Rex writes everything that he's mentioned off as nonsense, further stating that he believes in evil as just an idea and dark powers as a superstition. De Richleau

tells him, "Now, there you are wrong. The power of darkness is more than just a superstition. It is a living force, which can be tapped at any given moment of the night." Upstairs, as he's lying on the bed, Simon's eyes snap open and he tightens the crucifix's chain tighter and tighter around his neck, until he begins choking. He presses the button at his bedside, and when Max walks in, he finds that Simon is about to choke to death. Back downstairs, de Richleau is trying to convince Rex that the people Simon was with were satanists, saying that

the chickens they found in that basket were the proof, as they were to serve as age-old sacrifices of the black cockerel and white hen. Max then comes in and tells de Richleau he felt he'd better bring him the crucifix. Aghast, he rushes upstairs, followed by Rex and Max, and there, they find that Simon is gone, having escaped through the veranda. De Richleau asks Max why he removed the crucifix and he explains that it was choking Simon. The Duc hopes that Simon went back to his house.

De Richleau and Rex head to the house and sneak inside through an open window to find it dark and completely quiet. In the foyer, Rex suggests he look upstairs while de Richleau looks down there, but de Richleau says they should stay together. Rex, still the skeptic, laughs it off and says he'll scream if he so much as smells anything. He then heads up to the second floor, while de Richleau walks into the drawing room and finds it totally deserted. They meet back up in the foyer, Rex

saying he didn't find anything upstairs, and de Richleau realizes the only place left to look is the observatory. They creep up the stairs to the room, when Rex notes that it feels colder up there and de Richleau confirms it is indeed. But, when they walk through the doors and turn on the lights, they find that there's no one there, either. De Richleau goes to the door on the other side of the room and opens it up to find the wicker basket. Opening it, he finds the chickens are still

there and comments, "At least we've saved your lives." He then says that finding Simon would be easier if they knew the real names of some of the people they met there, explaining that, in order to become a follower of the "Left Hand Path," one has to be baptized and take the name of a notable figure of the occult. He brings up the girl named Tanith, whom Rex says he's met before at a casino, having seen her there with the Countess d'Urfe, and de Richleau tells him that her name is the same as

that of the Carthagenian moon goddess. They decide to see what they can find there and look through some drawers in a cabinet against the wall, as well as behind the doors on either side of it. Behind one, de Richleau finds an old book that he flips through and learns is the Clavicule of Solomon. He hands it to Rex for him to inspect, when the lights in the room suddenly dim and he shivers as an unearthly chill wafts through. They then watch as steam begins to expel from the demonic figure drawn in the center of the large

symbol on the floor, which then forms into a large, black man, wearing an Indian kaupinam. De Richleau puts his head down and warns Rex not to look at the figure's eyes but Rex's curiosity gets the better of him and he looks up. He falls under the entity's power and starts walking towards it. De Richleau grabs his hand, again telling him not to look, and then not to pull away. But Rex, fully entranced, drops the book to the floor and keeps walking towards the entity. With no other recourse, de Richleau takes the crucifix out of his

pocket, quickly says an incantation, and tosses it at the entity, dispelling it. He tells Rex to run and they quickly flee the observatory and the house.

As they're driving away, Rex, now a firm believer, says he's never been so scared in his life; de Richleau, in turn, regrets having taken him in there, but Rex tells him to forget it. De Richleau explains to Rex that what they encountered was an evil spirit that was conjured up by Mocata, who is likely a master satanist, an Ipsissimus, and is looking to baptize Simon into his cult. He then realizes that the date is April 29th and that the Grand Sabbath of the year is the following night, which is likely when Mocata plans

to have the baptism. Their only hope of finding him in time is to first find Tanith. Come morning, while Rex has been sleeping on the couch, de Richleau has spent all night trying to find the London hotel where Tanith is staying. He then wakes up Rex, telling him he's finally found her. Putting his shoes on, Rex gets up and prepares to leave, but de Richleau says he'll have to pick up Tanith by himself, as he needs to get to the British Museum and look up some vital volumes on the

occult. He also tells him to get Tanith as far away from London as possible and Rex comes up with the idea of taking her to the Eaton house. Borrowing one of the Duc's many cars, he heads out and, in the next scene, is driving Tanith to the Eaton home. On the way, Rex lets on that he knows what's going on but says he only wants to take her to lunch. Tanith, however, isn't so keen on the idea and eventually asks Rex to drive her back. When he doesn't comply, she tries to climb out of the car while it's still moving but he pulls her back,

telling her not to ever do that again. He then asks why she's so afraid of Mocata and she says it's because of what she knows he'll do. He clarifies that he's taking her to see de Richleau, assuring her she has nothing to fear, when she mentions not being at the Sabbath in time for her baptism. Realizing that "Tanith" just happens to be her birth name, Rex decides that they can save her as well as Simon. He goes on to tell her that de Richleau can help her, but as he talks, the sound of his voice is drowned out and Tanith sees Mocata's eyes looking

at her in the car's mirror. He tells her to listen to what he tells her but whatever he says is not heard, as the sound of Rex's talking comes back, and he sees that she appears to be spacing out.

At the Eaton house, everyone is outside, with Marie serving lunch on the patio furniture in the yard, while Richard works on his car and Peggy plays around nearby. Just as Marie and Peggy have an argument about the former wanting her to wash her hands and the girl is about to go inside to do so, they hear a horn honking and see Rex coming down the driveway. He drives around the circle of the driveway, stops, and gets out and greets everyone, while Tanith continues sitting in the car.

Just then, she takes off in it, and Rex tells the confused Richard then he needs to borrow his car, adding, "Simon's life depends on it." He hops in and speeds off after Tanith, with Peggy commenting, "He didn't stay long, did he?" It doesn't take long for him to catch up to Tanith, who spots him in the side-view mirror and speeds up to try to lose him. The chase continues down the road, with Tanith veering off to the left, but Rex manages to stay on her tail, as well as when she makes

another turn to the right up ahead. Mocata's voice comes up, telling her, "Do not be afraid. I'm still with you. He will never catch you," and she, again, sees his eyes in the mirror. He then lends his assistance by making Rex's windshield turn completely opaque, nearly causing him to run off the road. He punches through the glass, making a hole that he can see through, and continues the chase, though he bristles at the air blowing in his face and eyes. The two of them round a curve up ahead and head down a hill, when Mocata speaks

to Tanith once more, telling her, "Listen and obey." She then speeds off into the woods and a thick cloud of fog appears in her wake. Rex speeds through, totally blind, and runs off the road and crashes into a tree, knocking himself unconscious.

Awakening some time later, Rex staggers out of the wreckage and makes his way down to the road. There, he turns when he hears a car coming behind him and tries to flag it down, but it nearly runs him over, forcing him to dive off to the side; it's revealed that the driver is Countess d'Urfe. Getting to his feet, Rex chases after her and follows her through an open gate, while she parks along with a number of other cars in front of a white, English country house. She gets out and

heads inside, while Rex reaches the parking lot himself. He hides behind one of the cars and watches as the cultists, led by Mocata, with Simon walking alongside him, file out of the house and into their various vehicles. Rex moves along the rears of the cars, making sure that no one spots him, and climbs into the trunk of one of them. The cars leave the parking lot and drive in a long line, entering the forest as night falls. They park amid the trees and disembark, Mocata personally leading

Simon and Tanith through the woods, followed by the other cultists. Rex emerges from the trunk he was hiding in and watches them disappear into the forest, before climbing out and quietly following them. Just beyond the treeline, he spots them gathering together in an open area where a couple of tents are set up. Save for Simon and Tanith, they're all dressed in shrouds, with Mocata and the other high-ranking members wearing purple, while the others wear white. They gather up near an altar,

which Mocata stands in front of and leads them in an opening sermon, his followers repeating his incantations. Once that's done, the man standing to his right lights a candle on the altar and he, in turn, lights a large cauldron in front of him. Simon and Tanith watch from nearby as a small goat is led to the altar and then lifted up and placed upon it. Walking behind the altar, Mocata brandishes a dagger and slices the goat's throat open, its blood pouring into a large pot a follower holds beneath it; while the other cultists are enthralled by it, Simon

is obviously disgusted. Mocata is then given the pot holding the blood and raises it above his head, with the cultists running up to him. Having seen enough, Rex rushes off back to the main road. He phones de Richleau using a payphone on the side of the road, tells him what's happening, and gives him the location. De Richleau arrives promptly and picks Rex up. He then directs the Duc to the location and de Richleau, in turn, hands Rex two vials, one of salt and the other of mercury, telling him to keep them in each pocket. He says it's part of the research he did earlier, while he himself has other protection.

Back at the ceremony, the cultists are dancing around crazily and actually drinking the goat's blood from goblets on a table. Nearby, de Richleau and Rex park just behind the cultists' cars and make their way up to the small ridge where they see what's going on. As the crazed celebration continues, Mocata smiles at Simon and Tanith, who look more put off by it. One crazed follower walks over to Tanith and pours the goat's blood on her, despite her protesting against him. While watching,

Rex tells de Richleau that Tanith has not yet been baptized and he says they'll do what they can to help her as well. The cultists' dancing becomes all the more provocative, with one grabbing onto, caressing, and pecking Simon on the cheek, as Mocata continues to watch and smile evilly at him. The leader raises his arm, yells something that the others repeat, and they all turn to see the figure of a humanoid with a goat's head and legs appear on the altar. As he surveys those around him,

Mocata and the other cultists bow before him, while de Richleau exclaims, "The Goat of Mendes! The devil himself!" Standing up from bowing, Mocata turns and points at Simon, who's brought up to him. Seeing this, Rex tries to rush in but de Richleau stops him, warning him that his soul is in danger as well as his life. De Richleau says he wishes there were some light and this gives Rex an idea. The two of them rush to one of the cars, de Richleau opting to drive while telling Rex to get on

the running board. Mocata tells Simon to kneel before his master and he faces the Goat and gets down on his knees; at that moment, de Richleau gives Rex a cross, telling him to throw it in the devil's face when they get down there. They drive along the road towards the gathering, with de Richleau saying a prayer, before he turns on the cars headlights. The blinds not only the cultists but also the devil, and when the car stops, Rex throws the cross at him, causing him to dissipate in an instant. As the cultists look in shock at the spot where

he was sitting, Rex rushes towards Simon, fending off cultists who try to stop him, and drag him to the car. Rex then punches Mocata out, picks up Tanith in his arms, and brings her to the car. They then drive off, Rex punching and knocking off any cultists who grab onto the car, and head out of the woods.

They arrive back at the Eaton house by daybreak and, getting out of the car, stagger tiredly towards the door. As de Richleau rings the bell, Simon comments, "Hell of a way to turn up on their doorstep, after not having seen them since Christmas." The butler, Malin, answers the door and allows them inside. Richard and Marie come downstairs and are shocked at the way they look. De Richleau says he'll explain but first asks for rooms for both Tanith and Simon. Tanith is hesitant to

stay but de Richleau assures her that everything will be alright. Marie leads her to a room, and de Richleau tells Rex to watch over her, saying to call him if anything happens. As he heads upstairs, de Richleau tells Richard they need to talk and he leads them to the drawing room. Upstairs, Marie puts Tanith to bed; she says she'll leave before night. Rex enters as Marie leaves and, when she asks what's going on, he tells her to ask her uncle, saying he doesn't know where to begin. When he's

alone with Tanith, he tells her he'll watch over while she's sleeping, but she says she doesn't want to harm any of them. Rex tries to assure her that she has nothing to worry about but she says, "I have everything to worry about." Downstairs, in the drawing room, Richard is having trouble believing what de Richleau has told him and Marie, despite Simon insisting that it's true. The Duc has also told them they mustn't eat anything more than some fruit and a couple of biscuits that day. Marie obviously believes what her uncle has

told her, and de Richleau tells Richard to talk with Rex about it, saying he was just as skeptical as he is now. He goes on to explain, "Simon's resistance is practically nil because he's been under the influence of Mocata for so long. Same thing applies to Ms. Carlisle. Rex and I are at a very low ebb after last night. Your coming fresh into the battle now is a paramount importance. Now, I've got to leave you all for a short while, but I'll be back before nightfall." He tells Richard to sit with Simon while he sleeps and that he's not to get up or be left alone for any reason.

De Richleau drives off, unaware that Mocata is watching from nearby, in the car he drove to the woods the previous night. Mocata drives up to the Eaton house, gets out of the car, walks up to the door, and rings the bell. Malin answers the door and Marie listens on the stairway as Mocata asks to see her. Malin brings his card to Marie, but when she hears the name Mocata, she's taken aback. At first, she considers calling for Richard, but remembering what her uncle said about Simon not needing to be left alone, decides to see Mocata

herself in the drawing room. She also tells Malin to come at once if she rings for him. The servant then shows Mocata inside and Marie meets with him. He apologizes for showing up so suddenly, saying he's returning de Richleau's car, but Marie makes no pretense about the fact that she knows who he is. Suggesting that what she's been told about him may not have been accurate, he allows her to lead him into the drawing room and the two of them sit across from each other. Mocata mentions that both Simon and Tanith are close

friends of his and that he must take them back to London immediately. When Marie says that isn't possible, Mocata says that what her uncle has been telling her about him are lies and that Simon and Tanith will be in danger if they don't leave with him. Marie, in turn, says that they would be safer nowhere else, and Mocata replies, "Mrs. Eaton, it's obvious that you distrust me, and after what your friends have told you about me, I'm not surprised in the least. However, your obvious... intelligence emboldens me to think that I will serve my purpose

best by, uh, putting my cards on the table, as it were." Marie stands up and is about to have Mocata shown out, when he interrupts, "Please. Hear me out... dear lady." Marie is clearly being affected by something he's doing, as she suddenly looks dazed, backs up, and sits back down on the couch. Mocata says, "I do not propose to discuss with you the rights and wrongs of practicing the magic art. I will confine myself to saying that I am a practitioner of some experience.

Monsieur de Richleau has, no doubt, led you to believe that I am thoroughly evil? Such is not the case. In magic, there is neither good nor evil. It is merely a science. The science of causing... change to occur by means of one's will. The sinister reputation attaching to it is entirely groundless, and is based on superstition rather than objective observation. The power of the will is something people do not understand, attributing to it mysterious qualities which it does not possess.

Being merely the power of mind over matter, or in the greater number of cases, the power of mind over mind... as your mind now is succumbing to mine." Throughout all of this, it's clear that Marie is being hypnotized and now, Mocata begins to say as much.

"For as you look into my eyes, and listen to my voice, your will is leaving you, slipping away, and you are now beneath my influence. Although your eyes are open, and you seem aware, you are, in fact, asleep, your faculties dormant, your ability to act and think subservient to my will. My will. Mrs. Eaton, my will is yours at this point. You cannot function in the least unless I say so, can you? Answer me, Mrs. Eaton." Completely hypnotized now, Marie dazedly answers, "No," and Mocata, sitting forward, demands, "Where is Simon?" She

tells him that he's upstairs with her husband, and also that Tanith is upstairs, being watched over by Rex. Mocata turns his attention to the ceiling and begins concentrating on both of them. Tanith's eyes open in the room where she is and she gets out of bed. Rex, having dozed off in the chair across from the bed, is unaware that she's looking at him, only to then focus on the knives on the wall behind him. Meanwhile, Richard notices that Simon is tossing and turning in his sleep and moves over to check on him. At the very moment that Tanith takes one of the

knives from the wall, Simon suddenly grabs Richard's neck and attempts to strangle him. Just as both Richard and Rex are about to be killed, Peggy suddenly walks into the drawing room, calling for her mother. This distracts Mocata, causing him to lose his grip on everyone: Marie snaps out of her trance, Tanith drops the knife just when she was about to stab Rex, and Simon lets go of Richard and falls back asleep. Marie quickly rings for Malin and orders Mocata to get out. Mocata opts to go without Malin having to show

him out, but before he does, he warns Marie that, while he won't be back, something will come for Simon and Tanith that night. Upstairs, Tanith looks out the window and watches as Mocata leaves the property (he's actually good enough to close the door of de Richleau's car, which he left open). Marie heads to Simon's room and is met by Richard, who tells her how Simon attempted to strangle him. After telling him that Mocata was there, she heads to see if Rex is alright. While she

finds him in the bedroom, she sees that Tanith is gone. She wakes Rex up and he, seeing for himself, rushes downstairs, out the door, and pursues Tanith as she flees into the woods. He easily catches up with her but she resists his trying to pull him back, telling him how she almost killed him and that Mocata will try to make her do something to him and his friends. Rex tells her they'll find somewhere else to stay until morning.

De Richleau returns and is greeted outside by Marie. As they walk in, he tells her that Mocata was there, that Simon is still asleep upstairs, but Tanith is gone and Rex is with her somewhere that he refuses to divulge. De Richleau exclaims, "What a fool he is! Doesn't he realize yet what we're up against?!" and Marie tells him of how Mocata uses Tanith to attack and that she didn't want to harm them. The Duc says they'd best hope Rex can keep Mocata from gaining control of Tanith again, adding, "As long as it's light, it may

be possible. But once the darkness begins to fall..." The film then cuts to some stables in the woods, where Tanith, her hands tied behind her back, her feet tied as well, and her mouth gagged, writhes and screams in the hay, suffering from Mocata's spiritual attacks on her. Rex can only watch over her from nearby. Later, as night is approaching, Richard wakes up de Richleau and tells him. They head downstairs, as Marie and Simon are putting Peggy to bed in the nursery. The four of them meet outside the room, with Malin

telling de Richleau he did as he said and moved the furniture out of the drawing room. De Richleau tells him to stay in the nursery with Peggy until he says otherwise. While they head into the drawing room, Tanith is shown continuing to experience excruciating attacks from Mocata, when her body falls limp. Rex goes to her, removes the gag from her mouth, and wipes the sweat from her face and forehead. He suggests that Mocata must be getting weaker by this point but Tanith says he won't stop, and that he never risks his own life. Back at the Eaton

house, the group gathers in the middle of a large circle de Richleau has drawn on the floor, which he "closes" with one last streak of chalk on both the inside and outside of the border. He lights the last of the four candles lining the circle and then, bending down and marking himself with the gestures of the cross, pours some water into a bowl sitting on the edge of the circle. When Richard asks what happens now, he simply says that they wait. Time passes and Tanith falls asleep. Continuing to

watch over her, Rex smiles when her eyes open, but as she rises up, the expression on her face reveals that Mocata has a hold on her. He tries to resist Mocata's hypnotic power, as it comes through Tanith's eyes, but he falls under. She sits up and he unties the leather strap on her hands, before doing the same with the one around her feet. She stands on her feet, forces him to lose consciousness, and as a strong gust of wind kicks up outside, she rushes to the window.

At the Eaton house, the four of them are lying in the circle, their noggins facing each other as they lay their heads on a large pillow. Richard mentions how he thinks they're acting like idiots and, hearing that, de Richleau says that Mocata's attack has started, as he's affecting Richard because he's the one skeptic among them. Somewhat offended by this, Richard, despite what Marie tells him, says it's all superstition, and even gets up to go for a drink, but de Richleau stops him. He asks him if he would do anything he asks for the sake of their friendship

and when Richard says that he would, the Duc asks him to stay in the circle with them. Though he believes what he's doing is pretty low, Richard reluctantly agrees to stay. Thirsty, Simon pours himself a glass of water, but spits it out when he attempts to drink it, saying it tastes like it came from a swamp. He tries to get the confused Richard to taste it but de Richleau stops them, saying it's what Mocata wants. Then, as the wind continues howling outside, de Richleau stands up, appearing to sense something, and says that the lights seem

to be dimmer than they were before. Richard doesn't think so, but Simon agrees with the Duc, and in that moment, the lights near the fireplace visibly begin to dim. Marie notes that it's getting cold in the room and de Richleau says it's to be expected and is only the beginning. The lights then go out completely, and a gust of air blows out the candles as well. De Richleau tells them to get on their feet, join hands, and stand back-to-back. He quietly recites a prayer, as the air continues blowing before suddenly dying down. Richard tries

to comfort his frightened wife, while de Richleau relights the candles. But, before he can light all four, they hear someone knocking on the door in the left-hand corner of the room, followed by the sound of Rex's voice, asking to be let in. De Richleau stops Marie from moving to open the door, telling her and the others that it's not Rex. The voice insists that it's cold outside and demands to be let in, before fading away. Simon's attention is drawn to the wall, and he whispers, "What's that?" Everyone else's attention is drawn there as

well, and they watch as a spider as big as them materializes. It moves towards the rim of the circle and they all back away to the opposite side. They watch as it crawls around the rim, trying to find a way to enter, while de Richleau warns the others not to leave the circle. Light appears on the other side of the door leading into the hallway and the door opens, with Peggy walking in. Marie rushes to protect her from the spider but, again, de Richleau restrains her, insisting that it's not Peggy, and he

has to have Simon hold Richard back as well. They become further distraught when the spider begins approaching her, with de Richleau having to elbow Richard in the gut to keep him from breaking the circle. When the spider rears up and appears ready to pounce on and kill Peggy, de Richleau grabs a small dish of water, tossing it at Peggy. She vanishes, along with the open door, revealing he was right about it being an illusion. The spider starts back towards them and Richard, having had

enough, grabs the whole pitcher of water and throws it. It hits the spider, causing it to fall onto its back, steam, and disappear.

This lull doesn't last long, as Simon feels himself being willed by Mocata to walk out of the circle. He desperately yells that he won't, and de Richleau and Richard try to restrain him. His struggling forces Richard to punch him in the face, knocking him unconscious. De Richleau lays his body down on the floor, while he, Marie, and Richard, again, stand back-to-back. Richard asks if there's any way in which they can fight back and de Richleau says that the one way is to recite the last two lines of the Sussamma Ritual. However, he

says he doesn't dare say them until their very souls are in danger, as doing so could destroy them as well as Mocata, and alter time and space. They then hear the distant sound of approaching hoof-beats, followed by what sounds like a horse neighing. De Richleau says that Mocata has given up on trying to get Simon and has sent the Angel of Death to claim him. He also tries to warn them of what will happen if the Angel breaks into the circle and they catch a glimpse of his face, when the Angel materializes out of the wall, riding on a

black, winged horse. They all recoil in terror, as the horse repeatedly rears up and threatens them, as its shrieking neighs echo through the room. Richard pleads with de Richleau to stay the lines but he refuses, when Simon turns over on his back and awakens. He's horrified when he sees the Angel of Death, as he keeps crawling around the edge of the circle, and becomes so frightened as the Angel appears to be about to take him that he ends up kicking one of the bowls of water, erasing part of the circle's edge. 

The Angel removes his mask, revealing his skull face, and de Richleau, with no other recourse, quickly recites the incantation: "Uriel seraphim! Eo potesta! Zati, zata! Galatim, galatah!" Within an instant, the Angel vanishes, and back at the stables, Tanith suddenly suffers some sort of attack and collapses at the feet of the still unconscious Rex.

Morning comes and de Richleau awakens Simon, who's still lying on the floor, and tells him it's all over. He then goes to the door leading outside and opens it, only to see Rex coming, carrying Tanith's lifeless body in his arms. He walks inside with her and de Richleau tells him that the Angel of Death took her, as he can't return empty-handed when summoned. Rex lays Tanith's body on a cushioned bench by the window, and everyone mourns his loss, when Marie goes to check on Peggy. But then, Malin enters the room and tells

her the horrifying news that Peggy is gone. While Marie and Richard rush to the nursery, Malin explains to de Richleau that a darkness came over him that kept him from doing anything to save the girl. De Richleau rushes to join Peggy's parents, while Simon decides to take matters into his own hands. In the nursery, they look at the empty bed, when they hear the sound of a car starting up outside. De Richleau rushes to the window and sees Simon driving off. Richard is about to rush after him but de Richleau tells him not to;

because Mocata knows Simon is coming, following him would mean certain death. Richard then asks how they're to find Mocata and, in the next scene, de Richleau, after using hypnosis on Marie, and again lighting the candles in the drawing room, declares, "Before me, Raphael. Behind me, Gabriel. On my right hand, Michael. On my left hand, Auriel. In the name of these mighty spirits, I conjure you, Tanith, wherever you may be. Join us in this circle so you may speak

with us." He then takes some salt and sprinkles it into a flame, declaring, "With salt, I summon thee," following it up with a lock of hair. Finally, he places a boiler pot on the flame, takes a small bottle containing blood, and pours it into the pot. Steam rises into the air and de Richleau crosses his arms across his chest, intoning, "The sign of Osiris slain," and then raises his hands with the fingers slightly bent upwards, saying, "The sign of Osiris risen," all the while watching Tanith's body. 

Marie turns her head and speaks in Tanith's voice, saying that she is there. De Richleau asks her to confirm that she really is Tanith and if she acknowledges Jesus Christ, both of which she answers affirmatively. He then tells her of how hurt Rex is over her death but that he has agreed to her being summoned back to help in saving Peggy and protecting his friends. Tanith says she will help, adding, "Because I love him." De Richleau asks her to tell them where Mocata is and Tanith says she can't see him clearly, as he's using a cloak of

darkness to hide himself, but she does see Peggy. She's reluctant to enter where they are, saying, "The winged serpent guards the way," and repeats that she can't enter or see where this place is. De Richleau presses her to see and enter, saying he commands her to do so, but Tanith becomes more and more frightened and desperate not to enter, begging him not to force her to do so. Rex, unable to bear it, screams, "Stop it!", and Tanith lets out a frightened scream. Marie's body collapses

to the floor and de Richleau angrily yells at Rex, "You fool! You damned fool!" Richard checks over Marie and finds that she's alright, while de Richleau tells Rex that his interference might have killed her. He then tries to figure out what Tanith meant by there being a winged serpent guarding the way, and Rex hits upon it, remembering the gate to the house he tracked Tanith and Countess d'Urfe to.

At that moment, Simon reaches the gate, and is about to get out and open it, when it opens by itself. Knowing it's a sign that Mocata is waiting for him, he drives on up to the house, climbs out of the car, and walks to the door, only for it to open up for him as well. He cautiously steps inside and heads towards another door at the end of a small corridor, above which incense is burning. Predictably, that door opens by itself as well, and Simon walks through to find Mocata and the rest of the cult waiting for him in a large ceremony

room. He makes his way down the stairs leading into the room and faces Mocata in front of an altar, telling him that he can release Peggy now. Mocata, however, responds, "Yes, I have you back. Now, I don't have to release the child, do I?" Simon is confused, saying he has no use for Peggy, but Mocata, taking a dagger from the altar, says, "Ah, but I do, my son. A most important use. I have you back, so the only one I need is Tanith." Simon, knowing what he means when he gestures with the dagger, grabs it when he places it back on the altar

and tries to stab him, but Mocata widens his eyes, hitting Simon with his hypnotic powers. Like before, Simon proves to be no match for him and meekly places the dagger back. Mocata then orders him to take his place and he walks into the corner of the room near the altar. After telling his cult that they can now proceed, Mocata orders one of his right-hand men to bring in Peggy. The man opens a door off to the side and another man walks in, carrying Peggy, who's under hypnosis, and places her on the altar. Mocata walks behind the altar and

motions for one of his subordinates to hand him the dagger. Outside, de Richleau and the others pull up in a car. He tells them to stay close to him while they're inside. They walk in and enter the ceremony room as Mocata is saying a satanic prayer while standing over Peggy. Marie screams at the sight of this and Rex rushes down the stairs, attempting to get at Mocata. He manages to fight off a couple of the cultists but is then restrained and knocked out from behind. Mocata tells the others,

"Welcome to our circle," while Marie runs to the stairs as well, asking what he's done to Peggy. He says she's in a state of deep hypnosis and doesn't hear her. De Richleau exclaims, "In the name of God, you dare not!", to which Mocata says, "Scarcely in the name of God, Monsieur le Duc." He then offers himself in Peggy's place, but Mocata will not give up the soul of an innocent, pure child. Marie and Richard start to catch on to what he's preparing to do, as he says, "The transference of

souls: that of your child for that of Tanith." Like Rex before him, Richard charges down the stairs but is restrained by the cultists, as Mocata says, "Now, if our two remaining guests will permit, we may proceed."

De Richleau and Marie watch helplessly from the stairs as Mocata, holding the dagger in his hands above Peggy's body, intones, "Almighty and all powerful Set, Father of Darkness, King of Death, I pledge this knife to thee to do thy work and be thy servant." Marie asks de Richleau to say the same words that saved them from the Angel of Death, but he says he can't. Mocata goes on with the ritual, intoning, "The Bride of Chaos! The Rider upon the Beast!", and then, as he prepares to slice Peggy's throat, "With this knife, do I draw out the

blood, which is thy life." He comes close to plunging the dagger into her, when an echoing, female voice proclaims, "Only they who love without desire, shall have power granted them in their darkest hour!" Marie, once again possessed by Tanith's spirit, walks down the stairs and towards the altar, the cultists recoiling from her aura of holiness. When she reaches the altar, along with de Richleau, Richard, and Rex, who are no longer being restrained, her presence releases Simon from Mocata's control and he joins his friends. She tells

Peggy to get up and the girl is herself released from the hypnosis. She helps her off the altar, walks her over to the others, and has her say the words of the Sussamma Ritual. Once she's said them, a flash of lightning appears out of thin air and strikes the altar, causing it to burst open, while the drapes in the back of the room are set aflame. The cultists recoil and flail around and scream at what's happening, before collapsing to the floor. The drapery is burned away to reveal a large cross on

the wall, which Mocata tries to shield himself from before collapsing to the floor with the others. When it's all over, the place is now completely empty of people, save for de Richleau and his friends, and of all the furniture, with the cross on the back wall glowing.

The film suddenly cuts back to the moment in the Eaton drawing room where de Richleau awakens Simon as he's lying on the floor, telling him it's all over. Richard and Marie awaken from the floor as well, and once she has her senses back, Marie runs to check on Peggy. De Richleau then sees that Tanith's body is no longer by the window and heads to the door and opens it up. This time, he sees Rex walking and holding hands with Tanith, who's now alive and well. He cheerfully invites them in, just as Marie and Richard walk in with a

safe Peggy. Marie is surprised to see Tanith alive and de Richleau explains, "Time itself has been reversed for us. Tanith's death, Peggy's abduction, the ride to Chilbury, the ritual in the cellar... all these things happened. But now, they have not happened. We are back. We are all safe again." Simons asks if the same can be said for Mocata and de Richleau reminds him of the Angel of Death, adding, "Tanith has been restored to us. But the age old law demands a life for a life, a soul for a soul,

and there is only one man in all this world who could replace her life, her soul: the man who invoked the Angel of Death. Mocata is dead." Simon says, "Thank God," and de Richleau closes the movie by responding, "Yes, Simon. He is the one we must thank."

Besides the special effects, this ending is one of my few qualms with the movie. While it is a satisfying ending in that it's nice to see that everyone is safe and evil has been defeated, the reversing of time to before things really went to hell and Tanith being brought back to life feels a tad contrived and a bit of a cop-out. Also, the fact that you don't actually see Mocata get his comeuppance at the hands of the Angel of Death is a bit disappointing to me. It doesn't ruin the movie completely but it is something that probably could have been done better.

Composer James Bernard is another Hammer regular who brought a lot to The Devil Rides Out, as his bombastic, grand style of scoring really suits it, especially the opening credits sequence, which is played to this menacing, creeping, and continuously building piece that gives off an atmosphere of absolute evil. This sort of scoring is also used by Bernard during many of the horror moments involving Mocata using his powers and brings a feeling of intensity and suspense to them, with a really good example being when he almost causes both Simon and Tanith to kill those looking after them. But, Bernard's score for the film isn't totally overplayed, as he does manage to score some scenes in a more subtle way, like the moments before de Richleau and Rex are confronted by the demon in the observatory and in the buildup to Mocata's onslaught of attacks on those at the Eaton home, where the music hints at something sinister in the air and there's something coming. Also, as I mentioned earlier, the scene where Mocata hypnotizes Marie is scored by a low-key, swirling, mesmerizing piece that fits it perfectly, before transitioning into the more menacing music when Mocata fully asserts his control. Finally, during the latter parts of the third act, Bernard begins employing an airy, holy, and very lovely theme that you hear when de Richleau invokves Tanith's spirit, as well as when the cultists are defeated and in the final scene, where everyone's safe and well. In turn, the ending credits plays to a reprise of the opening theme, only sounding much less sinister and more hopeful, before ending on a final flourish that crescendos beautifully, accompanied by the sounds of bells, further signifying the triumph of good over evil.

The Devil Rides Out is, purely and simply, one of both Hammer and director Terence Fisher's finest films. Just about everything works here: the direction, the screenplay, the acting (Christopher Lee, Charles Gray, and Sarah Lawson especially deserve mention), the production design and sets, the atmosphere and tone, the major sequences and setpieces, and the music score. Save for some badly dated special effects, a love between two characters that comes off as a little too typical of the genre and forced, and an ending that wraps things up a bit more neat and conviently than I would have preferred, this is an A-class movie all-around, definitely worth the time of anyone who loves the classic age of horror, and is a real testament to the heights Hammer had risen to by the late 60's (which makes their fall from grace in the following years all the more tragic). And with that, we wrap things up for another year. Happy Halloween everyone, and I'll see you next October for another marathon.