Devils of Darkness is a 1965 British horror film about a secret vampire cult enticing victims for its human sacrifice rituals.
The movie was directed by Lance Comfort (The Ugly Duckling; Daughter of Darkness) from a story and screenplay by Lyn Fairhurst (production manager on The Flesh Eaters) and produced by Tom Blakeley.
The Planet Films production stars William Sylvester (The Hand of Night; Devil Doll; Gorgo), Hubert Noël, Carole Gray (Island of Terror; Curse of the Fly), Tracy Reed and Diana Decker.
Plot:
Paul Baxter (William Sylvester) is on holiday with a group of friends in a small town in Brittany, primarily inhabited by gypsies. Unfortunately, Count Sinistre (Hubert Noël) returns to terrorise the townspeople on All Souls’ Night, and murders three of Baxter’s friends.
Initially sceptical of the supernatural nature of the town, Baxter becomes suspicious and returns to England with a talisman belonging to Sinistre, which he had taken from the scene of one of his murders, leading Sinistre to pursue Baxter in an attempt to recover the talisman and murder acquaintances along the way…
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Contemporary critical reactions:
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: “Unconvincing excursion into the macabre, which is consistently disagreeable but never in the least alarming.”
Boxoffice wrote: “Set in a twilight world of demons, this thriller in DeLuxe Color has an eerie mood to please the chill seekers as it depicts the adventures of visitors in a small town in Brittany who stumble, unwittingly, into the hands of devil worshippers. Since so much has been written in recent years on the subject, we can assume that producer Tom Blakely had technical authority for the impressive ceremonial rooms where black magic rites are performed. … Running as the second half of a dual bill with Curse of the Fly, this is well produced of its kind.”
Filming locations:
Château du Rusquec, Loqueffret, Finistère, France
Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England (studio)
Filming dates:
May 14, 1964 – June 1964
Censorship:
The original UK cinema version was cut by the BBFC to heavily reduce a scene of a woman dancing with a snake. later releases were restored and believed to be uncut however, DVDcompare.net suggests there are missing scenes.
Choice dialogue:
Tania: “It’d make a marvellous horror. You know. Ghouls and witches.”
Cast and characters:
William Sylvester … Paul Baxter
Hubert Noël … Count Sinistre
Carole Gray … Tania
Tracy Reed … Karen Steele
Diana Decker … Madeleine Braun
Rona Anderson … Anne Forest
Peter Illing … Inspector Malin
Gerard Heinz … Bouvier, the Hotel Manager
Brian Oulton … The Colonel
Walter Brown … Bruno
Eddie Byrne … Doctor Robert Kelsey
Victor Brooks … Inspector Hardwick
Marie Burke … Old Gypsy Woman
Marianne Stone … The Duchess
Avril Angers … Midge
Budget:
£110,000 (estimated)
Tech specs:
1h 28m (88 min)
Aspect ratio: 1.85: 1
Trailer:
Free to watch online on YouTube:
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